Mini Timmaraju

Quick tip: If you want to create stronger grant proposals and develop smarter programs, it's essential to stop treating incarceration as separate from public health. Vera’s data explorer is valuable because it links incarceration to inequality at the county level. The trends are hard to overlook: counties with lower incarceration rates typically experience stronger education and income outcomes, while many counties continue to exhibit significant racial disparities in incarceration. This is precisely the kind of data that public agencies, foundations, hospitals, and community organizations can use collaboratively to design better responses. Effective public-private partnerships not only fund services but also utilize data to identify the areas where health, opportunity, and justice are deteriorating simultaneously. What local data do you believe is often overlooked when designing programs or writing grant proposals? #PublicHealth #Incarceration #DataDriven #SocialJustice #Inequality #PublicPrivatePartnerships #CommunityHealth #GrantWriting #Education #RacialDisparities #StrongerCommunities #HealthEquity #OpportunityForAll #DataAnalysis #LocalData

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Lobbying is no longer a luxury for businesses and associations. It's a necessity. The speed of change today is unlike anything we have seen before. Regulations shift overnight. Congress changes priorities. Agencies rewrite rules. State legislatures move faster than ever. One decision in Washington, a state capitol, or city hall can impact your workforce, your revenue, your costs, your contracts, your industry, and ultimately your future. What’s at stake? Everything. Your ability to compete. Your ability to grow. Your ability to hire. Your ability to innovate. Your ability to survive. Too many businesses and associations still believe lobbying is only for large corporations with massive budgets. That mindset is outdated. Lobbying is affordable when it is strategic, focused, and tied directly to protecting and growing your bottom line. In many cases, one issue victory can save a company or industry far more than the cost of engaging in the process. The reality is simple: decisions are going to be made with or without you at the table. If you are not in the conversation, you cannot be part of the solution. You cannot educate policymakers. You cannot defend your industry. You cannot help shape outcomes that impact your employees, customers, members, and communities. Lobbying is no longer optional. It is part of doing business in today’s world. The organizations that understand this will not only survive — they will lead. #lobbying #ethicsmatter #lobbyingmatters

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Jason Fichtner, Ph.D. and I writing in The Hill, on how reforming the Supplemental Security Income program could set us up for a more productive debate on Social Security reform. https://lnkd.in/gP9Sr6fu

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Very excited to see Connecticut take this important first step toward giving local news outlets a more competitive playing field for state advertising.

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This is so exciting! Rhea was my primary editor for years, and everything I've written (of value) has her fingerprints all over it. If you need an editor who understands the policymaking landscape, and how to break down complex topics into pieces people *actually* read...I can't recommend Rhea enough.

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2025 was a tough year for many. State governments had to navigate a rapidly shifting policy and funding landscape while still delivering critical services to families, including food and nutrition support, transportation, child care, and other programs that are foundational for healthy families. Today, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation released our 2025 Impact Report, and I'm proud to be part of a team that is supporting state and local governments in meeting families' needs.

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Less than three weeks until the March 3 deadline for the Local Data for Equitable Communities grant program! It’s not too late for you to apply! Learn more at https://lnkd.in/e9Gn2sh8.       On the program website, you can now review recently updated program-specific FAQs, a recording of the applicant webinar, and the presentation slides for more detailed information on the opportunity, in particular topic and activities eligibility.      The program will fund up to 30 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofits to use data to improve the physical, economic, and social conditions that help residents live their healthiest lives. We seek proposals related to improving housing, transportation, community safety, climate and environment, and the built environment.     Each grantee will receive: $50,000 to cover project implementation, Peer learning opportunities, and technical assistance from the Urban Institute on data, policy, and community engagement. To learn more, visit the program website.    We are looking forward to hearing how community organizations and residents can use data to build places that advance health equity.

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This story by Brittany Kriegstein details how DOJ grant cuts are hitting NYC nonprofits on the front lines of life-saving CVI work.

