Samantha
Fu
I lead policy and program teams working to build a more inclusive economy.
I've spent more than a decade advancing systems change through research, policy, philanthropic advising, and cross-sector collaboration. I've stewarded multi-million-dollar portfolios, managed cross-functional teams, and developed field-building resources that have been used by hundreds of thousands of people. For the last five years, I've worked at the Urban Institute's Research to Action Lab, where I lead projects advancing economic mobility, housing justice, and community ownership and control. Prior to joining Urban, I conducted quantitative research on the social safety net, the gig economy, and more at the California Policy Lab. My work has been cited by CNN, Bloomberg CityLab, The Hill, and other national outlets.
I live in Brooklyn, NY with my husband, our daughter, and two large cats.
What I've Been Working On
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How Local Governments Can Support Small Businesses Struggling with Economic Uncertainty and High Costs Lessons from San Francisco.
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In a Divided America, How Can We Measure Social Connection? Resources for understanding social connection in your community.
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Toolkit for Increasing Upward Mobility in Your Community A toolkit for local leaders to understand how to catalyze the systemic changes needed to boost upward mobility.
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Can Factory-Built Housing Contribute to Greater Affordability and Climate Resiliency? A case study featuring Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services in southern California and come dream. come build in Brownsville, Texas.
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Federal and Philanthropic Funding Trends in Economic Mobility Examining the flow of federal and philanthropic dollars into economic mobility-related experiences, and how funding can be better deployed. Accompanied by an interactive data dashboard illustrating key trends.
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Housing Was on the Ballot This Year. What Can We Learn from State and Local Initiatives? An analysis of 2024 state and local housing ballot measures, and how local context shaped which ones passed.
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Local and Solidarity Economies Are Helping Some Regions Balance Economic Competitiveness with Equity and Climate Goals Lessons from Arizona and Jackson, Mississippi.
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Understanding Needs and Opportunities in California's Central San Joaquin Valley Assessment of baseline conditions in the Central San Joaquin Valley to inform the region's Jobs First investment plan.
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Upward Mobility Data Dashboard An interactive dashboard for local leaders to explore 24 conditions that shape upward mobility, with data for every U.S. county and more than 480 cities.
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Permanently Affordable Housing Has Support from Both Republican and Democratic Voters. Presidential Candidates Should Take Note. Polling shows voters across parties favor permanently affordable housing. This post offers federal policy proposals candidates could build their platforms on.
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State and Local Housing Decommodification Efforts and Their Implications for Federal Policy A national scan of state and local policies that take housing out of the speculative market.
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Patterns of Sprawl in Fresno and the Central San Joaquin Valley Eighty years of housing development in Fresno and the Central San Joaquin Valley, showing how sprawl outpaced population growth and why that pattern is not inevitable.
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Lessons from the American Rescue Plan Act to Inform the Proposed $20 Billion Innovation Fund for Housing Expansion What ARPA's flexible recovery funds can teach federal policymakers designing a proposed $20 billion housing fund.
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How Localities Can Track Progress toward Their Upward Mobility Goals Learnings from Fresno and Philadelphia.
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Pursuing Housing Justice: Interventions for Impact A guide to policy and programmatic interventions that advance housing justice, from expanding supply to building community power, with actionable examples.
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How Cities and Counties Are Using Federal Emergency Recovery Funds to Increase Affordable Housing Supply and Build Long-Term Resilience How six cities and counties used federal pandemic recovery funds for affordable housing, and what got in their way.
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Using ARPA Funds to Address Affordable Housing Needs: Lessons from Six Cities and Counties A closer look at how six cities and counties used flexible ARPA funds for affordable housing, and the barriers they faced.
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Decommodification and Its Role in Advancing Housing Justice Why the market is structurally unable to house people with the lowest incomes, and how decommodified housing can.
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Screening for Environmental Justice: A Framework for Comparing National, State, and Local Data Tools A comparison of 31 environmental justice screening tools — how they were built, what they measure, and how they account for race.
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Advancing Equity, Climate Action, and Economic Health in Communities Recommendations for implementing Justice40 so federal climate investments reach disadvantaged communities, from how communities are identified to how benefits are measured and overseen.
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Three Reasons Why Expanding Access to Homeownership Alone Won't Close the Racial Wealth Gap Why expanding homeownership access alone is not enough to close the racial wealth gap.
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Connecting Families to Benefits Using Linked Data: A Toolkit A practical guide for agencies using linked administrative data to reach families eligible for public benefits.
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California Community College and University of California Student Participation in CalFresh Food Benefits Which students use food assistance, and how many who qualify are missing out.
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Simplifying Communications Can Help High School Students Navigate College Costs and the Cal Grant Program Evidence that clearer messages help students understand and claim state financial aid.
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Using Machine Learning to Help Vulnerable Tenants in New York City Predictive modeling to help target outreach to tenants at risk of harassment and displacement.
Want to collaborate?
- samanthacfu@gmail.com
- in/samanthacfu