Environmental Policy Innovation Center

Restoration: The mission of EPIC's Restoration program is to turbocharge a restoration economy through leadership in innovative ideas for faster conservation and restoration policies, advocacy for outcomes-driven contracting, and incentivization of immediate private sector investment in restoration projects. The Restoration Program is making ecological restoration faster, more cost-effective, and scalable by combining science, policy, and finance. To close the gap between public funding and need, we are advancing conservation finance solutions and innovative programs that generate both economic and ecological returns. Our multidisciplinary team partners with governments, Tribes, nonprofits, and the private sector to accelerate approval, funding, permitting, and implementation of projects.

Technology: We believe that actionable data and innovative technology is key to speeding up environmental progress. Far too many critical environmental datasets are 20-50 years out of date, key insights are hidden away in PDFs, and agencies do not have the workforce necessary to effectively leverage technology for managing the environment. With a focus on the collaborative and equitable use of data, we drive government action by partnering with agencies, advocates, tech providers and NGOs to help them build, steward and utilize 21st-century digital infrastructures. From building data-based tools, recommendations and strategies, to establishing the collaborations and political will that will guide implementation, our work supports organizations and government agencies in reimagining how data and technology can be leveraged to accelerate environmental and public health progress.

Agriculture: Environmental Policy Innovation Center's agriculture program uses cutting-edge and novel policy solutions to 1) develop new sources of demand for conservation outcomes, 2) ensure conservation dollars are spent as cost-effectively and quickly as possible, and 3) incentivize the creation of new solutions to the most pressing resource concerns.