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Institute Intelligence
Insights, case studies, news, and updates from ISLG’s good governance research and action.
Institute Intelligence, August 2025: Strengthening Public and Human Services, Introducing the Civic Engagement Fellows
A snapshot of the work we’ve done this past month, including the launch of our new Strengthening Public and Human Services landing page, announcing the Civic Engagement Fellows, and the latest research into college in prison across New York.
What are the impacts of college-in-prison, both inside facilities and in the community?
CIP students had statistically fewer substantiated disciplinary incidents compared to non-students at 6, 12, and 24 months following enrollment.
Inaugural Civic Engagement Fellowship Partners CUNY Students with Bronx Community Organizations to Spark Voter Education and Engagement
The Fellows will embed in local organizations for the next two years to develop strategies for empowering and uplifting the voices of Bronx community members in local elections.
Institute Intelligence, July 2025: Human Services’ Role in Summer Job Growth, Welcoming a New Senior Fellow to ISLG
A snapshot of the work we’ve done this past month, including welcoming ISLG's newest Senior Fellow and a deep-dive into human services job growth and wages, and more.
Amid an uncertain economy, human services lead job growth—but wages threaten the sector’s long-term strength. Data shows us the way forward.
Summer job reports show that human services and state and local government are among the fastest-hiring sectors. But many of these jobs lag behind in wage growth. Our analysis of New York State charts a path for policymakers and other leaders to create a pipeline of quality, sustainable public services.
“We are the ones that keep things on the radar.” Q&A with NYC Council Chief of Staff Samori Touré
“The folks behind the scenes are the majority of the people working in city politics. There's only 51 council members in New York City, but each council member has a team of 7 to 10 people. So now we're talking about hundreds of people that are advocating for constituents. It's an army of people who care.”
Longtime Criminal Justice Leader Jeremy Travis joins CUNY ISLG as Senior Fellow
Travis brings an unmatched breadth of experience in criminal justice policy, research, and reform, and in leadership roles across government, academia, philanthropy, and nonprofit organizations.
Meet CUNY ISLG’s 2025 Public Policy Pathways Interns
The cohort of CUNY ISLG interns will work hands-on with the research, policy, data science, legal, and operations teams, as well as participate in discussions with subject matter experts across a number of pressing issue areas.
Developing a Trauma-Informed Service Ecosystem in East Harlem
“We try to come at people like equals, in this together. And I think that helps build trust. I also think the fact that we, our team, is largely made up of people who have a lot of lived experience—there's just a different energy that people are getting and so that trust is a lot faster to form.”
Celebrating a Year of Community-Based Restorative Justice in NYC
A year after launch, ISLG convened the 16 Community-Based Restorative Justice initiative grantees to celebrate the work being done on the ground, as well as the training and technical assistance experts who’ve provided support along the way and the funders who can keep the work going.
Rethinking RFPs and Grant Management for Real Impact
The Request-for-Proposal (RFP) and other parts of grantmaking often leave out smaller, grassroots community organizations who are closest to those they serve. Using our Community-Based Restorative Justice Program and Grassroots Policy Incubator as examples, we dig into ways that funders and grant managers can create a more inclusive process that uplifts new ideas without sacrificing program quality and accountability.
The Kriegel Fellowship Graduation: Class of 2024-2025
The 2024-2025 cohort of the Kriegel Fellowship celebrated their graduation at ISLG’s midtown office.