The Evans Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) is a policy lab at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance that partners with communities, organizations, and government to design, test, and scale policy innovations for the public good.
This means we bring people together across traditional boundaries—like between government and community or research and practice—to tackle complex policy challenges in Washington State and beyond.
Through collaborative initiatives, research-practice partnerships, and capacity-building work, we are a bridge connecting the Evans community to public serving organizations and people in our region; and we exist to help organizations design more effective and equitable solutions grounded in both rigorous evidence and lived experience.
Whether we’re facilitating convenings, conducting research on critical issues, or training communities in collaborative governance skills, our work is relational at its core. We use a human-centered design process because the people closest to policy challenges often have the clearest insight into what might actually work—and because solutions designed with communities, not for them, are more equitable, implementable, and effective.
Applied Research Projects
We help organizations solve complex problems by combining research with input from diverse voices closest to the issue, creating practical solutions that improve outcomes.
Collaborative Initiatives
We create space for innovation on tough public challenges. By bringing together people with different experiences and expertise, we help groups dig into root causes, explore creative solutions, and test what actually works. These aren’t quick fixes—they’re sustained initiatives that grow and change as we learn, requiring commitment from multiple partners and investment from various funding sources over time.
Public Leader Training & Support
We train and support leaders who want to strengthen relationships and foster genuine collaboration in their communities. We share practical tools for facilitation and authentic engagement that you can apply in your own work.
Public policy challenges are complex, but our core belief is straightforward: effective collaboration is a bridge to a better world.
We facilitate inclusive community processes to help stakeholders identify, examine, and address shared challenges. Our pragmatic approach blends lived experience and professional expertise to spark shared learning and drive actionable solutions to create public impact.
EPIC supports community partners as they navigate the three phases of human-centered design:
- analysis of the current situation
- exploration and refinement of ideas
- testing promising interventions
By putting people at the center of community problem-solving, we build improved public programs and services that consider context to ensure they are more effective, efficient, and equitable for all. Furthermore, research suggests that the relational nature this work creates spillover effects as organizations bridge evidence and engagement to build their collaborative capacity to tackle future challenges.
Applied Research Projects
Collaborative Initiatives
Public Leader Training & Support
Completed Projects
Follow the Thread
Our newsletter is for changemakers, practitioners, researchers, and community leaders working to strengthen our region. Like following a thread through fabric, this bi-annual touchpoint helps trace the connections between people, ideas, and initiatives that are weaving improved policy outcomes across the Pacific Northwest. We want to share opportunities to collaborate, keep you updated on EPIC’s work, share what we’re learning, and highlight ways you can support each other’s efforts. Our goal is to build a community of practice around collaborative policy innovation, creating lasting relationships that sustain the values we share: equity, democratic participation, and the belief that we’re all better together.
Join Our Newsletter – Coming Soon!
Tools for Practice: The Public Service ReDesign Toolkit
The Public Service ReDesign Toolkit is the Evans School’s public collection of what we use in practice to facilitate conversations, prototype, and document learning. The toolkit is organized into sections that correspond to the iterative three-phase human-centered design process that we use at EPIC.
Let's Collaborate!
If you’re interested in partnering or learning more about our work, contact us and a team member will be in touch.