New Practice Lab Selected as a 2023 “World Changing Idea” by Fast Company

Fast Company announced today that New America’s New Practice Lab has earned a 2023 World Changing Ideas Award in the Politics & Policy category.

“At the New Practice Lab, we’re making policy work better by bringing families into the process of making and delivering it,” said New Practice Lab founder Tara McGuinness. “We’re honored to receive this recognition from Fast Company for our work to put family voices at the center of policymaking.”

Meet the New Practice Lab and discover its latest research.

The New Practice Lab was recognized by Fast Company for its work to put people at the center of policy design and delivery—by ensuring insights from real families continually inform the way policies are both designed and implemented. Since its founding in 2020, the New Practice Lab has run nearly 15 sprint-style engagements with families and public agencies, helping to secure access to critical benefits for more than 6 million Americans and helping states improve the delivery of important programs like unemployment insurance, paid leave, and the Earned Income Tax Credit. And the work is just getting started: Over the next three years, the Lab hopes to improve public benefits outcomes for millions of economically vulnerable families with young children—a uniquely under-resourced group.

Now in its seventh year, Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Award honors innovative designs, products, and initiatives that are changing the way we work, live, and interact with the world. This year, this list showcases 45 winners, 216 finalists, and more than 300 honorable mentions selected from a pool of more than 2,200 entries across urban design, education, nature, politics, technology, corporate social responsibility, and more. The 2023 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Italy to Singapore to New Zealand.