Meet your policy department.
Springboard improves public policy by bringing more voices and ideas to the table. When more organizations can share their experience and insights, we all get better outcomes.
We work with our clients to translate their thinking into practical, rigorous, adoption-ready public policies, going from what they know into what governments can do.
What can we do for you?
We are a full-service public policy consulting practice. We help organizations at every stage of policy work so that they can advocate to government and change systems.
1. Set your organization’s public policy strategy
Priorities, decision-making tools, actions to build credibility, and ways to measure success.
2. Build your capacity to do public policy work
Deeper skills and knowledge, from staff to leaders to board-level.
3. Develop concrete asks for government
Expert-level recommendations that government can actually adopt.
4. Bring the right people together
Thoughtfully designed and facilitated sessions that let experts, sector leaders, and stakeholders collaborate on policy solutions.
5. Make the case to decision-makers
Behind the scenes support to advocate for public policy change to government.
How we do it
-
Our approach is rigorous, collaborative, and practical. We work with clients to develop actionable policy proposals that get buy-in with governments and stakeholders and deliver real-world results.
Research reports
Thought leadership
Briefing notes
Jurisdictional scans
Budget, consultation and committee submissions
-
Sometimes the most important thing is getting the right people in the room. We design short sessions and multi-year processes to help experts, governments, and organizations collaborate to solve public policy problems.
Workshop design and facilitation
Agenda design and speaker programming
Expert panel process design and materials
Synthesis, what we heard reports, and recommendation docs
-
Organizations have more impact when they’re confident and capable of leading the public policy discussion. We help you invest in medium- and long-term success by developing the tools, skills, and plans to become a leading voice on public policy.
Public policy strategy development
Board training
Public policy executive education
Staff-levels skills building
Policy goals and measures of success
-
Organizations with advocacy mandates often find themselves stretched thin across the many issues and activities that they care about. We develop tailored strategic plans specifically for policy impact, focusing on:
Where their voices are most needed
Windows of opportunity and impact
When to be proactive vs. reactive, lead vs. support
What specific activities will build their capacity and credibility
-
Your policy thinking needs to reach the right people. That can be peers and allies, media, and government decision makers. We help you plan and execute your approach. We aren’t lobbyists — we think organizations are their own best advocates. We want to help you make an impact.
Stakeholder and government leadership mapping
Advocacy plans
One-pagers for decision makers
Op-eds and communications support
Media plans
-
Sometimes all that’s needed is a short engagement to help course-correct, tighten analysis, or prepare for a set of meetings.
When we have capacity, we like to offer short, focused engagements to help organizations get over a specific hurdle.
Meeting coaching for conversations with government
Challenge function review of written policy work
Quick hits
Short engagements to jump over policy hurdles
Meeting coaching
Your approach to government,
stress-tested.
In an era when AI can produce polished content on demand, relationships with decision-makers are the way to make your advocacy matter. Smart, targeted advice on your outreach plan — combined with coaching to put every meeting to good use — lets you stand out without hiring a lobbyist.
The right plan makes you your own best advocate.
What's included:
Intake meeting
Plan review
Plan assessment brief
“How they’ll see you” analysis
Tailored meeting tactics and agenda
Virtual coaching session
Challenge function
Your policy document is good.
Let us make it great.
Your organization puts a lot of effort into developing its policy positions.
An expert set of fresh eyes can put your products to the test, and ensure your hard work pays off.
We provide practical advice on how to improve your documents so they can have impact.
What's included:
Tier 1 - shorter projects
Review of your public policy document
Written findings brief Assessment of strengths, vulnerabilities, and key considerations
Tailored to your stated policy objectives and audiences
60 minute briefing call
Tier 2 - more complex projects
Everything in Tier 1
Tracked changes and margin comments directly in your document
Section-by-section annotation of key issues
Depending on your project, we can do all these stages in as little as 5 business days from intake.
Budget submission package
Hundreds of organizations produce pre-budget submissions.
Separate yours from the pile.
What's included:
Two working sessions with senior advisors
A draft submission
Mobilization package including:
Mobilization brief
Shareable graphics
A web-ready version
Draft op-ed or LinkedIn post.
Submissions that cut through the noise do three things right: they include specific asks, they think through the implementation, and they go beyond the submission to get their ideas in front of the right audience. Our pre-budget submission package is designed to help organizations develop ideas, draft standout submissions, and mobilize their thinking.
Some of our work
Most of our work helps clients behind the scenes.
But in some cases our work - especially research reports - is public facing. Here is a sample of some of our research and writing client work.
-
![]()
Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence
Giving Care: An approach to a better caregiving landscape in Canada
-
![]()
Canadian Standards Association
The emerging privacy challenges posed by intelligent buildings.
-
![]()
Toronto Region Board of Trade
Fast Forward: Sector Strategies for Accelerating Toronto Region's Recovery
-
![]()
Yellowknife Women's Society
Policy options to improve the relationship between unhoused Indigenous women and the RCMP in Yellowknife
-
![]()
Century Initiative
After the shocks: Preventing long-term labour market scarring for youth
-
![]()
Canada2020
Discussion Paper: Policies to support sustainable, inclusive, and digital economic development in rural communities in Canada
