Evidence- & Equity-Informed Policymaking amid Uncertainty and Distrust: Adapting Across Sectors to Sustain Impact

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

This Roundtable will explore how those committed to equity- and evidence-informed policymaking can respond to the shifting national landscape in the United States. At a time when the federal infrastructure for evidence-building and advancing equity is being dismantled, we are also witnessing a broader rise in skepticism toward research, expertise, and the role of government itself. These shifts pose serious challenges for those working to advance data-informed decision-making and equitable public policy.

What does this moment demand from us? How can researchers, funders, policy intermediaries, and government practitioners adapt their roles to continue building trust in evidence and demonstrating its use and value? How can we ensure our efforts remain responsive to urgent and evolving policy needs—particularly in communities we have historically marginalized or underserved?

This Roundtable brings together four speakers representing key sectors in the evidence ecosystem: a policy intermediary, a local government practitioner, a philanthropic funder, and an academic researcher. Each brings deep experience advancing evidence-informed policymaking while centering racial equity in their work. Together, they will offer reflections on:

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  The emerging challenges facing their sector in the current environment
  
  

  
  


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  How those challenges are reshaping their assumptions, strategies, and priorities
  
  

  
  


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  The role of cross-sector collaboration in responding to uncertainty and distrust
  
  

  
  


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  Why pursuing equity and evidence together remains essential, even—and especially—when both are under threat
  
  

  
  

The conversation will address the implications of the federal government’s retreat from both evidence-building and equity commitments, and how other sectors might continue to carry this work forward. While the speakers will offer framing insights, this session is intentionally designed as a true roundtable:  the moderator and speakers will actively engage attendees, drawing on the collective expertise in the room to surface strategies, questions, tensions, and new ways of thinking about this moment.

Participants will leave with a broader view of how different sectors are grappling with these shifts, and with renewed insight into how we can work together to continue to champion the role of evidence in building more just, responsive, and effective public policy.

Policy Area

• Politics, Media, and the Policy Process

Secondary Policy Area

• Public and Nonprofit Management and Finance

Moderator

• Jen Tolentino, Results for America

Organizer

• Carrie S Cihak, King County

Speakers

• Carrie S Cihak, King County

• Elizabeth Linos, Harvard University

• Justin Milner, Arnold Ventures

• Vincent Quan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology