Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center
Name	Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center
Formation	1991
Type	Nonprofit think tank
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts
Leader title	Executive Director

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center is an independent policy research and advocacy organization based in Boston, Massachusetts. It produces fiscal, tax, and programmatic analysis intended to inform debates among legislators, nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, and media outlets. MBPC’s work intersects with budget deliberations, legislative sessions, and public debates involving state-level programs and statutory reforms.

History

The organization was founded in 1991 amid debates over state budget deficits and tax policy that involved William Weld, Massachusetts General Court, Paul Cellucci, and federal contexts shaped by the 1990s recession (United States). Early projects compared fiscal choices in Massachusetts against policy choices in neighboring states such as Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, and coincided with advocacy work from groups like Citizens for Tax Justice and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Over the 1990s and 2000s MBPC published analyses during administrations of Jane Swift, Mitt Romney, and Deval Patrick, contributing to discussions related to major legislation including debates over Proposition 2½ history and state implementation of Welfare Reform Act of 1996 provisions. During the Great Recession MBPC researchers provided frequent briefings for members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Massachusetts Senate, and municipal leaders across Boston, Worcester, Massachusetts, and Springfield, Massachusetts.

Mission and Activities

MBPC’s stated mission emphasizes fiscal analysis, program evaluation, and the promotion of tax and budget policies that affect low- and moderate-income residents. Its activities routinely engage with institutions such as the State House (Boston), Massachusetts Department of Revenue, and Executive Office for Administration and Finance (Massachusetts). MBPC produces materials intended for stakeholders including advocacy groups like Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center-adjacent coalitions, labor organizations such as Massachusetts AFL–CIO, health policy entities like Massachusetts Health Connector, and education-focused organizations such as Massachusetts Teachers Association. The organization conducts briefings for legislators, staffers, civic alliances, and municipal finance directors, while participating in public hearings before committees of the Massachusetts General Court.

Research and Publications

MBPC publishes budget briefs, policy reports, data visualizations, and fiscal notes that are frequently cited in outlets including The Boston Globe, WBUR, CommonWealth Magazine, The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), and policy journals. Research topics include state tax credits, housing subsidies, healthcare financing, and early childhood programs, with comparative analysis referencing programs in California, New York (state), Minnesota, and Vermont. Its work uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Publications have included methodological pieces on distributional tax analysis, cost projections for Medicaid expansions tied to Affordable Care Act, and fiscal impacts of school finance proposals linked to litigation such as cases akin to McDuffy v. Secretary of the Executive Office of Education.

Policy Impact and Advocacy

MBPC engages in advocacy by testifying at hearings, preparing fiscal analyses for amendments introduced in the Massachusetts General Court, and collaborating with coalitions that include United Way of Massachusetts Bay, Action for Boston Community Development, and local chapters of ACLU. Its analyses have influenced deliberations over tax reform proposals debated by figures such as Charlie Baker and Maura Healey, and fed into administrative decisions by the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance and MassHealth. MBPC’s work has been used by municipal leaders in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Somerville, Massachusetts to argue for housing trust funds and by education advocates pushing for funding commitments tied to litigation in state courts. The center’s policy briefs are often cited in testimony by nonprofit coalitions during budget reconciliation processes conducted by the Massachusetts House Committee on Ways and Means and the Joint Committee on Revenue (Massachusetts).

Organization and Funding

MBPC is structured as a nonprofit research center supported by a mix of philanthropic grants, foundation funding, and individual contributions. Funders historically include private foundations like The Boston Foundation, statewide philanthropic intermediaries, and national funders such as The Ford Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Open Society Foundations. The center collaborates with partner organizations including Economic Policy Institute, National Low Income Housing Coalition, and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for comparative research. Governance typically includes a board with leaders drawn from academia, nonprofit management, and public interest law firms; MBPC’s internal teams coordinate research, communications, and policy outreach activities.

Notable Staff and Leadership

Over its history MBPC has been led by directors and senior researchers who have experience in state budget offices, academia, and nonprofit policy analysis. Notable figures associated with MBPC include staff who previously worked for entities such as the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, University of Massachusetts Boston, Brandeis University, Harvard Kennedy School, and state agencies including the Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance. Senior analysts have testified before legislative committees and appeared on media outlets including WBZ-TV and WGBH (FM). The organization continues to recruit researchers with expertise in public finance, social policy, and data analysis.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Boston