Clinton Foundation Launches State-Focused Policy Institute to Tackle Health and Economic Crises

In a strategic expansion targeting sub-national policymaking, the Clinton Foundation has formally launched the Clinton Policy Institute (CPI), marking the organization’s first major institutional venture in over a decade. The new initiative aims to collaborate directly with state and local governments across the United States to craft nonpartisan policy frameworks centered on maternal and child health, economic security, and public governance.

The institute’s leadership draws heavily from recent federal policy executives. Zayn Siddique, who previously served as principal deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, has been appointed chief executive officer. Jennifer Klein, former director of the Biden administration’s Gender Policy Council, will serve as chair. The organization continues under the broader direction of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, and public health scholar Dr. Chelsea Clinton.

By targeting state capitals and municipal administrations, the institute seeks to capitalize on local legislative flexibility at a time when partisan division frequently stalls action in Washington. According to Hillary Clinton, the institute was established to deliver evidence-based interventions directly to state leaders navigating rising household costs, economic disruption, and shifting public sector trust.

The incubator model mirrors the soft-launch strategy the foundation deployed during the 2004 launch of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, where operational frameworks were piloted prior to formal public announcements. Before its official unveiling, CPI worked silently with New York Governor Kathy Hochul‘s administration to design statewide restrictions on cellular devices in public schools. To refine implementation, the institute established a Teen Tech Council, gathering direct feedback from students—a model that New York education officials report significantly reduced classroom disruptions and raised academic engagement.

Beyond educational policy, the institute is scaling health initiatives across state lines by leveraging established public health research. A primary operational focus involves addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)—a framework pioneered by public health officials that links early abuse, neglect, and household stress to long-term chronic illness and economic instability.

To expand these interventions, CPI enlisted Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as U.S. Surgeon General during President Donald Trump’s first term. In June, Adams assumed the role of co-chair for the ACE Resource Network’s National Leadership Council. Adams is spearheading efforts to translate California’s 2020 “ACEs Aware” screening protocol into policy proposals tailored for conservative-led states, including Utah and Georgia.

Pragmatic cooperation across political divisions has emerged as a central operational goal. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly of Kansas highlighted CPI’s methodology following a recent gubernatorial roundtable on child welfare, describing the institute’s evidence-driven focus as a viable pathway for divided governments. Kelly, who is finishing her second term in a predominantly Republican state, noted that nonpartisan policy design remains essential for achieving lasting statutory reforms in polarized environments.

Adams acknowledged that while healthcare topics such as reproductive access, harm reduction, and public safety remain intensely politicized in national elections, evidence-based child welfare policy offers a rare venue for cross-party consensus when structured deliberately around empirical data rather than partisan messaging.