New State & Local Policies

New State & Local Policies

American Independent Business Association

AMIBA aims to create a culture of support for community-based business through public education and collaborative efforts among member businesses. The first independent business alliance was founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1997. As of 2005, similar associations now exist in 17 other communities in 11 states and 1 Canadian province. Read more about American Independent Business Association...

Ballot Initiative Strategy Center

BISC provides funding, research, and training to support progressive ballot measure activity and to connect advocates across state and issue lines. Its website tracks a wide variety of state legislative and ballot initiative efforts throughout the country. Read more about Ballot Initiative Strategy Center...

Business Alliance for Local Living Economies

The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) is a network of socially responsible businesses, comprised of over 80 community networks throughout North America representing over 22,000 independent business members across the U.S. and Canada. Since 2001, BALLE business networks in large cities, small towns, rural areas, and regions of high unemployment have increased their communities' health and economic vitality through a focus on green jobs, sustainable industries, investing locally, and buying local first. Read more about Business Alliance for Local Living Economies...

Demos

Founded in 1999, Demos is a multi-faceted research and advocacy organization that focuses on issues of democracy, the health of the public sector, and the creation of a public realm of debate and ideas. It also has an economic opportunity program that focuses on promoting new ideas in the areas of higher education, income and asset-based policy as means of building wealth among people of low and moderate incomes. Read more about Demos...

Economic Analysis and Research Network

The Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) links national, state, and regional multi-issue advocacy, policy, and research organizations. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) acts as the national secretariat for EARN. Read more about Economic Analysis and Research Network...

Jobs with Justice

Jobs with Justice coalitions now operate in over 40 cities in 25 states in all regions of the country, made up of member organizations and thousands of individual activists. By building a base of diverse constituencies at the local level as well as providing training, coordination, and networking at the national level, Jobs with Justice aims to rebuild the infrastructure that gives communities a sense of their own power. Read more about Jobs with Justice...

Making Change at Walmart

In Spring 2005, a coalition of labor, environmental, and religious groups, began its nationwide campaign to challenge the world's largest retailer to become a better employer, neighbor, and corporate citizen. The website contains a wide range of news, research reports, and other activist resources, both on the WalMart campaign and on ways to protect small businesses in local communities. Read more about Making Change at Walmart...

Mayors Innovation Project

Launched in February 2005 by Madison, Wisconsin Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and the Madison-based Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), the group has since held semiannual meetings that provide mayors and their staff a forum to learn from one another and develop urban policies that put a premium on “high road” strategies that promote living wage jobs and community wealth building. Presentations from past conferences are available on the group's website. Read more about Mayors Innovation Project...

National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce

The National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce is a national online library for people in search of solutions to the direct-care staffing crisis in long-term care. A project of the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI), the Clearinghouse includes government and research reports, news, issue briefs, fact sheets, and other information on topics such as recruitment, career advancement supervision, workplace culture, and caregiving practices. Read more about National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce...

National Employment Law Project

The National Employment Law Project supports coalitions of community organizations, progressive unions, and legislative leaders working to address the problem of growing inequality. In partnership with national, state and local allies, the group promotes policies and programs that create living wage jobs, strengthen upward mobility, enforce worker rights, and help unemployed workers regain their economic footing through improved benefits and services. Read more about National Employment Law Project...

Partnership for Working Families

Partnership for Working Families provides hands-on research and technical assistance on community benefit agreements to a growing and energized base of affiliates nationwide. The group currently includes 18 established or formative groups and is actively assisting a dozen more groups in community benefits coalitions and campaigns. Read more about Partnership for Working Families...

Smart Growth America

Smart Growth America is a coalition of more than 100 advocacy organizations that have a stake in how metropolitan expansion affects our environment, quality of life and economic sustainability. Partners include national, state, and local groups working on behalf of the environment, historic preservation, social equity, land conservation, neighborhood redevelopment, farmland protection, labor, and city/town planning. Read more about Smart Growth America...

Sprawl-Busters

Sprawl-Busters is a private firm that provides consulting services to local community coalitions on how to design and implement successful campaigns against mega-stores and other undesirable large-scale developments. Read more about Sprawl-Busters...

State Fiscal Analysis Initiative, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

The State Fiscal Analysis Initiative, a project of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, provides research and technical assistance on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals at the state level. This work includes information and technical assistance to state non-profit organizations and government officials on issues ranging from state budget priorities and revenue structures to the design and implementation of low-income programs. Read more about State Fiscal Analysis Initiative, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities...

Take Back Your Time

Take Back Your Time is an initiative designed to challenge the trend of increasing work hours in America that has contributed to the fraying of family relations, health, and community wellbeing. The group aims to bring parental and personal leave laws in the United States up to the standards already in place in all other industrialized countries. Read more about Take Back Your Time...

The Participatory Budgeting Project

Launched in 2009, the Participatory Budgeting Project works with local officials, public organizations, and community groups in the U.S. and Canada to encourage community members to be active in public spending and revenue decisions through a democratic decision-making process.  The first successful PB process was in Porte Alegre, Brazil in 1989 and since then the process has spread to over 1,200 cities in Latin America, North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Read more about The Participatory Budgeting Project...

United for a Fair Economy

United for a Fair Economy is a national, independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with a focus on tax and budget-related issues. UFE's mission is to achieve greater equality and shared prosperity by closing the wealth gap. Read more about United for a Fair Economy...

USAction

USAction and its affiliates in 24 states aim to pursue a broad agenda of social, racial and economic justice. Many USAction affiliates have been leaders in campaigns to promote state disclosure of corporate economic development subsidy payments. Read more about USAction...

