September 22, 2026

From Policy to Possibility

Read the announcement below

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act represented one of the largest public investments in generations. Together, these laws unlocked trillions of dollars in investment for infrastructure, domestic manufacturing, and clean energy. These dollars represented an opportunity not only to decarbonize and increase the United States’ competitiveness globally, but also, critically, to revitalize communities and produce high-quality and family-sustaining jobs.

From Policy to Possibility summarizes lessons and insights from three years of BuildUS’s experience supporting communities to implement these landmark laws. It shines a light on the ecosystem of complementary capacities that communities have built—and we need to continue to sustain—to turn public investment into lasting economic opportunity, while also strengthening local leadership and institutional capacity to drive broader change.

Highlights:

  • Nine implementation capacities and key strategies tied to these capacities that communities are using to successfully implement projects and build collective power.
  • Over two dozen powerful examples of how groups are exercising these capacities in places to get results.
  • A framework for identifying capacity strengths and gaps in an implementation ecosystem, as well as opportunities for investment, coordination, and partnership.
  • A call to action for philanthropy to ensure the critical infrastructure stays strong to both serve the field today and in the next big policy moment.