The mission of the D.C. Policy Center is to arm decision makers with fact-based, unbiased, and reliable research and analyses to help create a vibrant local economy that can maximize opportunities for residents, workers, and businesses in the District of Columbia.
Through objective and rigorous research and collaboration, the D.C. Policy Center develops and tests policy ideas, disseminates its findings, actively promotes policy solutions, and engages in constructive dialogue and debate.
We are objective and neutral. We are non-partisan, independent, and open-minded. We do not allow ideology shape our findings and recommendations.
We are grounded in data. We believe that objective data and targeted, high-quality analyses are necessary for a productive policy debate.
We are singularly focused on D.C. We believe that D.C.’s local public policy should be designed and evaluated in the context of the realities of the District of Columbia. Ideas that have a national appeal often miss the local economic context and local policy interactions.
We have a comprehensive view of policy. We believe that a strong and competitive economy creates the greatest range of options and the requisite resources for serving the needs of our city, especially our most vulnerable residents.
We care deeply about opportunity. Paired with economic growth, thoughtful policies can create the fastest path to shared prosperity.
We produce original research and analyses. We strive to be open and unbiased in our research and share our data, methodology and analysis to ensure full transparency.
We develop and test innovative policy proposals. We develop comprehensive policy proposals; we build coalitions to support those proposals; we engage executive and legislative leaders to promote those proposals; and we deploy the most convincing arguments and information in support of our ideas.
We are practical. We seek to affect significant changes over the long run, but also embrace incremental improvements and near-term trade-offs that create a path to gradually improving suboptimal policies.
We proactively engage employers in local policy. Our constant engagement of employers creates more opportunities for D.C.’s many stakeholders to come together to find common ground. It also allows us to build new repositories of data and information, glean insights on expectations about the city’s future.
We have the “long view.” We are as interested in the city’s future over multiple generations as we are in what happens in the next budget cycle. This ensures that our approach to policy is driven by what is good for the District and not by a short-term policy might be well-received by a particular constituency.
We draw credibility and reliability from our data-driven approach. We have invested heavily in high quality, comprehensive, and deep analyses free of ideology and dogmatic thinking. Consequently, we have built a reputation as the premier research organization with comprehensive coverage of policy issues important to the District, with full transparency as to how we conduct our research and how we are funded. Our credibility allows policy leaders to receive our policy solutions comfortably and confidently.
We vet our reform ideas and policy solutions with stakeholders. As we develop our policy ideas, we constantly check them with other researchers, the employer community, District agencies that would have to implement these reforms, and a broad set of advocacy groups. In these ways we ensure that our ideas have both policy and political buy-in.
We understand local policy operates in a system. An idea that looks good on paper will likely fail in execution if not rigorously checked against the economic and social realities of the District, and its interactions with other policies. We relentlessly examine policy ideas through this comprehensive lens to ensure that its implementation will be free of unintended consequences.
We are respectful and hardworking. Advancing growth-focused policies for the District requires direct and regular engagement with lawmakers, coalition building, creative ideas, sound political strategy, and hard work. We believe any idea can be debated and improved, and that people can disagree without being disagreeable or dogmatic.
D.C. Policy Center
1310 L Street NW, Suite 325
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 223-2233
contact@dcpolicycenter.org
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On December 10, 2024, Director of Research and Policy Emilia Calma’s testimony was featured by WUSA9: “Currently, landlords have little recourse to stop illegal tenant behavior. The only power landlords …
On December 10, 2024, a D.C. Policy Center report was cited by NBC4 Washington: In D.C., children were twice as likely to be victims or witnesses of violence compared to …
On December 3, 2024, a D.C. Policy Center report was cited by The Wash: A study published by the D.C. Policy Center analyzed the changes in median income in the Washington …
On November 26, 2024, Education Policy Initiative Director Chelsea Coffin was quoted by Fox 5: Chelsea Coffin is the director of the education policy initiative at the D.C. Policy Center, …
On November 6, 2024, Executive Director Yesim Sayin was quoted by the Washington Business Journal: “Republican legislators have complained about certain actions in D.C.,” including speed cameras, the granting of …
On November 1, 2024, a D.C. Policy Center report was referenced by The Washington Informer: According to the D.C. Policy Center, an area is considered a food desert when the walking …
The D.C. Policy Center is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our EIN is 82-2380479.
We are deeply grateful for the support of these organizations and individuals since the founding of the D.C. Policy Center, who have made our work possible.
Contributions of funds and contracts, by lifetime contribution, January 1 to December 21, 2022. In the interest of transparency and disclosure, this listing includes donations as well as commissioned research products and contracts. Please note, this list is compiled and updated on an annual basis, and the below comes from our most recent annual report. The D.C. Policy Center strives to be complete and accurate in recognizing the generous support of our donors and research contracts.
Education Forward DC
Walton Family Foundation
The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness
Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
Quadrangle Development Corporation
Washington Gas
CityBridge Education
Monumental Sports & Entertainment
DC Chamber of Commerce
Exelon
Huron Philanthropies
Akridge
Arnold & Porter
Brookfield Properties
EDENS
Deloitte
JBG SMITH
Premium Distributors
United Bank
Anonymous
William B. Alsup III
Atlantic Parking
Children’s National Hospital
The Forge Company
Hoffman & Associates
Holland & Knight, LLP
The Kimsey Foundation
Ruben Companies
Venturehouse Group
Apartment & Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington (AOBA)
Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation
Deloitte
Hilton
MedStar Health
Truist
WC Smith
Arcana Foundation
Boston Properties
DowntownDC Business Improvement District
Holland & Knight, LLP
PNC
Turnaround, Inc.
The Wilkes Company
Borger Realty Investments
Hoffman & Associates
Qatari Diar/Hines
District of Columbia Building Industry Initiative (DCBIA)
MidCity Financial
Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)
Downtown Development Roundtable
Oxford Properties Group
Stonebridge
Fort Lincoln New Town Corporation
Park Hotels & Resorts
Tishman Speyer
Fougler-Pratt
Horning
Christopher Bruch
Amazon Smile Foundation
Statehood Research DC
Elizabeth DeBarros
Gerry Widdicombe
Meagan Jepson
Ashley Simpson Baird
To make a charitable contribution to the D.C. Policy Center, please visit our donation page, or contact our offices at contact@dcpolicycenter.org or (202) 223-2233. Thank you.
