Financial Innovations Labs® (FIL) are the Milken Institute's signature, applied research projects, designed to devise new business models, policy recommendations, capital structures, and financial technologies that can achieve concrete goals. By bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, FIL encourages collaboration among parties who may not normally interact to address global challenges by examination through a financial lens, leading to outcomes that influence the flow of capital to promote progress and change.

Despite myriad federal and state funding opportunities, many urban and rural communities are unable to adequately fund or finance critical community infrastructure investments that underpin their long-term economic growth. The 10,000 Communities Initiative works in partnership with other private and public organizations around the US to ensure to connect people, projects and partners to facilitate the effective and equitable distribution of resources to traditionally underfunded communities and support long-term community resilience.

Milken Institute Finance’s Inclusive Capitalism Program (ICAP) aims to reshape financial markets to promote long-term value creation that benefits all stakeholders. This initiative champions policies and investment strategies that drive economic inclusion and scale up successful money managers building community wealth.

This Finance pillar workstream identifies systemic problems, public policies, and individual behavior that contribute to lower levels of financial security over time and into retirement and advances strategies and solutions that encourage and enhance long-term saving. Among other things, the workstream focuses on financial knowledge and engagement, early saving, longer working lives, stamping out inequities in saving and investing, helpful FinTech and innovative products, and access to retirement savings plans. We aim to ensure that everyone has the financial resources to live the life of their choice over time.

The Milken Institute's FinTech program explores market innovation and developments, analyzes alternative regulatory approaches, and offers policy recommendations to facilitate FinTech’s responsible development and foster a more favorable economic environment for small businesses and entrepreneurs. We engage and educate policymakers and stakeholders to improve access to capital, financial inclusion, transparency, and compliance. Our guiding principle is to ensure that financial technology innovations and entrepreneurial opportunities are accessible to individuals and businesses while increasing the stability and efficiency of the U.S. banking system.

The Environmental and Social Innovation portfolio works with philanthropists, companies, and impact investors to uncover and support promising solutions, apply new tools, and mobilize entrepreneurial talent to advance progress in entrenched environmental and social challenges. 

Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) works to develop, launch, and lead initiatives that propel scientific and medical research. We target investments that accelerate the development of tools and treatments, bringing better health to millions of people.

Milken Institute Philanthropy’s Pathways to Strategic Philanthropy portfolio fosters collaboration, learning, and facilitates partnerships to mobilize capital and improve philanthropy's effectiveness. We work with emerging and experienced philanthropists at every stage of their giving journey, offering customized guidance, including philanthropic intention setting, strategic planning, and foundation management services. 

Public Health at the Milken Institute develops research, programs, and initiatives to activate sustainable solutions leading to better health for individuals and communities worldwide. To catalyze policy, system, and environmental change in public health and sustain impact, we approach our work in four interconnected areas: Prevention and Chronic Disease, Mental Health, Health Equity, and Employers and Public Health Priorities, which includes the Employer Action Exchange.

Globally, the number of people aged 60 and older is projected to grow from 900 million today to more than 2 billion by mid-century. With shifts in employment, retirement norms, healthcare delivery, family structures, and other economic and social determinants, the future of aging will be different for individuals, families, businesses, communities, and government agencies. Now is the time for all entities to plan – and act.