Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School

What Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School does

The Women and Public Policy Program (WAPPP) at the Harvard Kennedy School is a non-profit academic research center founded in 1996 that investigates gender equity across three domains: work, politics, and conflict. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts with approximately 18 employees, WAPPP operates as part of Harvard University and is co-directed by Iris Bohnet and Hannah Riley Bowles, with affiliated faculty including Dara Kay Cohen and Harrison Nekoroski serving as associate director. The program produces peer-reviewed research, policy briefs, and training programs intended to inform public policy on gender-related issues.

WAPPP's core offerings span several structured programs: Women and Applied Economics (WAGE), Gender and Politics research, Gender and Conflict research, the Gender Action Portal (a public-facing research repository), the Research Fellowship Program, the Oval Office Program, Women and Power, and Women Leading Change. The program's research activities have expanded geographically into India, Sierra Leone, Haiti, and Brazil, with recent thematic focus on climate justice, debt distress, gender-based violence, and reproductive health. Outputs are primarily academic — journal articles, working papers, and policy reports — alongside structured training programs for emerging women leaders.

WAPPP's business model is characteristic of an embedded academic research center. The program does not generate commercial revenue. It is funded through a combination of Harvard institutional support, competitive federal research grants (including from the National Science Foundation and the United States Institute of Peace), and philanthropic contributions channeled through the Women's Leadership Board. Its customer base is diffuse: policymakers consume its research outputs, students and fellows participate in training programs, academic peers cite its publications, and individual and corporate donors provide funding.

Name

Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School

Legal name

Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School

Website

https://wappp.hks.harvard.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School is a non-profit academic research center founded in 1996 that conducts research on gender equity across work, politics, and conflict, serving policymakers, scholars, and emerging women leaders through grant-funded programs and fellowships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: WAPPP operates as a research center within Harvard Kennedy School, funded through Harvard University's institutional resources and partnerships.
2. Research Grants: Funded by government agencies (National Science Foundation, United States Institute of Peace), international organizations, and foundations for specific research projects on gender and conflict, political violence, and workplace equity.
3. Donor Contributions: The Women's Leadership Board and individual donors support WAPPP's mission through contributions, with options to invest in WAPPP programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WAPPP is an academic research and education center within Harvard Kennedy School that conducts rigorous, evidence-based gender equity research across the domains of work, politics, and conflict, and translates those findings into practical interventions. It packages this research through dedicated research programs (Work and Gender Equity/WAGE, Gender and Politics, Gender and Conflict), a free online research repository (Gender Action Portal), a Research Fellowship Program, the Oval Office political candidate training program, and two tuition-based executive education programs (Women and Power, Women Leading Change).

Product overview

The Women and Public Policy Program (WAPPP) at Harvard Kennedy School is a research and education center that does not operate as a single unified software product, but rather offers a portfolio of interconnected research programs, training initiatives, and educational offerings. The core research programs include Work and Gender Equity (WAGE), Gender and Politics, and Gender and Conflict, which collectively advance evidence-based strategies to reduce gender bias. These research programs are supported by the Gender Action Portal (GAP), a freely accessible platform that aggregates and disseminates research on gender equity interventions. WAPPP also offers the Research Fellowship Program to support scholars, the Oval Office Program for political candidate training, and two executive education programs (Women and Power and Women Leading Change) for senior women leaders. The organization functions as an academic research center focused on creating and disseminating knowledge rather than operating a technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Work and Gender Equity (WAGE): Research initiative determining data-driven strategies organizations can use to 'debias' their systems and create more inclusive workplaces.
• Gender Action Portal
• Oval Office Program

Products and services

• Work and Gender Equity (WAGE) A research initiative determining data-driven strategies organizations can use to 'debias' their systems and create more inclusive workplaces, and amplifying interventions that enhance individuals' agency in negotiating more gender-equitable work arrangements. Intended audience: organizational leaders, HR/DEI practitioners, and policymakers.
• Gender and Politics A research initiative advancing knowledge on representative democracy and equitable participation in governments across the globe, paired with the Oval Office Program that inspires and supports nontraditional candidates to run for public office. Intended audience: political researchers, candidates, parties, and democracy-focused institutions.
• Gender and Conflict A research program conducting and sharing research on gender in non-violent and violent social movements, and on the social and institutional factors influencing the prevalence of gender-based violence. Intended audience: conflict researchers, peace-building organizations, and policy advisors.
• Gender Action Portal (GAP) An online platform that collects and makes freely available research evaluating the impact of specific policies, strategies, and organizational practices to advance gender equity. Intended audience: researchers, policymakers, organizational DEI practitioners, and the general public.
• Research Fellowship Program A program supporting and advancing academic and practitioner-scholars in their gender-related research through fellowships and stipends. Intended audience: PhD students, postdocs, and junior faculty in gender, politics, conflict, and organizational behavior.
• Oval Office Program A training program that supports and inspires nontraditional candidates to run for public office, helping prepare them for electoral campaigns and political leadership. Intended audience: Harvard Kennedy School students and prospective political candidates.
• Women and Power (Executive Education) A Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education program for women in senior leadership from the public, private, and non-profit sectors that equips leaders with the tools necessary to accelerate women's leadership advancement. Intended audience: senior women leaders across public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
• Women Leading Change (Executive Education) An executive education program at Harvard Kennedy School for women in senior leadership from the public, private, and non-profit sectors focused on leadership advancement and change management. Intended audience: senior women leaders across public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• When women learned the extent of 'hidden' costs to reducing paid work hours after becoming mothers, they worked more hours outside the home.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Women's Leadership BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA board of senior leaders who support WAPPP's mission to advance gender equity globally. The board provides strategic guidance, connections, and financial support through contributions and membership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UN Women: United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Operates globally with a research, policy, and programmatic mandate that overlaps all three of WAPPP's research domains.
• Catalyst: Established nonprofit producing workplace gender equity research and tools. Competes with WAPPP's WAGE initiative in supplying evidence-based debiasing and inclusion interventions to organizations.

Direct peers

• Stanford Center for Gender Equality: University-based gender research center producing evidence-based research on gender equality, with comparable academic publication output and policy translation efforts.
• Wellesley Centers for Women: Long-established university-based research center conducting social science research on gender, leadership, and workplace equity—overlapping with WAPPP's WAGE research and gender in negotiation work.
• Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security: Academic research institute at Georgetown focused on women, peace, and security—directly overlapping with WAPPP's Gender and Conflict research domain and global field research agenda.
• International Center for Research on Women (ICRW): Global research organization focused on gender equity across work, politics, and conflict in developing countries. Conducts field research in geographies similar to WAPPP's (India, Sub-Saharan Africa, Haiti).
• Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers: The leading U.S. academic center on women and political participation. Directly comparable to WAPPP's Gender and Politics research program and Oval Office candidate training mission.
• Center for Women and Public Policy at the Humphrey School: A nearly identically named gender equity research center at the University of Minnesota's public policy school. Operates research, leadership development, and policy engagement programs directly comparable to WAPPP.

Emerging players

• WomenLift Health: Mission-aligned organization focused on advancing women leaders in global health. Comparable in its leadership development programming (executive education for women) but narrower in sectoral focus.

Regional players

• Women and Public Policy Program (UMass Boston): Other U.S. academic gender policy programs that produce research and training on women in public policy—comparable in mission though smaller in scale and footprint than WAPPP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCII4gHJhDfpGjlojaME1bHQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wappphks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School