About Us
A non-partisan racial equity think tank built on evidence, community and change.
Our Mission
To drive racial equity through evidence-based policy research, community empowerment and institutional advocacy — creating systemic change across the United Kingdom.
Our Vision
A UK where race is no barrier to opportunity, representation, health, education or justice — and where Black communities shape the policies that affect them.
Our Story
Founded in 2020, The Black Policy Institute emerged from a recognition that Black communities in the UK were systematically underrepresented in policy conversations that directly shaped their lives. In the wake of a global racial reckoning, a group of policy professionals, academics and community leaders came together with a shared conviction: that lasting change requires more than awareness — it demands evidence, strategy and institutional power.
From our earliest days, we committed to a model that bridges the gap between academic research and community experience. We believed that the most effective policy emerges when rigorous data is informed by lived reality, and when communities are not merely subjects of research but active participants in shaping its direction and application.
Today, TBPI operates as a Community Interest Company, partnering with universities, government departments, civil society organisations and the private sector to produce research that matters, develop programmes that transform, and advocate for policies that deliver equity. From our Future Global Leadership Programme to our work on AI ethics and media representation, every initiative is driven by the same founding principle: that evidence-based policy, powered by community, is the most effective engine for lasting change.
Our Strategic Approach
Research & Evidence
We produce rigorous, peer-informed research that centres Black lived experience alongside quantitative data.
Policy Development
We translate research into actionable policy recommendations for government, institutions and civil society.
Community Empowerment
We build the capacity of communities and the next generation of Black policy leaders through our programmes.
Meet the Team
Advisory & YPAG Leadership
Ruth-Simone Lee
International Chair
Ruth-Simone brings a distinguished record of international leadership and cross-sector collaboration, chairing TBPI's advisory work with a focus on global racial equity and policy innovation.
Nathaniel Adeleye
Deputy Chair
Nathaniel supports the advisory board's strategic direction, drawing on his expertise in communications and civic engagement to strengthen TBPI's voice and institutional partnerships.
Governance
The Black Policy Institute is registered as a Community Interest Company (CIC) in England and Wales. As a CIC, our assets are locked for community benefit and our activities are subject to the community interest test, ensuring that everything we do serves the communities we exist to support.
Our governance structure ensures transparency, accountability and alignment with our mission of advancing racial equity through evidence and community empowerment.