Aspen Policy Academy

The Aspen Policy Academy offers innovative, nonpartisan training programs to equip engaged citizens across sectors – from tech to the environment, science to civic engagement – with the practical policy skills to craft solutions for society’s most pressing challenges.

A Bay Area-based initiative of the Washington, DC-headquartered Aspen Institute, the Policy Academy transforms experience into impact, with the mission to democratize the insider realm of policymaking.

Building on the success of our predecessor, the Aspen Tech Policy Hub, which has helped hundreds of tech leaders develop policymaking skills and influence decisions, the Aspen Policy Academy provides trainees with the tools to address today’s most complex issues.

Transforming Experience Into Impact

We need better policy, and we need people to feel that their voices matter in government. By equipping new voices to enter the policy arena and elevating their voices to have an impact, the Aspen Policy Academy builds both.

In a world that’s changing quickly, crafting thoughtful policies is more important than ever. Companies and governments alike are struggling with how to ethically deploy artificial intelligence. Communities are struggling to manage rising housing costs. School districts are debating whether to fund more charter schools. The people with the most knowledge on these topics – artificial intelligence experts on tech policy, home builders and realtors in the housing market, teachers and principals in education – need to contribute their experience to inform policy decisions. 

At the same time, we need to help people get involved in policy for another reason: so that they believe in the power of democratic institutions. Only 22% of US adults trust the federal government “to do the right thing just about always or most of the time.” Yet the more people engage with government institutions, the more likely they are to have confidence in them. By giving citizens the tools to not just study civics but to participate in the democratic process, we’re helping rebuild public trust.

One reason that outsiders struggle to join the policy conversation is that there is no easy way to learn how to advocate for policy change. The difference between the Schoolhouse Rock! version of government and the reality of day-to-day lawmaking and rulemaking is vast and, too often, opaque. The nuts and bolts of policy skills are most often shared by osmosis, passed from person to person in wonky government circles. Being able to successfully impact policy is often a matter of luck and privilege – you happen to have the right connections, meet the right mentor, stumble into the right job, or be in the right room at the right time. 

The Aspen Policy Academy democratizes policymaking by bringing new voices into the policy conversation. We will make sure that people with the right experience – on everything from artificial intelligence to local education – have the right tools to contribute to key decisions that affect the direction of our society.

The First Training Program of Its Kind

At the Aspen Policy Academy, our “special sauce” is our curriculum. We teach participants how to engage in policymaking in a practical, engaging way — without requiring our participants to join a degree program or relocate to Washington, DC. We have offerings for participants at every level of commitment, from webinars to part-time short courses to full-time in-person programs. 

Our offerings fit into three buckets:

• Policy Impact: We teach participants how to change policy (without lobbying) through practical interactive sessions. Students learn how to develop and refine policy solutions, map stakeholders, and effectively advocate to those decisionmakers. 
• Communicating for Policy: We teach participants how to effectively communicate with policy stakeholders. We teach skills such as how to put the “Bottom Line Up Front” and translate complicated concepts into plain language. We also teach students how to write policy memos and public comments, or draft op-eds and give government briefings.
• Policy Stakeholders: We introduce participants to key policy stakeholders and structures. We teach participants how the executive, legislative, and judicial branches work. We also explore corporate, nonprofit, and state and local policymaking.

In addition, we offer curriculum on specific topics – such as government ethics, procurement, and budgeting – and on specific subjects – such as Climate Policy 101. Through engaging lectures and realistic exercises, we ensure our alums are prepared to take on society’s toughest problems. See their work.

Our Funders and Partners

The Policy Academy is grateful to the generous funders who support our work. We are also pleased to partner directly with organizations to provide policy training and guidance to their communities. For additional information about our finances, please see our latest annual report.

In addition, the Aspen Policy Academy occasionally receives small donations (less than 10 percent of our operating budget) from individuals. We do not currently accept any funds from corporations, except where companies provide corporate matches for small individual donations (less than $1,000). We also do not accept funds from government bodies, nor do we receive significant financial support from the broader Aspen Institute.

Get Involved

We can’t do this work alone. From generous individuals to innovative partners to committed foundations, we love working collaboratively to get more done. Check out all the ways to get involved with us.