The Rundown

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New Developments in Pension Risk Reporting

Public pension risk reports provide a quantitative assessment of the potential effects of investment risk and economic uncertainty on plan balance sheets and the costs required to predictably and sustainably fund retirement system obligations. They are a critical tool for plan fiduciaries, governmental sponsors, and other pension stakeholders to help evaluate the fiscal health of state pension plans, and more than half of states throughout the country use them.

Converting Obsolete Offices to Co-Living

Throughout 2025, The Pew Charitable Trusts collaborated with Gensler, a global architecture, design, and planning firm, to explore the feasibility of transforming vacant office buildings into co-living microapartments in 10 U.S. cities.

Strength of State Rainy Day Funds Declines as Budgets Tighten

After years of record highs, states’ rainy day fund capacity—the number of days that reserve balances could cover state operations—fell in fiscal year 2025, the first decline since the 2007-09 Great Recession.

A person with blond hair wearing a green shirt holds a can next to a person wearing a fluorescent yellow and orange vest and a hijab while holding a blue clipboard. Two additional people can be seen on either side, both appearing to reach for something blurred in the foreground.
America’s Founding Ideals Can Counter Religious Biases Today

America’s 250th anniversary is a time to commemorate the country’s formation and the democratic ideals on which it was founded. This milestone also serves as an important time to reflect on who we are as a country, including the values we uphold and how we engage with one another.

A senior couple are shown gardening together.
For Older Philadelphians, Retirement Isn’t a One-Size-Fits-All Decision

Although labor force participation among older adults in Philadelphia has increased over the past decade, reaching 17.4% in 2023, most Philadelphians age 65 or over are no longer employed.

Our Work

Pew's work spans 7 key topics...

Professional psychologist doctor listening and giving the consult to female patients

Good health is important to everyone. Pew conducts research and provides information and fact-based recommendations to state agencies, hospitals, researchers, and other health partners to help them provide better care. We find and share evidence-based practices to improve Americans’ health and well-being, including services that can prevent suicide, improve mental health care, and treat substance use disorder.

Bustleton Free Library in Philadelphia, PA, on Thursday September 12 2024.

Communities throughout the country share common needs: affordable connections to broadband Internet, modern and reliable energy infrastructure, effective responses to mental health challenges, and ways to resolve legal disputes more quickly and fairly. To address these issues, Pew collaborates with states and local governments to find and promote evidence-based solutions that help provide stability and opportunity.

Sunshine

Economic opportunity is the foundation of American society. Pew supports national, state, and local efforts to expand opportunity and promote financial well-being. Our work helps people pay off student loans, navigate court proceedings such as debt collection, buy or rent a home, access affordable internet, and save for their retirement.

High angle helicopter shot of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. at twilight on a clear evening in Fall, with Pennsylvania Avenue beyond.

Nonpartisan, fact-based improvements in federal policy can create jobs, lower costs, and help the nation prepare for the future. When our research shows that small changes can have a big impact, we work across party lines to improve national challenges like housing affordability, internet access, energy reliability, and health care.

Turkish world record-holder free-diver and divers of the Underwater Federation Sahika Encumen dives amid plastic waste in Ortakoy coastline to observe the life and pollution of Bosphorus in Istanbul,

The global ocean teems with life, and it contributes to the vital cycles that keep people and our planet healthy. But the seas are vulnerable to overfishing, loss of habitat such as seagrasses and mangroves, ineffective fisheries management, plastic pollution, and declining biodiversity. These mounting losses affect the coastal communities that depend on the ocean for food and jobs.

The House Chamber at the Kentucky State Capitol is shown as the legislature tries to wrap up its session

States and cities are the “laboratories of democracy” in America—the places where lawmakers and governors look for new ways to help their communities succeed. Whether in Pew’s hometown of Philadelphia or any of the 50 state capitals, we help elected leaders respond to the needs of their citizens, use public dollars wisely, fix outdated policies, and build a better future for all.

A view of steep cliff, grand canyon and Colorado river from Toroweap overlook.

Conserving natural spaces conveys benefits far beyond the gains to wildlife and their habitats. As scores of studies show, protecting and restoring lands and waters, particularly when done in close partnership with local communities, also improves people’s lives—and local economies—by increasing tourism and outdoor recreation.

How We Work

Pew is committed to generating research, providing technical assistance, and building relationships to advance powerful, positive change. Learn More

Although our projects vary in scale and scope, Pew maintains a consistent investment philosophy for all of our work—an approach driven by our history and values. Learn More

Stay informed through our newsletters, join the conversation on social media, or learn about partnership opportunities—just a few ways you can help us make a difference. Learn More

Fact of the Matter

49,449
AMERICANS
die by suicide in 2022.
18%
OF AMERICANS
with opioid use disorders received any medication to treat them in 2023.
30%
INCREASE IN SUICIDE RATE
in the U.S. from 2000 to 2020.
178,000
DEATHS EACH YEAR
from frequent or excessive drinking.

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