Grant Details
| Project Lead | Ross Hammond |
|---|---|
| Program Area | Workforce |
| Amount | $2,000,000 |
| Year Awarded | |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Summary |
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., that conducts research and provides evidence-based solutions to complex societal issues. This project aims to enhance the ability of JSMF and its partners to analyze the impact of various investments and initiatives by expanding the capabilities of the “Virtual St. Louis” agent-based modeling (ABM) platform. An agent-based modeling platform is a software environment that creates and runs simulations where virtual representations of individuals (autonomous agents), each with their own behaviors and relationships, interact within a virtual setting to understand what individual and community-level outcomes arise from different behaviors, programs, policies, or events. JSMF’s investment will support the development of seven new modules focused on early education; workforce readiness; entrepreneurship; housing; retirement savings; post-secondary training and evaluation; non-financial influences like relationships, community, and societal factors. These modules will enable JSMF and community partners to simulate the effects of various community investments on populations across St. Louis, especially those most affected by economic disparities. The platform will allow JSMF and other community organizations to better estimate the impact of a potential program without needing to run a pilot program and incurring its associated costs. |