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4 out of 5 Black women are sole, primary, or co-breadwinners for their families. Closing the pay gap would mean they'd bring home an additional $2,123 per month or $25,480 every year, according to new research by the National Women's Law Center. It means they could pay off student loan debt, invest in a home, start a business, send their children to college, or simply take a minute to breathe and rejuvenate from the constant financial stress. The wage gap for Black women is a function of so many barriers in play in our economy: occupational segregation, a lack of care supports that forces women to work part time and/or take on lower-paying jobs, discrimination in hiring and promotion, and so much more. We CAN build an economy that supports everyone to thrive. Now, more than ever, we need to lean in together. National Women's Law Center Amy Matsui Fatima Goss GravesThe Aspen Institute Financial Security Program Noreen Farrell https://lnkd.in/gdt--HP4

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The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's data confirms a staggering 23% decline in official global aid this past year, which is the sharpest drop in decades. While budget constraints are real, pulling back on health and education leaves millions of lives at risk and a vacuum for adversaries to fill. We at the Alliance for American Leadership, advocate that aid is a strategic investment. Maintaining American leadership requires consistent engagement, not a retreat from the global stage. Read the full report on the 2026 aid landscape: https://lnkd.in/eTYXsx_S

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In the latest Quarterly Essay, my response to Sean Kelly's piece from the previous issue. Sean Kelly's Quarterly Essay asks whether Labor is still up for the good fight. It's a thoughtful critique of a government navigating a fragmented electorate with caution and moderation. But I think the strategic challenge runs deeper than questions of pace or ambition. Labor risks being seen as defending a settlement that no longer delivers for the people it was built to serve. Meanwhile, the collapse of the Liberal Party's working-class base into One Nation isn't primarily a culture war story. It's a story about a broken economic promise. These voters haven't become irrational, they've made a rational calculation that no major party can deliver for them anymore. The culture war isn't the engine. It's what fills the vacuum when the economy stops working. This is not just a Coalition problem. It's a warning. Labor may continue to defeat a hollowed-out Liberal Party. But if Labor voting working Australians come to see Labor as managing decline rather than offering a path to security, they too will look elsewhere. Victory over a collapsing opponent is not the same as building durable support.

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The Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) in partnership with the Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division (CJPPD) at OPM is launching an ARPA funded Digital Pathways Program. It's aimed at advancing digital opportunities for justice-impacted populations.    We invite Connecticut libraries to partner with us by responding to the attached RFP! Libraries play a critical role in bridging the digital gap, and your participation can help deliver training that supports re-entry, employment, education, healthcare access, and civic engagement. 

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Wow. Maryland, hats off. From the One Big Beautiful Bill, to Negotiated Rulemaking, to state governor delegation, and now: the draft state policy implementing the new federal regulations. I’ve been reading a ton of state-level documents (following my role at NegReg) on behalf of a client, and Maryland’s Program Determination Policy is really quite remarkable. Credit Rachael Stephens Parker I know at first glance it just looks like a really clean and highly professional paper, but this is going to meaningfully change a lot of lives—namely low-income students seeking to break into new or existing in-demand careers using short-term credentials. Can’t wait to see these programs implemented and, just as importantly, how each state is going to approach this new distribution of funding uniquely.

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The Democratic Practice Program - U.S. has updated our grantmaking guidelines. We are advancing three strategies (Participation and Representation, Culture of Democracy, and Political and Economic Inequality) that support movement building, innovation, and reform efforts to advance social, economic, and racial justice and reverse authoritarian and oligarchical trajectories in U.S. governance. This replaces our previous approaches and, in partnership with our grantees, seeks to advance a vital and fully inclusive democracy in the United States.

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Jennifer Pahlka’s new piece “A Three Horizon Framework for Government Reform" is a must-read. Civic tech work has measurably improved the lives of millions, but it’s time for a new North Star to evolve our work from pockets of excellence that are too easily dismantled to something durable and transformative. My North Star is simple: you shouldn’t have to think about government services until you need them. And when you do, those services should be so easy to use that you can get what you need and go about your life. Here are some of the things that stand out to me: 🛠️The hardest part of government reform is the tradeoff between improving broken systems and fixing them outright. Early in my career as a public defender, I fought hard for my clients - getting cases dismissed, winning trials, and treating people with dignity. One client told me, “This is the first time anyone in the government has actually tried to help me.” I’m proud of that work and the lives that were changed. But it was my early reminder that individual wins don’t fix a broken system. It was what Jen would call “H2- work.” That recognition pushed me into civic tech. 💪Our civic tech ecosystem is full of problem solvers who are drawn to the biggest, gnarliest challenges, especially the ones labeled “impossible.” That’s what we learned from the IRS’s Direct File program (shout out to Merici Vinton Bridget Roberts Chris Givens Amy Paris). Yes, it proved that government can build excellent products. But the real win was getting to “yes” in the first place. The ambition and persistence to even start. That’s the problem we need to solve; it shouldn’t take 18+ months to convince leaders that one of the most universal services - tax filing - should simply be easy to use. ⭐Jen’s framework is an excellent starting point. It pushes us to be clear about our ambitions and honest about how our work ladders up to them. It’s an organizing principle: some of us need to take the big swings, and others need to continue the near-term work that mitigates harm. We still need public defenders on the front lines, and civic tech teams helping people access and stay enrolled in services. All of this work matters and is necessary. And we must do both, on purpose. 💰I’m glad that Jen names the role of funders in reinforcing the status quo. Too often, the scope of our ambition is constrained by what philanthropy is willing to support. The work gets narrowed to boutique objectives: build a tool; evaluate a program; run a pilot. And when those efforts don’t scale - often because of lack of funding - attention moves on. If the civic tech ecosystem is serious about distinguishing between necessary, short-term sustaining work and long-term transformation, funders need to show up for both, and fund accordingly. The opportunity is here. I’m excited. And the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation is ready to take some big swings. https://lnkd.in/gD7DbeYc

