Impartial, data-driven research and policy insights for a thriving Tennessee

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FEATURED

Federal Safety Net Programs in Tennessee

Budget Analysis, Federal Funding, Income & Poverty, Local Finance, Medicaid & TennCare, Public Policy 101

Explore Federal Funding in Tennessee

Budget & Taxes, Education, Federal Funding, Health, Local Finance, Public Policy 101, Transportation

Access to Housing in Tennessee: The Federal, State, and Local Policy Levers

Housing, Income & Poverty

Federal, state, and local policymakers can all influence various factors that affect housing access, supply, and affordability through existing or potential policy levers. This report offers an overview of policy levers for different levels of government.

Harwell and Decosimo Join the Sycamore Institute’s Board

Inside Sycamore

Tennessee Tax Revenue Tracker for FY 2025

Taxes

National Recognition for Sycamore’s Data Dashboards

Inside Sycamore

Tennessee’s Housing Challenges: Where and Why It Got So Expensive

Economy, Housing

Beyond Rates: Property Tax Capacity and Effort in Tennessee’s 95 Counties

Budget & Taxes, Budget Analysis, Local Finance, Taxes

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sep

18

Housing Policy Summit

The Sycamore Institute

8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Join the Sycamore Institute on September 18th for our statewide Policy Summit in Nashville.

Learn More

RESEARCH TOPICS

Budget Analysis, Education, Housing, Transportation

The Budget in Brief: Summary of Gov. Lee’s FY 2026 Recommended Budget

Education, Housing, Local Finance, Public Policy 101

Why Housing Matters for Tennessee

Children & Youth, Economy

Childcare in Tennessee

Budget Analysis, Federal Funding, Income & Poverty, Local Finance, Medicaid & TennCare, Public Policy 101

Federal Safety Net Programs in Tennessee

Children & Youth, Economy, Education, Health

National Report Ranks Tennessee 36th in Child Well-Being, Spotlights Learning Loss and Chronic Absenteeism

Budget & Taxes, Budget Analysis, Local Finance, Taxes

Beyond Rates: Property Tax Capacity and Effort in Tennessee’s 95 Counties

Budget & Taxes, Education, Newsletter

The Scoop: Share Your Love

Behavioral Health, Children & Youth, Children's Mental Health

Youth Mental Health in Tennessee: Eight Opportunities for Additional Action

Budget & Taxes, Education, Federal Funding, Health, Local Finance, Public Policy 101, Transportation

Explore Federal Funding in Tennessee

Budget & Taxes, Public Policy 101

A Glossary of Key Budget Terms

Behavioral Health, Budget Analysis, Health, Local Finance

Opioid Settlement Funds in Tennessee

Children & Youth, Education, Health

Tennessee Ranks 37th in 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book as Academic Achievement Improves, Health Metrics Decline

TESTIMONIALS

Sycamore Institute’s well-sourced research and thoughtful, objective analyses are refreshingly untainted by partisan or self-interested bias.

PATRICK SHEEHY

Tennessee Business Roundtable

The Sycamore Institute is an invaluable resource. I can always trust Sycamore to be an independent and impartial voice.

SEN. RAUMESH AKBARI (D)

Senate Democratic Leader

No one in Tennessee explains complicated topics better than Sycamore. I’m a more informed and effective legislator thanks to their work.

REP. MARK WHITE (R)

Chairman, House Education Committee

Sycamore plays an essential role in strengthening Tennessee’s nonprofit sector with clear, actionable insights you can’t find anywhere else.

KEVIN DEAN

Tennessee Nonprofit Network

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Through 2024

267

Requests for Expertise

Through 2024

IN THE NEWS

The Tennessean & Leaf ChronicleAugust 20, 2025

Tennessee has a housing problem. Here’s how you can help | Opinion

Public News ServiceAugust 3, 2025

Back-to-school mental health a priority for Tennessee students

The TennesseanJune 25, 2025

Why Nashville’s post-COVID pandemic housing market looks expensively different

News Channel 9 & Fox ChattanoogaJune 20, 2025

Chattanooga mayor looking at ideas from other cities to tackle affordable housing crisis