Yearly, SVCN surveys the nonprofit community and works with its Policy Council, a group representing a cross-section of the local nonprofit community, to set its partnership policy agenda for the calendar year. SVCN is committed to rigorously reviewing its policy priorities from the perspective of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, removing implicit bias, and identifying public policy solutions on behalf of the broad nonprofit community.

SVCN’s 2026 Policy Agenda is built on these Guiding Policy Principles:

Racial Justice and Equity: To end injustice and create true social transformation, SVCN conducts advocacy in a way that centers racial justice and equity in every aspect of the work.
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Community Leadership: Centering community means that those closest to harm determine the priorities for change and should be at the forefront of that change. Nonprofits should authentically seek to partner with, and center marginalized and underserved community members in their advocacy efforts.

Upstream Systems Change: By supporting upstream solutions, nonprofit advocacy is an effective way to strengthen the nonprofit sector while also changing systemic inequities throughout our community.
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Collective Action: Solutions to complex community problems require collaboration. When nonprofits understand each other’s work and policy environments, they can act in solidarity.
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Shared Power: Nonprofit and community alliances can benefit from leveraging SVCN’s power, positionality, access, and staffing to amplify their voices and influence decision-makers.