In a year of rapid change, the Urban Institute turned evidence into action by equipping decisionmakers with evidence and analyses that shaped critical debates and informed real-time decisions.

Meeting the moment. When major federal policy debates unfolded around Medicaid, SNAP, and budget reconciliation, Urban delivered timely, research-backed insights directly to decisionmakers. Engagement in this work demonstrated interest and utility: email click-through rates exceeded industry norms (65 percent vs. 28 percent), and policymakers directly requested analyses to understand the implications of pending legislation.

A website built for the future. Urban.org’s April redesign delivered a cleaner, more intuitive website experience for our audiences and better ways to surface our findings for AI systems. As artificial intelligence reshapes how audiences search for and access information, these updates strengthen accessibility and position us for an AI-powered future.

National convening power. Urban’s events drew scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from across the country, with nearly 14,000 attendees and 27,000 registrants for our 38 public events. These convenings facilitated shared understanding and advanced work on such issues as family economic stability. One of our highest-profile events featured a conversation with Maryland Governor Wes Moore about cash assistance for children and connected leaders advancing similar strategies.