August 28, 2020
The Civic Federation is a member of the Governmental Research Association, the national organization of individuals professionally engaged in government research. Founded in 1914, the GRA has for more than 100 years worked to promote government research as a vocation and facilitate the exchange of ideas, methodologies and best practices between the many organizations like the Civic Federation that exist across the country. The member organizations and individuals of the GRA annually produce reams of extraordinary analysis, make evidence-backed recommendations and encourage governments to improve for the good of the communities they serve.
If you find the Civic Federation’s research compelling and want to know what’s going on with public policy in other areas of the country, you can start by visiting graonline.org to find links to GRA members’ latest research and communications, as well as their excellent work related to the coronavirus pandemic.
In just the past few weeks, Utah Foundation examined Medicaid trends in that state during the pandemic, the Citizens Research Council analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on the State of Michigan’s cash position, the Wisconsin Policy Forum looked at the challenges facing artists and arts and culture organizations due to the pandemic and the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana provided data and analysis on critical measures of hospitalizations during the pandemic.
While every organization has a different specific focus or areas of expertise, the GRA is united in commitment to non-partisan research for the public good. A complete list of GRA organizations with links to their websites can be found here.
A good place to learn about the breadth and excellence of the GRA’s research is through the winning entries to the annual awards competition. The 2019 winners can be found here. Awards are given for the Most Distinguished Research, Most Effective Education and Outstanding Policy Achievement. Read more about the individual awards and how they’re judged here.
Civic Federation Vice President Sarah Wetmore took over the two-year presidency of the GRA earlier this month. Her thoughts on taking over a volunteer organization during a pandemic and the importance of government research can be found here.