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

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FEATURED

Federal Safety Net Programs in Tennessee

Budget Analysis, Income & Poverty, Medicaid & TennCare, Public Policy 101

Explore Federal Funding in Tennessee

Budget & Taxes, Education, Health, Infrastructure, Local Finance, 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.

Tennessee Tax Revenue Tracker for FY 2025

Taxes

Memphians Jamison and Springer Join Sycamore Board of Directors

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

Behavioral Health, Budget Analysis, Local Finance

Opioid Settlement Funds in Tennessee

Budget & Taxes, Public Policy 101

A Glossary of Key Budget Terms

Education, Housing, Local Finance, Public Policy 101

Why Housing Matters for Tennessee

Budget Analysis, Income & Poverty, Medicaid & TennCare, Public Policy 101

Federal Safety Net Programs in Tennessee

Economy, Education, Public Health, Public Policy 101

5 Simple But Important Things to Know About Statistics

Children & Youth, Economy

Childcare in Tennessee

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

Youth Mental Health in Tennessee: Eight Opportunities for Additional Action

Children & Youth, Education, Health

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

Budget & Taxes, Education, Newsletter

The Scoop: Share Your Love

Budget Analysis, Education, Housing, Transportation

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

Budget & Taxes, Education, Health, Infrastructure, Local Finance, Transportation

Explore Federal Funding 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

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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IN THE NEWS

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

Public News ServiceJune 10, 2025

Kids Count Data Book ranks TN 37th for child well-being

The Center Square & 11 Other NewspapersJune 2, 2025

Tennessee sports betting grows while lottery is flat