We cannot develop men without understanding the systems shaping their lives.
Research on Black men in America.
The Gentlemen's Factory research and policy platform is our home for research on Black men in America — examining the economic, social and institutional conditions shaping their lives, including employment, wages, wealth, education, health, justice, technology, family, leadership and civic participation. A core focus is Black male economic mobility: what helps it, what blocks it, and what institutions can do about it.
Our goal is not to produce research that sits on a shelf. We want data and lived experience to inform how we design our cohorts and institutional programs, how institutions make decisions and how communities understand the challenges and opportunities facing men.
Our Approach
Research informs programming.
Programming generates insight.
Insight improves programming.
Over time, that cycle helps institutions respond more effectively.
The Gentlemen's Agenda
A living data platform tracking Black male economic mobility across wellness, work & wages, wealth and voice — built from federal data the government already collects but rarely publishes side by side.
What changed because we were here?
Organizations often measure success by counting activity: how many people attended, how many workshops happened, how many impressions a campaign generated. Those numbers matter. But they don't tell the whole story.
- Did participants gain knowledge?
- Did their confidence increase?
- Did they complete the program?
- Did they take action?
- Did they advance professionally?
- Did a participant strengthen a financial habit or launch a business?
- Did a father improve communication with his child?
- Did an institution improve the way it serves its community?
The outcomes, in their own words.
Testimonials from participants in GF's business incubator programming on what changed for them.
Measurement should reflect the outcome we are actually trying to create.
Our next generation of programming is designed to measure enrollment, attendance, completion, participant experience, knowledge growth, confidence, goal completion, behavior change and longer-term outcomes.
Different programs require different measures. A career cohort should not be evaluated the same way as a fatherhood cohort. A school program should not be measured the same way as a corporate leadership initiative.