named programs · 2 · from sources
What they call their work
Energy & Environment Research Program
Produces research reports on the role of local government in energy transitions, including analysis of urban-rural divides in EV infrastructure access
Local Government Survey Initiative
Conducts nationally representative surveys of local officials on policy issues such as EV charging infrastructure, with findings used to analyze governance patterns and equity impacts
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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Nonprofit Sector Research & Data Analysis 3 activities
- Custom survey fielding for partnersFields custom surveys for research partners with a typical timeline of 2 to 4 months from inquiry to data delivery, supporting academic and policy research on local governance.
- National surveys of local and state government officialsConducts nationally representative surveys of elected and appointed officials, civil service staff, and department heads across all 50 states, covering urban and rural communities, with topics including polarization, economic mobility, EV infrastructure, and threats and harassment. Maintains a longitudinal survey panel with over 80% of first-time participants continuing involvement.
- Production and dissemination of research reports and briefsProduces and publishes research reports, partner reports, and post-survey research briefs on issues affecting local and state governments, with findings shared within three months of survey completion. Distributes monthly newsletter summaries of recent findings to government officials.
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Clean Transportation Adoption & Infrastructure 1 activity
- Collaborative research with academic institutionsPartners with universities such as Stanford University’s Bill Lane Center for the American West and the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy to conduct and publish joint research, including on local government and EV charging infrastructure.
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Public Awareness and Educational Outreach 1 activity
- Educational programming on government policies and intergovernmental perspectivesConducts educational programming to improve public understanding of government officials' policies and to inform officials about their counterparts' views across the United States.
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Urban Policy and Equity Research 1 activity
- Specialized research on Latino government officials and communitiesConducts targeted surveys and interviews with Latino elected and appointed officials to identify challenges in public service and pressing issues for Latino/Hispanic residents, including economic development, housing, and immigration. Published findings from a survey conducted in April 2025.
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Uncategorized 3 activities
- Research on polarization in local governmentConducts national surveys and follow-up interviews to benchmark and track perceptions of polarization among local government and school board leaders, examining scalable solutions such as community service, resident engagement, K-12 civics education, and youth programming outside traditional classrooms.
- Research on threats and harassment against local officialsConducts ongoing research to track the prevalence and impact of threats and harassment experienced by local elected leaders, maintaining longitudinal benchmarking data on this issue since 2013.
- Restricted access data sharing for academic researchProvides researchers with access to a Restricted Access Dataset containing identifiable government and jurisdictional information under data sharing agreements that prevent public identification of specific governments or departments.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.00M
Contributions & grants$00%
Program service revenue$995K99%
Investment income$10K1%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$699K
Program expenses97%
Admin / overhead3%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$587K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$553K
Cash$339K
Investments$214K
Liabilities$850
Net assets$552K
Liquid reserves9.5 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +171.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| NATHAN LEE | CHAIRPERSON | 30 | $144K |
board members · 4
- AMY EAPPEN — TREASURER
- ANDY KRACKOV — DIRECTOR
- DREW COMBS — DIRECTOR
- TALIA LOMAX-O'DNEAL — SECRETARY
relationships · 12
Who they work with
- Bridging Divides Initiative Partner — Collaborates with CivicPulse on research tracking threats and harassment against local elected leaders.
- Carnegie Corporation of New York Funder — Philanthropic foundation that commissioned the research series on polarization in America
- GFOA Partner — Partner organization collaborating with CivicPulse on government finance and operations research.
- MGT Partner — Partnered with MGT to conduct a survey and interviews on local governments' information sources for economic mobility work.
- NPR Partner — Referenced by NPR in news coverage related to its research on local government.
- National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund Partner — Collaborated with CivicPulse to conduct a survey of Latino government officials.
- SAGE Publishing Partner — Partnered to publish academic research in the journal Urban Affairs Review.
- Stanford Partner — Founded by Stanford PhD students
- Stanford University’s Bill Lane Center for the American West Partner — Collaborated with CivicPulse on a research report about local government and EV charging infrastructure.
- University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy Partner — Collaborated with CivicPulse on a research report about local government and EV charging infrastructure.
- Washington Post Partner — Referenced by the Washington Post in news coverage related to its research on local government.
- info@civicpulse.org Partner — Primary contact point for researchers to initiate survey service applications and project discussions.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Civic Education and Official Dialoguemethodology: civic-education-and-official-dialogueBy increasing public understanding of officials' policies and fostering cross-jurisdictional dialogue, CIVICPULSE strengthens democratic engagement, because informed citizens and connected officials are more likely to build trust and collaboratively address shared governance challenges.
- Collaborative Research for Dual Impactmethodology: collaborative_research_platformBy operating a collaborative research platform that integrates academic rigor with practitioner needs, CIVICPULSE produces actionable insights that improve governance, because co-production of knowledge increases relevance, adoption, and trust among both researchers and public officials.
- Shared Data and Cross-Jurisdictional Learningmethodology: shared_data_and_benchmarksBy generating shared data and benchmarks across local governments, CIVICPULSE enables comparative learning and performance improvement in governance, because standardized metrics allow officials to identify gaps and adopt evidence-based practices despite community differences.
- Survey-Driven Diagnosis and Solution Scalingmethodology: survey-based_researchBy using nationally representative surveys to identify systemic challenges and locally effective solutions, CIVICPULSE informs scalable interventions, because understanding real-time challenges across jurisdictions allows for targeted support and diffusion of resilient practices, especially in polarized or underserved communities.