We are the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth
Founded in 1996, MassINC’s mission is to provide the people of Massachusetts with the information they need to participate fully in our democracy. We are a nonpartisan 501c3 and achieve impact through independent research, nonprofit journalism and civic engagement.
Non-partisan
Policy center
The nonprofit Massinc Policy Center produces rigorous, nonpartisan research and collaborates with civic leaders to find solutions to complex social and economic challenges.
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Non-profit
Civic journal
CommonWealth publishes in-depth, balanced, and independent journalism. It covers politics, policy, ideas, and civic life, with an emphasis on investigative reporting, in-depth analysis, and political mapping.
Visit CommonWealth Magazine
Independent
Polling group
The MassINC Polling Group is a full-service survey opinion research company offering public opinion research to public, private, and social sector clients.
Visit the MassINC Polling GroupFeatured
Latest articles
Who Will Rescue the Student Opportunity Act?
The Gateway Cities Journal
The problem in a nutshell: The Legislature hasn’t provided certainty that the state will make good on its promise to deliver the funds in equal increments over the law’s seven-year phase-in period. Lacking confidence that they will see these scheduled increases in Chapter 70 aid, school districts have been hesitant to develop plans to deploy the new funds strategically.
Refunding Corrections
7th Annual Policy Summit | Event Recording
Focusing on criminal justice information systems, MassINC and panel experts review efforts to increase transparency, improve data collection, and root out racial bias.
Rooting Out Racial Bias
Event Recording
Focusing on criminal justice information systems, MassINC and panel experts review efforts to increase transparency, improve data collection, and root out racial bias.
Top Gateway City Budget Priorities for FY22
The Gateway Cites Journal
Funding for Early College and lifting the cap on the Housing Development Incentive Program are among the top FY22 priorities for Gateway Cities and their residents.
Forecasting the Impact of Transit Cuts on Equitable Transit Oriented Development
In December 2020, the MBTA approved widespread cuts to bus and commuter rail service despite objections from officials and transit advocates. Starting in January, twenty bus lines will be shut down, and weekend commuter rail service will end for communities along the Fitchburg, Franklin, Greenbush, Haverhill, Kingston/Plymouth, Lowell and Needham lines. What impacts will the
Budgets for the days ahead: A survey of Massachusetts voters
With budget deficits created by the COVID-19 pandemic, legislators and political officials across the commonwealth are facing difficult choices. Demands for government services have soared, while revenue projections are uncertain. State and local government are on the frontlines of the public sector response to the crisis as businesses close, unemployment remains high, and a historic
7th Annual Policy Summit in Pursuit of Justice
Presented by MassINC and the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Coalition
Over the course of two sessions, will take a hard look at how to invest in dramatically different approaches to criminal justice with a shared sense of urgency and purpose.
FY21 budget offers a beacon for Justice Reinvestment
The Gateway Cities Journal
The FY21 budget, which passed both branches last week, goes even further by creating a true “Justice Reinvestment” fund and capitalizing it with a $15 million appropriation. From job training and transitional employment to housing stabilization, a wide range of community-based programs are eligible for these resources.
Are coworking spaces the key to transforming Gateway Cities?
Gateway City coworking facilities can provide space and resources for residents to join the digital workforce while positioning downtowns as regional hubs.
Diversity, competitiveness remain low in Mass. politics
The Gateway Cities Journal
In summary, electoral competitiveness remains at an all-time low and people of color continue to be underrepresented by similar margins.
Did you know?
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Transformative Transit-Oriented Development recognizes that equity is the key to transforming cities and towns in Massachusetts, and the country. In Massachusetts, a decades long economic boom has not always reached Gateway Cities, yielding uneven growth and investment that have deepened inequities across places, races, classes and cultures. The coronavirus pandemic has amplified these disparities. To
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- MassINC is a key partner to the Boston Foundation, and all of us who are seeking to advance the regional conversation around economic opportunity and a strong quality of life for all. MassINC's robust, nonpartisan research is exactly what our citizens and leaders need to make good decisions.
