Public Policy Lab (PPL) is a nonprofit policy-design organization based in Brooklyn, New York. Its founders—David Gibson, Sylvia Harris and Chelsea Mauldin—launched it in 2011 to apply research and design to the way public policy is delivered. The organization’s stated mission is to design policies and services that help people build better lives. 21
PPL works with government agencies, institutions and foundations, engaging both the people who use public services and the public servants who deliver them. Its work combines research, co-design, prototyping and evaluation, with projects intended to address problems across agencies and policy areas rather than in isolation. The organization says its work spans local and national levels, and its projects have reached people across the United States. 1913
Its portfolio includes housing and homelessness, health and benefits, justice, children and families, education, and veterans’ services. One prominent example is its work with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: PPL helped develop the VA Welcome Kit, a set of onboarding materials and checklists now distributed nationwide in print and online. Earlier work with the VA helped introduce human-centered design practices and contributed to the creation of the agency’s Veterans Experience Office. 611
PPL’s project library also includes efforts to improve public-benefit notices in Arizona, create a common application for subsidized housing, and make New York City housing assistance easier to navigate. Its headquarters is at 20 Jay Street in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood. Chelsea Mauldin is identified as executive director and co-founder. 21412