Initiatives & Special Projects
NYU Wagner's initiatives and special projects address pressing issues across public service through research, strategic dialogue, and convenings.
Social Innovation & Investment Initiative
What we do: Find innovative entrepreneurial and financial solutions to address pressing social issues.
Our scope: International
Who we are: A consortium of policymakers, philanthropists, finance professionals, researchers, nonprofits, and foundations led by a team of NYU Wagner faculty and graduate students.
Faculty lead: Andrea Armeni
The NYU Wagner Labor Initiative
The NYU Wagner Labor Initiative explores, advocates for, and accelerates the often-untapped potential of government in safeguarding and advancing workers' rights. The Labor Initiative helps government work for workers, by serving as a hub of analysis, research, and implementation guidance, as well as idea generation and dissemination, related to the role of government in advancing and protecting workers’ rights.
The NYU Democracy Project
What we do: Offers two funded fellowships: LEAD Fellowships and Parke Fellowships to connect NYU students with non-partisan organizations working to strengthen our democracy.
Our scope: National
Who we are: Activists promoting democracy, voter engagement, and civil discourse
Leads: Erica Foldy and John Gershman
NYC 2025
What we do: convene non-partisan experts across a range of areas to hold an ongoing conversation about issues that must be addressed for the city to become a stronger and more equitable city than it was before COVID-19.
Our scope: NYC-focused
Who we are: New York City experts from government, nonprofits, and academia.
Leads: Thad Calabrese and Martha Stark
The Walter Stafford Project: Inequality in New York City
What we do: Address racial inequality in New York City through symposia, events, community conversations, and a published anthology.
Our scope: NYC-focused
Who we are: Specialists from diverse disciplines and practices.