Paul Grogan, President of The Boston Foundation
- I watch my inbox for CommonWealth magazine’s Daily Download. I can count on the newsletter to tell me succinctly what’s happening in politics and public policy. The magazine itself always delivers in-depth news, analysis and commentary. It's simply outstanding, quality journalism. I am happy to support unbiased reporting through my participation in Citizens Circle.
Helen Chin Schlichte
Former Public Administrator; President Emeritus, South Cove Manor at Quincy Point - MassINC's long-term dedication to Gateway Cities makes them a valuable resource to all of our communities. They are a true thought partner. They go the distance to help others appreciate our unique opportunities, needs, and perspectives.
Tim McGourthy Executive Director of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau
- MassINC serves as a credible, thoughtful resource for all of us who are invested in the future of the Commonwealth. Its emphasis on careful analysis that is grounded in data, research, and polling makes an important contribution to and helps elevate the conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing the region.
Trevor Pollack, Manager of Special Projects for the Barr Foundation
- The potential of Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities is limitless. MassINC’s dedicated work in promoting these cities has been, and will continue to be, instrumental in their individual and collective success.
Jay Ash
Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development and former chair of the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute - MassINC has always provided research showing the detrimental impact of the state’s unforgiving criminal justice system on our communities. Their polling confirmed that the public understood the need for change in our system. That criminal justice reform is at the forefront of bipartisan local and national debates today is in no small measure due to MassINC’s persistent and fair commitment to the issue.
Juliette Kayyem Faculty Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Founder Kayyem Solutions LLC
- Through my partnership with MassINC, the Building On What Works Coalition is working to unite a diverse collection of civic leaders around an urgent call to encourage the state to act on the progress that has been made ensuring all children in Massachusetts have a true chance to succeed in the state’s economy. MassINC’s research and commitment to data driven public policy are helping to give the children of Massachusetts a better education.
Kim Driscoll Mayor of Salem
- MassINC's work with the Gateway Cities is unmatched. As Eastern Bank strives to help businesses in these communities thrive, MassINC has been a tremendous partner, providing data-driven research and affirming that these cities are full of opportunities.
Bob Rivers Chairman and CEO of Eastern Bank
- When MassINC speaks, it’s well worth listening. After all, the nonpartisan think tank has established itself as a thoughtful, careful, credible voice on public policy in Massachusetts.
Scot Lehigh Boston Globe Op-Ed Columnist
- Few organizations in the country have better understood the important role of governance reform and accountability in education policy and economic development than MassINC.
Bruce Katz Former Vice President and Founding Director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at The Brookings Institution
- [MassINC's] understanding of the complexity of the challenges facing the state’s older cities, its belief in the opportunities that present themselves in those communities, and its advocacy of the role that public higher education can and should play in them, has added to the understanding that policy makers need to have as they move our state toward the future.
Jean MacCormack
Why support massinc?
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We enjoy what we do.
Whether it’s planning events, conducting research, or analyzing the news, our team works on projects that we’re passionate about. -
We develop leaders.
Former MassINC employees have gone on to work at reputable organizations like Harvard University, Boston University, City Year, EnerNOC, and Governor Baker’s office. -
We stick with it.
Our work on transformative development, which uses public and private funding for projects to revitalize an entire downtown or urban neighborhood, began as Policy Center research report in 2013. A year later, the state legislature passed a bill funding transformative development projects across Massachusetts. -
We are nonpartisan.
Our Board of Directors includes prominent Massachusetts Democrats and Republicans. We are interested people’s ideas, not which side of the aisle they sit on. -
We have a complete toolbox.
We aren’t just a think tank. We bring nonpartisan research, civic engagement, journalism, and independent polling together under one roof. -
We have state-wide reach.
We know that Beacon Hill isn’t the only place to make progress. We’re on the ground in cities across the state working with local leaders. -
We have unique networks.
We use our connections to bring together a cross-section of diverse leaders to solve problems. Our networks include mayors, economic development directors, superintendents, business people, newspaper editors, arts leaders, and regional transit officials.
