Services
Policy and Impact
What we do and why it matters
We challenge and change inequitable systems by partnering with researchers, policymakers, and community organizations to advance solutions that address root causes of urban challenges and create lasting, systemic impact.
With detailed testing and doing work on the ground to build thriving, healthy, sustainable communities, Isles learns how to improve policy ideas and priorities. Research, data and stakeholder insights help us more deeply understand the challenges and opportunities our communities face, what really works, and why. With this information, we help government, businesses, and the public learn and craft more effective policies, practices and education.
For example, Isles saw the flaws in State law that allowed families to move into homes where dangerous lead paint remained, exposing vulnerable young children. Over four years, Isles educated legislators leading to the “Lead Safe Certificate” Law being signed by Governor Murphy, requiring all rental units built before 1978 be tested for lead before families move in. And just last year, Isles won passage of a new law requiring testing during pregnancy for expecting mothers who had been exposed to lead as children. At Isles, we recognize that making change in the community often requires changing the system itself.
While it is important to do innovative, good work locally, we want to impact the world. To do that, we seek to learn, share with others, and influence public and private policies.
Johnson Center For Learning & Policy
Research and evidence gathering. Advancing policy. Developing tomorrow’s leaders.
Drawing on over 40 years of sustainable community development experience, the Johnson Center for Learning and Policy (“The Johnson Center”) connects the grassroots learning of community development with research, education, and policy expertise to create real systems change.
The Johnson Center’s goal is to help other organizations cast their attention upstream to the sources of urban challenges and the “systems” that propagate them. We partner with other entities that share in and benefit from our learning, in particular, colleges and universities, community-based organizations, policy think tanks, and public opinion leaders. We help scale Isles’ impact through research, data and mapping, advocacy, public education, training of
future leaders, and supporting community development and environmental organizations working in challenged communities.
$750,000 secured in state funding for YouthBuild programs, the first direct state appropriation of its kind.
200+ attendees at the 2025 Fall Forum: Cities for the Future at the Social Profit Center at Mill One.
15+ conferences where Johnson Center staff presented research across multiple states.
15 interns hosted from 8 colleges and 2 high schools.
What to expect from the Johnson Center
Policy and advocacy
The Johnson Center spearheads advocacy for policies and funding that protect overburdened communities. We work with interdisciplinary coalitions at the local, state, and federal levels to ensure best practices are adopted and resources reach the people who need them most.
In 2025, our advocacy resulted in the passage of A4848/S3616 (P.L. 2025 c.193), requiring lead screening during pregnancy to protect pregnant people and address maternal-infant health disparities. We secured the first direct state appropriation for YouthBuild programs in New Jersey, led statewide coalition advocacy resulting in multiple Executive Orders prioritizing ratepayer protection and clean energy, and reversed the CDC Reduction in Force through congressional advocacy including a press conference with Congresswoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman. We also led the Perry Street Crossing project, bringing together 15 key stakeholders to address safety and mobility concerns and securing a federal DOT grant for school zone improvements.
Workforce development
The Johnson Center prepares the next generation of social entrepreneurs and supports the professional development of community organizations and current practitioners. Through internships, the Impact Accelerator fellowship, and our Lunch and Learn series, we create pathways for emerging leaders to build skills, make connections, and drive change.
In 2025, we hosted 15 interns from 8 colleges and 2 high schools who gained practical experience in research, policy, community engagement, advocacy, and presentations. We launched an eight-month Impact Accelerator fellowship with 16 Isles staff members to build social entrepreneurship skills and deepen community impact.
Research
The Johnson Center builds Isles’ capacity to collect, analyze, and apply data — and works with external research partners to generate evidence that informs policy and practice. We conduct community needs assessments, evaluate state programs, and share findings at conferences and policy forums across the region.
In 2025, Johnson Center staff presented research and policy insights at more than 15 conferences in multiple states, including the Rutgers Climate Change Conference and the National Environmental Health Conference. We conducted community needs assessments and program evaluations, and worked collaboratively with EOHSI at Rutgers University on research into lead, building electrification, and air quality. We also hosted Fall Forum: Cities for the Future with over 200 attendees, featuring conversations on extreme heat, microtransit, safe streets, and lead and healthy homes.
Key statistics
1 in 4
The number of children in Trenton who live in poverty, compounding barriers to health, education, and economic mobility.
6th
New Jersey’s ranking for state foreclosure rates across the U.S. in 2025, with 1 in every 273 housing units affected.
50%+
The share of minority low-income homeowners living in neighborhoods with poverty rates above 20%.
4,500+
Children in NJ had elevated blood-lead levels largely driven by lead-based paint in older housing. Trenton recorded among the highest rates of child lead poisoning in NJ.
50%+
Of Trenton homes were built before 1934, leaving many families exposed to serious health hazards including mold, moisture, pest infestation, and insufficient heating systems.
30%
The share of Trenton high school graduates who pursue postsecondary education.
This is less than half the NJ statewide rate of 66%.
Systemic inequities don’t solve themselves. Without sustained advocacy, rigorous research, and investment in the next generation of leaders, the policies and funding that communities depend on to grow and thrive remain out of reach. The Johnson Center exists to change that by translating knowledge into action and action into lasting systems change.
Why the Johnson Center matters
Healthy, thriving communities don’t happen by accident. They are the result of policies that work, institutions that invest, and people with the skills and support to lead.
The Johnson Center is Isles’ engine for scaling impact beyond direct service. By building coalitions, training future leaders, and producing research that shapes policy, we work to address the root causes of the challenges facing Trenton and communities like it across New Jersey. Every law passed, every young leader supported, and every dataset that informs a better policy decision is a step toward the interconnected, thriving communities we are working to build.
Get started with the Johnson Center programs
Whether you’re a student, researcher, policymaker, or community organization, the Johnson Center wants to connect.
If you’d like to support our work or would like to partner with us, please reach out.