PolicyLab Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

What PolicyLab Children's Hospital of Philadelphia does

PolicyLab is a research center within Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), founded in 2008/2009, that conducts community-engaged, evidence-based research on child and family health and translates findings into actionable policy recommendations. It operates five core research areas — Adolescent Health & Well-Being, Behavioral Health, Population Health Sciences, Health Equity, and Family & Community Health — and maintains programs including the Community Partnerships in Research Program (now in Year 5), HealthySteps (with ZERO TO THREE), Positive Behavior Intervention Supports in Early Childhood Education, the Families in Recovery Program evaluation (with Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance), the Community Clinical Systems Integration / Home Visiting initiative, and the Adolescent Protection Collaborative.

Its core "technology" is the methodology of community-partnered translational research: convening academic researchers, community organizations, and public agencies around pressing child welfare questions and producing a portfolio of publication types (Evidence to Action Briefs, Issue Briefs, Policy Briefs, Research at a Glance, Tools and Memos, Webinars) that are offered free of charge to policymakers, healthcare providers, community organizations, and families. The center sits inside CHOP's Roberts Center for Pediatric Research in Philadelphia and leverages CHOP's clinical infrastructure as its research substrate.

PolicyLab's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial: revenue flows primarily through philanthropic and institutional grants (notably The Pew Charitable Trusts, which has maintained a 17-year partnership since 2009 and awarded a $1 million multi-year grant in February 2026; alongside Vanguard Strong Start for Kids, William Penn Foundation, the Melissa Ketunuti Endowment, the CHOP Cancer Center Diversity Committee, and the CHOP CTSA Program). All research outputs are distributed free of charge. The "customers" are constituencies — federal, state, and local policymakers; academic and clinical researchers; healthcare providers; and community-based advocacy organizations — who consume evidence rather than purchase products. PolicyLab is governed as part of CHOP's research institute under nonprofit institutional structures rather than corporate ownership.

Name

PolicyLab Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Legal name

PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Website

https://policylab.chop.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

PolicyLab is a nonprofit research center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that conducts community-engaged, evidence-based research on child and family health and translates findings into free policy briefs, programs, and tools for policymakers, healthcare providers, and community organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Policy Research

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJAAAK

Maternal, Child & Family Health Departments

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Agencies & Health Departments

SECONDARYHLAFAJAF

Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine Practices

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Women’s & Children’s Health Providers

SECONDARYHLAFACAL

Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Behavioral Health & Substance Use Treatment

SECONDARYHLAJALAI

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Program Funding (Public Health)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Funding, Grants & Program Administration

Keywords

• Child health policy research
• Evidence-based policy translation
• Community-engaged research
• Pediatric health equity
• Population health sciences

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

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, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Philanthropic Funding: PolicyLab operates as a research center within CHOP, funded primarily through grants from foundations such as The Pew Charitable Trusts and other philanthropic organizations. The $1 million multi-year grant from Pew represents their primary funding mechanism, supporting research, policy development, and stakeholder engagement efforts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is a research center that conducts community-engaged, evidence-based research on child, adolescent, and family health, then translates findings into policy tools, briefs, and program models. Its work spans five research areas (Adolescent Health & Well-Being, Behavioral Health, Population Health Sciences, Health Equity, Family & Community Health) and produces a portfolio of publications and programs aimed at policymakers, healthcare providers, community organizations, and families. All research outputs are provided free of charge and supported primarily through philanthropic grants, notably from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Product overview

PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is a research center focused on improving child and family well-being through evidence-based research, policy development, and community engagement. Rather than a traditional product company, PolicyLab offers a portfolio of research areas (Adolescent Health & Well-Being, Behavioral Health, Population Health Sciences, Health Equity, and Family & Community Health) alongside a suite of policy translation publications including Evidence to Action Briefs, Issue Briefs, Policy Briefs, Research at a Glance, Tools and Memos, and Webinars. The organization also operates specific programs such as Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) in Early Childhood Education, HealthySteps (a dyadic care model), the Adolescent Protection Collaborative (a specialized medical home), the Community Partnerships in Research Program, and evaluation of the Families in Recovery Program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Evidence to Action Briefs Briefs delivering evidence-based local and national policy solutions to advance child health and well-being, intended for policymakers, healthcare providers, and community organizations.
• Issue Briefs Expert-authored perspectives on a wide range of child health policy issues, provided free of charge to stakeholders.
• Policy Briefs Concise summaries of PolicyLab research accompanied by policy recommendations to inform children's health policy decisions.
• Research at a Glance Brief synopses of emerging PolicyLab research, providing accessible summaries of new studies for policymakers and stakeholders.
• Tools and Memos Practical documents including FAQs, guidance, regulatory comments, letters, and policy reviews for use by policymakers and practitioners.
• PolicyLab Webinars Virtual events in which PolicyLab experts take a deep dive into specific public health topics, made available free to stakeholders.
• Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) in Early Childhood Education A system-wide initiative implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in childcare centers to reduce suspension and expulsion and foster social-emotional development in young children.
• HealthySteps An evidence-based dyadic care model integrating a child development expert into the primary care team to promote healthy relationships, positive parenting, and early social-emotional development, implemented and evaluated by PolicyLab.
• Adolescent Protection Collaborative A specialized medical home for sex-trafficked youth providing coordinated evaluations, same-day services, and ongoing long-term care.
• Community Partnerships in Research Program A program supporting community-academic partnerships to guide pediatric health care research, with multi-year awardees focused on community health issues.
• Families in Recovery Program Evaluation An evaluation partnership with the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance assessing implementation of a seven-session strengths-based group program for parents in recovery from substance use disorders.
• Community Clinical Systems Integration (CCSI) - Home Visiting A model integrating evidence-based nurse-led home visiting services as part of the clinical care team within CHOP's pediatric primary care network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over a decade of partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts since 2009
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CHOP Global Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for international health initiatives including donor human milk program in Botswana and neonatal outcomes research at Nyangabgwe Hospital.
• Health Equity Research Methods (HERMeS) InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHOP initiative that sponsors Community Partnerships in Research awards and aims to advance health equity research and translation across CHOP and CHOP Research Institute.
• CHOP's Office of Community Impact (OCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCI develops and supports programs that promote health equity, improve access to resources, and strengthen communities through strategic partnerships with community organizations, schools, government agencies and families. Sponsors Community Partnerships in Research awards.
• CHOP Clinical and Translational Research Award (CTSA) ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTSA program provides resources, environment, operations, and training to support and promote high-quality clinical and translational research. Sponsors Community Partnerships in Research awards for Spanish-language autism materials and LGBTQI youth intervention adaptation.
• Pennsylvania Family Support AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit child abuse prevention organization that developed the Families in Recovery program. PolicyLab partners with PFSA to evaluate implementation of this program supporting parents impacted by substance use disorder.
• ZERO TO THREE (HealthySteps)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolicyLab is implementing and evaluating HealthySteps, an evidence-based dyadic care model that integrates a child development expert into the primary care team. Partnership includes CHOP's Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Care Network.
• Philadelphia Health Management Corporation (PHMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with PolicyLab researchers on early childhood education initiatives including developing systems for inclusive childcare centers in Philadelphia.
• Community Partnerships in Research Program PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive network of community partners including: Philly Voice for Change, Maternity Care Coalition, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Unity Recovery, Gaudenzia, Caring Together at Drexel, Jefferson's MATER program, Botswana-University of Pennsylvania Partnership, Princess Marina Hospital, School District of Philadelphia, Penn's Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy, Free Library of Philadelphia, Stanford REACH Lab, Camden Coalition, Spotlight PA, Native American House Alliance, Beyond the Bars, SisterSong, Lutheran Settlement House, we R.E.I.G.N, Once Upon a Preemie, Christian Street YMCA, National Nurse-Led Care Consortium, No More Secrets MBS Inc., Daddy University Inc., and others.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mathematica Policy Research: Nonprofit policy research firm with deep expertise in health, family support, and child welfare program evaluation. Directly comparable in evaluation methodology, funder base (foundations and government), and focus on translating evidence for program and policy improvement.
• National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP): Nonprofit forum of state policymakers developing health policy across children's health, behavioral health, and Medicaid. Comparable in policy translation role, multi-state stakeholder engagement, and focus on underinsured and Medicaid populations.
• Child Trends: Nonprofit research organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth through rigorous research. Highly comparable to PolicyLab in mission, methodology (community-engaged research), and policy translation focus on child and family well-being.
• Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University: Policy center within Georgetown's Health Policy Institute focused on child and family health coverage, particularly Medicaid and CHIP. Directly comparable to PolicyLab in producing policy analysis for child and family health at the federal/state level.

Broad incumbents

• Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF): Major nonprofit health policy research organization producing independent analysis of national health issues. Comparable in nonpartisan policy research, multi-channel dissemination, and free public outputs, though focused on broader health policy rather than children specifically.
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Professional association of pediatricians that conducts research, develops guidelines, and advocates for child health policy. Comparable in pediatric focus and policy translation role, though larger and structured as a professional membership organization rather than a research center.
• Urban Institute: Large nonprofit policy research organization producing evidence on social and economic issues including health, children, and families. Comparable in policy research-to-translation model and federal/state policy engagement, though much broader in scope than PolicyLab.
• RAND Corporation: Major nonprofit research institution conducting policy analysis across health, education, and social services. Comparable in producing evidence-based policy recommendations and rigorous research methodology, though more diversified across topics and national security.

Emerging players

• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health — Center for Health Communication: Academic center within a leading school of public health conducting translational health research. Comparable as an academic-public-health research environment for evidence translation, though broader in scope and not pediatric-specific.

Regional players

• Children's Defense Fund: National child advocacy organization combining research, policy analysis, and advocacy for children. Comparable in child-focused policy work and research-driven advocacy, though primarily an advocacy organization rather than an academic research center.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/PolicyLabCHOP
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCIb95C0yTITam3azLj94LeQ
• LinkedInbit.ly/PolicyLab_LinkedIn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PolicyLab Children's Hospital of Philadelphia