What HORIZONS is
An interdisciplinary framework for studying complex societal problems—and the home of its first research initiative.
Vision and Mission
A world where the hardest social questions are met with collective intelligence — evidence drawn from many disciplines, tested with care, and translated so that communities, practitioners, and policymakers can act on it.
To build an interdisciplinary framework and methodology for studying complex societal problems — uniting researchers across fields to synthesize what is known, test what works, and translate findings into ethical, accessible tools for policy, practice, and the public.
The Three Horizons Model
HORIZONS organizes its work across three time horizons — a shared methodology any project under this framework can follow.
Synthesize
Gather and weigh evidence across disciplines to understand the problem in full.
Experiment
Design and test approaches — methods, models, and tools — that address what evidence reveals.
Translate
Turn findings into policy, practice, and public-facing resources that outlast any single study.
First Initiative
The framework’s first initiative is the Foster Care and Aged Out Youth Wellbeing Initiative — one of the more complicated societal problems, sitting at the intersection of family, education, health, law, and economic systems. Our first project centers on the wellbeing of children in foster care and young people aging out of care — synthesizing the existing research, conducting primary research using qualitative, quantitative, and computational models to build an evidence base, making data-driven inferences, translating research into policies and practices, developing ethical, responsible, and accessible tools, and turning what research says into clear, public-facing language through digital commons and publications.
Evidence synthesis
A living map of what the field knows across topics and domains of wellbeing — the foundation researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners can reliably build on.
Cost and Return on Investment (ROI) analysis
The economic case for what disinvestment costs communities and what support returns — informing policy and funding decisions.
AI-powered platform
A responsible, accessible platform that raises public awareness, supports policy and practice, and helps facilitate ongoing research.