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The Davis Vanguard, a dedicated newsroom, is seeking financial support to continue its impactful mission of uncovering injustices and elevating marginalized voices in the community. Founded by David Greenwald, the Vanguard has made significant contributions by exposing wrongful convictions, prosecutorial misconduct, and other forms of injustice. Additionally, it has provided a platform for incarcerated journalists to be heard. Despite its critical role, the Vanguard faces financial challenges that could jeopardize its mission. Greenwald has issued a call to the community to contribute to the newsroom's efforts, emphasizing the importance of ongoing support to maintain its operations. The Vanguard's work has been instrumental in promoting democratic values and addressing systemic issues. Its commitment to justice and transparency makes its mission more vital than ever, and the need for community support is evident. #davisvanguard, #justiceexposed, #communitysupport, #wrongfulconvictions, #democracydefender https://lnkd.in/gGxjBz-K

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📰 🚨 💷 Localis responds to Spending Review 2025 💷🚨📰 https://lnkd.in/emZ6smxX Local government and the local state will take some initial heart from the central thrust of the spending review, especially the promised land of multi-year settlements, improved needs assessments and simplified funding landscape to return local government to a sustainable financial position. This will provide the sector with greater certainty in long-term financial planning it has been yearning for. Looking at the settlement itself, attention must focus on the implications of day-to-day revenue expenditure on frontline services, the promise of a £113bn uplift in capital expenditure for regional infrastructure projects and how changes to welfare provision through annual managed expenditure (AME) totals will impact localities. The review promises an increase in funding available for adult social care of over £4 billion in 2028-29 compared to this year, but until we have some fix on long-term funding of social care upon completion of Dame Louise Casey’s review, we will have to reserve judgment on the sustainability of local public services. Certainty is a virtue but does not in itself plug the funding gap local government finance directors must hope to close nor the expectation gap of residents paying more each year in council tax for fewer visible benefits. Indirectly, revenue limitations on other departmental areas such criminal justice and police, flood defences and transport, will also have a direct knock-on impact on place across the spending review period. Angela Rayner has secured a big win for affordable and social housing with a £39bn funding boost over the next decade. The quantum is not big enough on its own to make the sort of generational shift in housing provision we saw in the immediate post war era, but in the circumstances, and with an extra £10bn for financial investments through Homes England to crowd in private investment, it is a highly creditable bit of spending review negotiating by MHCLG. Beyond this, and as Localis’s recent report ‘New Stable’ suggested, there is a similar amount available from surpluses in the Local Government Pension Scheme, some of which could be safely directed to invest in critical local and regional infrastructure, which should by rights also include affordable housing. In respect of the new changes to the Treasury ‘Green Book’ and place-based investment cases, again we will have to pay attention to how many billions of projected capital expenditure escape from the pages and into the wild to help pump up and provide long-neglected regional infrastructure, energy and housing schemes. The revised ‘Green Book’ will favour investment in particular parts of the country rather than where it is easiest to secure return on investment, and is potentially bad news for place leaders in London and the greater South East.

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Has the U.S. learned the wrong lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan? In a recent interview on the Iran war, Shamil Idriss, CEO of Search for Common Ground, made a compelling point: the United States hasn’t truly won a war in decades—if we define winning as achieving the political objectives that justified going to war in the first place. Responding to the question “Has the U.S. learned the wrong lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan?”, Idriss explains that modern conflict dynamics and the technology of modern warfare, combined with how interdependent and mutually vulnerable the international community has become, make it impossible to achieve true security through military might.

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