New State & Local Policies

American Independent Business Association

AMIBA aims to create a culture of support for community-based business through public education and collaborative efforts among member businesses. The first independent business alliance was founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1997. As of 2005, similar associations now exist in 17 other communities in 11 states and 1 Canadian province. Read more about American Independent Business Association...

Ballot Initiative Strategy Center

BISC provides funding, research, and training to support progressive ballot measure activity and to connect advocates across state and issue lines. Its website tracks a wide variety of state legislative and ballot initiative efforts throughout the country. Read more about Ballot Initiative Strategy Center...

Business Alliance for Local Living Economies

The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) is a network of socially responsible businesses, comprised of over 80 community networks throughout North America representing over 22,000 independent business members across the U.S. and Canada. Since 2001, BALLE business networks in large cities, small towns, rural areas, and regions of high unemployment have increased their communities' health and economic vitality through a focus on green jobs, sustainable industries, investing locally, and buying local first. Read more about Business Alliance for Local Living Economies...

Demos

Founded in 1999, Demos is a multi-faceted research and advocacy organization that focuses on issues of democracy, the health of the public sector, and the creation of a public realm of debate and ideas. It also has an economic opportunity program that focuses on promoting new ideas in the areas of higher education, income and asset-based policy as means of building wealth among people of low and moderate incomes. Read more about Demos...

Economic Analysis and Research Network

The Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) links national, state, and regional multi-issue advocacy, policy, and research organizations. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) acts as the national secretariat for EARN. Read more about Economic Analysis and Research Network...

Jobs with Justice

Jobs with Justice coalitions now operate in over 40 cities in 25 states in all regions of the country, made up of member organizations and thousands of individual activists. By building a base of diverse constituencies at the local level as well as providing training, coordination, and networking at the national level, Jobs with Justice aims to rebuild the infrastructure that gives communities a sense of their own power. Read more about Jobs with Justice...

Making Change at Walmart

In Spring 2005, a coalition of labor, environmental, and religious groups, began its nationwide campaign to challenge the world's largest retailer to become a better employer, neighbor, and corporate citizen. The website contains a wide range of news, research reports, and other activist resources, both on the WalMart campaign and on ways to protect small businesses in local communities. Read more about Making Change at Walmart...

Mayors Innovation Project

Launched in February 2005 by Madison, Wisconsin Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and the Madison-based Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), the group has since held semiannual meetings that provide mayors and their staff a forum to learn from one another and develop urban policies that put a premium on “high road” strategies that promote living wage jobs and community wealth building. Presentations from past conferences are available on the group's website. Read more about Mayors Innovation Project...

National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce

The National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce is a national online library for people in search of solutions to the direct-care staffing crisis in long-term care. A project of the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI), the Clearinghouse includes government and research reports, news, issue briefs, fact sheets, and other information on topics such as recruitment, career advancement supervision, workplace culture, and caregiving practices. Read more about National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce...

National Employment Law Project

The National Employment Law Project supports coalitions of community organizations, progressive unions, and legislative leaders working to address the problem of growing inequality. In partnership with national, state and local allies, the group promotes policies and programs that create living wage jobs, strengthen upward mobility, enforce worker rights, and help unemployed workers regain their economic footing through improved benefits and services. Read more about National Employment Law Project...

Partnership for Working Families

Partnership for Working Families provides hands-on research and technical assistance on community benefit agreements to a growing and energized base of affiliates nationwide. The group currently includes 18 established or formative groups and is actively assisting a dozen more groups in community benefits coalitions and campaigns. Read more about Partnership for Working Families...

Smart Growth America

Smart Growth America is a coalition of more than 100 advocacy organizations that have a stake in how metropolitan expansion affects our environment, quality of life and economic sustainability. Partners include national, state, and local groups working on behalf of the environment, historic preservation, social equity, land conservation, neighborhood redevelopment, farmland protection, labor, and city/town planning. Read more about Smart Growth America...

Sprawl-Busters

Sprawl-Busters is a private firm that provides consulting services to local community coalitions on how to design and implement successful campaigns against mega-stores and other undesirable large-scale developments. Read more about Sprawl-Busters...

State Fiscal Analysis Initiative, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

The State Fiscal Analysis Initiative, a project of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, provides research and technical assistance on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals at the state level. This work includes information and technical assistance to state non-profit organizations and government officials on issues ranging from state budget priorities and revenue structures to the design and implementation of low-income programs. Read more about State Fiscal Analysis Initiative, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities...

Take Back Your Time

Take Back Your Time is an initiative designed to challenge the trend of increasing work hours in America that has contributed to the fraying of family relations, health, and community wellbeing. The group aims to bring parental and personal leave laws in the United States up to the standards already in place in all other industrialized countries. Read more about Take Back Your Time...

The Participatory Budgeting Project

Launched in 2009, the Participatory Budgeting Project works with local officials, public organizations, and community groups in the U.S. and Canada to encourage community members to be active in public spending and revenue decisions through a democratic decision-making process.  The first successful PB process was in Porte Alegre, Brazil in 1989 and since then the process has spread to over 1,200 cities in Latin America, North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Read more about The Participatory Budgeting Project...

United for a Fair Economy

United for a Fair Economy is a national, independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with a focus on tax and budget-related issues. UFE's mission is to achieve greater equality and shared prosperity by closing the wealth gap. Read more about United for a Fair Economy...

USAction

USAction and its affiliates in 24 states aim to pursue a broad agenda of social, racial and economic justice. Many USAction affiliates have been leaders in campaigns to promote state disclosure of corporate economic development subsidy payments. Read more about USAction...