Results for America is a policy advocacy group that aims to influence government workers and politicians to adopt programs it asserts will lead to more equitable outcomes. It subscribes to the left-of-center doctrine of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory-influenced concepts, such as systemic racism. ¹

Its programs include policy recommendations for infrastructure, labor, education, federal investments, economic development, and therapy designed to confront the “public health crisis” of racism.

The organization has received funding from Michael Bloomberg’s Bloomberg Philanthropies, Jeff Bezos’s ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, George Soros’s Open Society Foundations, and the Hewlett Foundation. ²

Both of Results for America’s founders were officials in the Obama administration with extensive backgrounds in left-of-center politics, including at the Democratic National Committee, the AFL-CIO), and the Center for American Progress. ^{3 4}

Activities

Results for America runs programs to influence government at the federal, state, and local levels to adopt initiatives to produce equitable outcomes. Its programs include policy recommendations for infrastructure, labor, education, federal investments, economic development, and therapy designed to confront the supposed “public health crisis” of racism. ^{5 6}

Since the mid-2010s, Results for America claims to have helped shift $22 billion government dollars to more equitable programs, influenced over 50 government policies and executive actions, trained over 14,000 government leaders, and swayed over 650 policymakers across 36 states and 275 cities and counties.⁷

Results for America defines its “core values” as “bridge building” between the government and nonprofit organizations, “empathy” for government policymakers, “entrepreneurship” on behalf of government initiatives, and the integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in all actions. ⁸

Its DEI beliefs center four principles: ensuring that its own team is diverse, working with government partners to identify “racist structures” and to “close racial gaps in outcomes,” elevating community leaders, and encouraging governments to focus their efforts on addressing “deep racial divides in communities.” It says that it is interested in amplifying the voice of community leaders, “particularly leaders of color.” ⁹

One of Results for America’s key initiatives is “Amplifying Voices,” designed to reduce police violence and change the U.S. legal system. ¹⁰  Through “Amplify Voices,” the organization works with and advertises the work of several left-of-center racial activism groups, such as Black Futures Lab, Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC), Black Lives Matter Foundation, Black Visions Collective, Campaign Zero, Color of Change, Data for Black Lives, Durham Beyond Policing, Equal Justice Initiative, Government Alliance for Race and Equity, Innocence Project, Movement for Black Lives, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, National Black Justice Coalition, National League of Cities’ Race, Equity, and Leadership (REAL) Initiative, National Police Accountability Project, Race Forward, Reclaim the Block, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and Southerners on New Ground (SONG). ¹¹

In 2017, Results for America partnered with former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s Bloomberg Philanthropies to launch the What Works Cities Certification program, which awards cities with certificates recognizing their forms of governance as exemplary. ¹²

Partners

Results for America has more than 220 partners. These include left-of-center organizations such as CASA de Maryland, Democrats for Education Reform, Morino Institute, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, Nonprofit Finance Fund, the Policy & Research Group, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Social Enterprise Initiative, Success for All Foundation, Teach For America, Urban Alliance, Venture Philanthropy Partners, and the Wyman Center. ¹³

Financials

In 2022, Results for America reported total revenue of $24,552,413, expenses of $23,072,429, and net assets of $35,252,433. ¹⁴

Funding

Results for America received a significant contribution in 2015 from billionaire Mike Bloomberg through his organization Bloomberg Philanthropies. Bloomberg Philanthropies disbursed $42 million into a partnership with Results for America, the Sunlight Foundation, and research centers at Johns Hopkins and Harvard to improve about 100 midsize American cities by giving them insight into policy data. ¹⁵

Results for America has received funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Arnold Ventures, Ballmer Group, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Blue Meridian Partners, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the Families and Workers Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, MacKenzie Scott, Morino Institute, Nielsen Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Overdeck Family Foundation, S. D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation, the Stephen Bechtel Fund, Schmidt Futures, Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), Sorenson Impact Center, Strada Education Foundation, Waverley Street Foundation, and the William T. Grant Foundation. ¹⁶

In 2022, Results for America received $1.1 million from Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, a donor-advised fund provider that was spun off from the Service Employees International Union-aligned Amalgamated Bank in 2017. ¹⁷

In December 2023, Results for America was set to receive a $21.1 million donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the Foundation’s new initiative to remove “barriers” to “economic mobility” in the United States. ¹⁸

Leadership

Michele Jolin is the chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of Results for America. She also serves as the chair of the board. Previously, Jolin was the senior advisor for social innovation at the White House under President Barack Obama, during which time she launched the Social Innovation Fund. Before joining Obama’s transition team, she was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and co-edited the book Change for America: A Progressive Blueprint for the 44^th President with Mark Green of the New Democracy Project. ¹⁹

David Medina is the chief operating officer (COO) and co-founder of Results for America. He was previously the deputy chief of staff under First Lady Michelle Obama in the Obama administration, as well as the Peace Corps’ Public Engagement Director. Medina previously worked at the Democratic National Convention Committee as deputy CEO, at the AFL-CIO as a legislative representative, and the Democratic National Committee as a policy director. As of January 2024, he sat on the AFL-CIO’s Working America Education Fund and Midwest Academy’s national board of directors. ²⁰

Results for America’s board of directors include Marcela G. del Carmen Amaya, professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School; Kevin Madden, an advisor to Georgetown University’s Institute for Politics and Public Service and a director of the Bipartisan Policy Center Advocacy Network; Sophia Maroon, the founder and CEO of SoFine Food LLC; Michael Nutter, a Democratic politician and former Mayor of Philadelphia; Rhoda Weeks-Brown, the general counsel and director of the International Monetary Fund’s Legal Department; Neal Wolin, the CEO of the Brunswick Group; and Raul Yanes, a managing director, chief compliance officer, and Management Committee member at Morgan Stanley. ²¹

1. “Our Work – Racial Justice.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/our-work/racial-justice/.
2. “Supporters.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/about-us/supporters/.
3. “Michele Jolin.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/people/michele-jolin/
4. “David Medina.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/people/david-medina/.
5. “All Programs.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/all-programs/.
6. “Healing Through Policy: Creating Pathways to Racial Justice,” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/healing-through-policy-creating-pathways-to-racial-justice/.
7. “Impact & Successes.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/impact-successes/.
8. “Our Values.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/our-values/.
9. “Our Work – Racial Justice.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/our-work/racial-justice/.
10. “Our Work – Racial Justice.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/our-work/racial-justice/.
11. “Amplifying Voices.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/amplifying_voices/.
12. “Results for America Awards Seven Cities in North and South America with Bloomberg Philanthropies.” Bloomberg Philanthropies, June 21, 2023. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.bloomberg.org/press/results-for-america-awards-seven-cities-in-north-and-south-america-with-bloomberg-philanthropies-what-works-cities-certification-for-exceptional-use-of-data/.
13. “Partners.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/partners/.
14. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Results for America. 2022. Part I, lines 12, 18, 22.
15. Crowe, Portia. “Mike Bloomberg is dropping $42 million on 100 US Cities.” Business Insider, April 23, 2015. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.businessinsider.com/mike-bloomberg-is-dropping-42-million-on-100-us-cities-2015-4.
16. “Supporters.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/about-us/supporters/.
17. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Amalgamated Charitable Fund. 2022. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
18. “Gates Foundation awards $102.5 million to expand economic mobility.” Guidestar, December 11, 2023. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/gates-foundation-awards-102.5-million-to-expand-economic-mobility.
19. “Michele Jolin.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/people/michele-jolin/.
20. “David Medina.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/people/david-medina/.
21. “Board of Directors.” Results 4 America. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://results4america.org/about-us/board/.