Regulatory Consulting at Results for America

Overview

Results for America (RFA) is a nonprofit that helps government leaders at every level find, fund, and implement solutions backed by evidence and data, working with federal, state, and local decision-makers on budget, policy, and program choices. Its flagship initiative, What Works Cities (a Bloomberg Philanthropies program RFA now leads), is the international standard for data-driven city governance, having certified cities across multiple countries on their data capabilities. RFA’s AI-policy relevance has sharpened directly: in 2026 What Works Cities made data and AI a named focus area for the year, explicitly tracking and supporting how certified cities use AI to tackle major local challenges like housing, with managing director Rochelle Haynes noting that most certified cities already have the responsible-AI policies in place and 2026 is the year to put AI to work on big problems. RFA also engages federal policymakers directly, working with bipartisan members of Congress on evidence-based policymaking and the ‘Moneyball for Government’ movement.

AI-Focused Regulatory Work

Results for America’s distinctive AI-policy contribution is translating the responsible-AI conversation into concrete municipal practice at scale. Through What Works Cities, RFA doesn’t just study AI in government — it actively certifies and coaches a network of more than 100 cities across 10 countries representing over 97 million residents, giving it real-time visibility into how AI is landing in city halls. Its January 2026 guidance flagged that most Certified cities already have the governance policies needed to use AI responsibly and that the practical task now is application: helping cities streamline housing regulations, identify buildable land, and answer resident questions with AI tools. Concrete examples from RFA’s own certification announcements illustrate the range — Dallas earning What Works Cities Certification while expanding AI-assisted fire-risk modeling, human trafficking detection, and code-compliance automation, with AI-powered cameras and drones for park monitoring planned next; Minneapolis renewing its Silver Certification on the strength of its broader data capabilities. On the federal side, RFA’s ‘Moneyball for Government’ work has secured bipartisan congressional support — including from Reps. William Timmons and Greg Landsman — for evidence-based policymaking, positioning RFA to shape how AI and data evidence standards get written into federal program evaluation as well. For a directory reader, RFA is valuable less as a publisher of AI-governance theory than as the operational network translating responsible-AI principles into what hundreds of cities and a growing number of federal offices actually do.

Notable AI Policy Work

• Leads What Works Cities (Bloomberg Philanthropies), the international standard for data-driven local governance, certifying 100+ cities across 10 countries representing 97 million+ residents.
• Named data and AI a core 2026 focus area for What Works Cities, guiding certified cities on responsibly applying AI to challenges like housing, resident services, and infrastructure.
• Documented city-level AI applications through certification case studies — e.g., Dallas’s AI-assisted fire-risk modeling, human-trafficking detection, and code-compliance automation, with AI-powered monitoring cameras and drones planned next.
• Works with bipartisan members of Congress (e.g., Reps. William Timmons and Greg Landsman) to advance evidence-based federal policymaking through its ‘Moneyball for Government’ movement.
• Publishes Evidence Definitions, Spending Guides, and the ‘Power of Evidence’ report used by government leaders to structure evidence- and data-informed budget and policy decisions.

Thought Leadership

1. How Data and AI Will Power Local Housing Solutions in 2026 (What Works Cities)
   What Works Cities’ 2026 guidance on applying data and AI to the housing-affordability challenges facing certified cities.
2. Results for America — Homepage & Local Policymakers Resources
   RFA’s tools for local leaders, including the What Works Cities Certification and Economic Mobility Catalog, increasingly incorporating AI-readiness guidance.
3. Results for America — Federal Policymakers
   RFA’s work with bipartisan members of Congress advancing evidence-based policymaking, the channel through which AI-evidence standards could shape federal program evaluation.

Clients

Federal, state, and local government leaders across the U.S., plus international cities via What Works Cities. Key funder and partner: Bloomberg Philanthropies. Partners with GovEx (Johns Hopkins), the Government Performance Lab (Harvard), and the Behavioral Insights Team on city technical assistance.