History
In 2011, the Government Performance Lab was created with a small team but a big ambition: help state and local governments make more rapid progress in addressing difficult social problems.
The GPL began with a small team of fellows pioneering the use of social impact bonds to launch pay for success projects. These early engagements allowed the GPL to develop its model of embedding recent graduates of policy, law, and business schools in government agencies to provide pro bono technical assistance on innovative projects. From there, the GPL has grown over the past decade from a team of two to a team of 70, worked with 100 jurisdictions spanning 36 states, shifted over $6.2 billion in state and local funding towards results, and improved services reaching more than 522,000 residents. The GPL has helped dozens of governments make measurable progress – reducing homelessness in Denver, increasing substance use treatment in Tampa, keeping families intact in Michigan, and reducing pre-trial incarceration in Harris County (Houston), among many other examples. See a snapshot of our history below: