Where policy meets practice to advance economic opportunity for all.
When it comes to solving today’s most pressing public challenges, place matters. Yet too often, ambitious policy goals are developed within systems disconnected from the realities of local communities. Second Mountain Strategies partners with government, philanthropic, and mission-driven leaders to turn policy into practice — designing the strategy, governance structures, partnerships, and implementation plans needed to expand economic opportunity for all.
Our Approach
Our approach helps partners navigate how public policy, funding, governance, and local systems interact in practice— and then how to align those systems to expand economic opportunity. Together, we help leaders address several key questions:
What emerging opportunities and challenges are reshaping workforce and economic mobility systems?
What should we build, launch, or scale to meet emerging needs?
How can we best align fragmented systems and diverse stakeholders toward shared goals?
How do we effectively move policy and public investment into coordinated action?
In the News
“Workforce Pell can open doors and close skill gaps, but only if it’s built to work where needs are greatest. Without careful design, these federal grants could sever the very training pipelines they are meant to strengthen.”
— Katherine Ash in Work Shift, August 2025
