RAND is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization founded in 1948. It provides leaders with evidence-based analysis to support decision-making across a range of public policy domains, including national security, health care, education, energy and environment, science and technology, and social equity. The organization operates four Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and maintains offices across the United States, Europe, and Australia, with its headquarters in Santa Monica, California.
Technical work at RAND spans research and analysis, policy analysis, and data science. The RAND School of Public Policy, which houses the oldest and largest public policy Ph.D. program in the United States, is part of the organization's broader commitment to building analytical capacity in the field.
RAND describes itself as free from political or commercial pressures, with a stated commitment to objectivity and quality in its research output. Over more than 75 years of operation, the organization has focused on tackling complex, consequential policy problems through rigorous, independent study.