We are Bridge Builders
Advocacy Support
Drawing from our expertise working with federal and state policymakers, the Policy Equity Group provides support to socially conscious organizations to help them become more strategic and effective advocates for policy change.
Designing the Ultimate Advocacy Tool
Over the last decade, the methods used to influence public policy have undergone significant innovation at the hands of well-resourced organizations. Fortune 100 companies have developed Experience Centers, sometimes located steps from the U.S. Capitol, that contain sophisticated interactive exhibits where policymakers experience company products. In one 30-minute tour, policymakers learn about a company’s positive impact on job creation, the environment, consumer safety, and other salient policy areas. Tours are guided by government relations staff, who relate the experiences back to the company’s policy agenda. When influencing policy, such tools place those who advocate for the well-being of children at a significant disadvantage compared to their well-resourced peers.
With philanthropic funding, the Policy Equity Group developed the concept for an “Early Childhood Experience Center” similar to those developed by the most policy-savvy organizations in DC. The concept is designed to move early childhood advocacy from one-dimensional descriptions of early childhood policy issues to more persuasive arguments for policy change that can be experienced by policymakers. Once funded and developed, the Early Childhood Experience Center will be a consistent force for comprehensive early childhood policy reform among an ever-changing set of policymakers. The Experience Center will weave a narrative that integrates the multiple arguments for the importance of early childhood into one story that can be used to inform the development of a comprehensive, equitable early childhood system.