The Policy Innovation Lab (Lab) has received more than $2 million in funding commitments, allowing the new Lab to reach communities across the western United States.
A $1.15 million grant from the Social Innovation Fund, a White House initiative and program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, allowed the Lab to open its doors and begin hiring staff.
In addition, the Laura and John Arnold Foundation has provisionally approved a $1 million grant over two years for the Lab to provide services to governments and nonprofits in order to implement high-quality programs in areas like homelessness, criminal justice, early childhood education and behavioral health.
The Policy Innovation Lab is an initiative of the Sorenson Global Impact Investing Center at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business.
Executive Director Jeremy Keele will oversee the Lab’s work on Pay for Success. The innovative funding mechanism drives government resources toward social programs that deliver proven results to those in need. Private funders cover the up-front costs of the program and are repaid by the government only if the programs achieve predetermined goals (e.g., 10% reduction in recidivism). The model provides a risk-free way for state and local governments to address persistent problems since taxpayer money is directed to programs that are proven to work.
“This addition to the Sorenson Global Impact Investing Center is a powerful new platform to make a positive difference in communities throughout the West,” said Jim Sorenson who also provided a $120,000 grant to the Lab. “It will allow governments, in partnership with the private and nonprofit sectors, to focus on fixing long-term issues in their communities without wasting taxpayer dollars.”
About Jeremy Keele
Jeremy Keele is Executive Director of the Policy Innovation Lab at the Sorenson Global Impact Investing Center at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business. Prior to joining the Lab, Keele was senior adviser to Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams from 2013 to 2015. Before that, Keele practiced corporate transactional law in New York, London and Los Angeles with the law firms of Cleary Gottlieb and Latham & Watkins, from 2006 to 2012. Keele received his JD from New York University in 2006, a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 2006 and bachelor’s degrees in biology and French from Brigham Young University in 2001. Keele and his wife, Amy, have three young boys.
About the Policy Innovation Lab
The Policy Innovation Lab at the Sorenson Global Impact Investing Center at the David Eccles School Business is an applied academic institution dedicated to facilitating innovative cross-sector and evidence-based policies and programs throughout the western United States. Its initial focus is on Pay for Success initiatives, which employ an innovative financing structure to fund data-driven programs that demonstrate positive results.
About the Social Innovation Fund
The Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a White House initiative and program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), combines public and private resources to grow the impact of innovative, community-based solutions that have compelling evidence of improving the lives of people in low-income communities throughout the United States.
About the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF)
LJAF is a private foundation committed to producing substantial, widespread, and lasting reforms that will maximize opportunities and minimize injustice in our society. Its strategic investments are currently focused in criminal justice, education, public accountability, and research integrity. LJAF has offices in Houston and New York City. www.arnoldfoundation.org.