Headwaters Economics is an independent, nonprofit research group that works to improve community development and land management decisions.

Headwaters Economics provides original and effective research to help people and organizations develop solutions to some of the most urgent and important issues that communities face.

How They Work

The team at Headwaters Economics blends innovative, credible research with extensive on-the-ground experience. They have worked with a range of partners for more than 30 years and are leading experts in their field.

Headwaters Economics works with community leaders, landowners, public land managers, elected officials, and business owners. Their goal is to give these partners credible information to help them identify, understand, and solve problems.

Their work ranges from topics such as economic development, the value of public lands, wildfire, and fiscal policy. In all their work, they strive to improve their partners’ ability to make well-informed decisions based on transparent and accountable information.

Headwaters Economics determines what research topics to pursue and the best way to interpret research findings. Their research also goes through peer review, and is routinely published in scientific journals such as the Journal of Forestry, Solutions Journal, Journal of Rural Studies, Landscape and Urban Planning, Society and Natural Resources, Growth and Change, and Human Ecology Review.

History

Based in Montana, Headwaters Economics was founded on a passion for the people and landscapes of the American West. While they originally focused on working with rural western communities, the challenges associated with community development and land management extend across the country.

Today, they partner with communities ranging from Bend, Oregon to Cleveland, Ohio to Millinocket, Maine. In every project they tackle, their staff brings decades of experience, a commitment to rigorous research, and a deep dedication to helping communities thrive in a changing world.

Funding

Headwaters Economics receives funding from a wide variety of sources as part of their mission to improve community development and land management decisions.

Their revenue comes from numerous places: federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service; partnerships on specific projects, including the Montana Legislature, Madison County, Montana, and Stanford University; local development or community organizations such Economic Development Central Oregon and the Seattle Foundation; charitable foundations, such as the Kendeda Fund and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust; and contract work for non-profit organizations.