the work you don't see
mapping the problem-solving ecosystem
Most people’s view of “who’s working on big problems” is limited to what makes headlines: a few famous NGOs, maybe some viral movements, or the occasional celebrity foundation.
But the real ecosystem is orders of magnitude larger — comprised of universities, think tanks, companies, policy groups, local organizers. Different functions, all pushing on the same problems from different angles.
Why this matters: if you care about social change, understanding the full landscape makes you more useful.
This week, I’m taking a pass at mapping that landscape, in hopes it 1) helps you feel better about the work being done in the background, and 2) gives you new perspective on where you might contribute.
Research & Knowledge Production:
Universities, research institutes, and specialized labs generate the foundational insight that informs everything else. They test hypotheses, study what’s working/not working, and help shape the next generation of problem-solvers. Examples would be the MIT Media Lab, Pew Research Center, and academic departments grinding on long-term questions with complex answers.
Policy Work & Influence:
Think tanks and policy shops sit between research and power, translating their findings into actionable recommendations for decision-makers. Organizations like Brookings, RAND, and governance reform groups have direct channels to legislators and bureaucrats, turning ideas into proposals that can move through the system.
Advocacy & Movement Building:
NGOs, organizing groups, and grassroots movements build power from the ground up. They mobilize communities, apply public pressure, and shift what’s politically possible. This is where you find Sunrise Movement, ACLU, and local organizers turning moral positions into tangible demands.
Building & Implementation:
Mission-driven companies, civic tech platforms, and social enterprises actually build the solutions. They create scalable products, prove business models, and turn theories into infrastructure people can rely on. This category holds everyone from Rivian making EVs desirable, to tools like Pol.is enabling collective decision-making, to companies like Warby Parker proving you can sell glasses and fund vision care for those who can’t afford it.
Funding & Convening:
Foundations, philanthropies, and impact investors put money behind experiments the market won’t touch yet. They fund early-stage work, bring together people who wouldn’t otherwise connect, and back ideas that don’t fit neat categories. Groups like the Gates Foundation backing malaria eradication, the MacArthur Foundation’s “genius grants,” or the World Economic Forum (Davos) convening global leaders.
Narrative & Culture Shifting:
Media outlets, creators, and public intellectuals reframe how we see problems in the first place. Podcasters, documentary makers, and Substack writers translate complexity into stories that build public will and make abstract issues feel urgent and solvable.
Whether you’re engaged in this stuff day-to-day or just watching from the sidelines, this ecosystem is constantly expanding.
While we doomscroll or get frustrated by the headlines, thousands of people are showing up to these problems — running experiments, driving research, building tools, funding long shots, and shifting narratives.
The work is happening. Not always visibly or at the speed we’d prefer, but it’s happening.
Understanding this landscape doesn’t obligate you to jump in. But I do hope it shifts how you see the moment we’re in. The problems are real and the stakes are high — but so is the effort being poured into solutions.
People are building, advocating, researching, funding, organizing. Most of them will never make headlines.
If you want to contribute, the entry points are there. But even if you don’t, it’s worth remembering just how many people are fighting the good fight.
In my experience, it makes the state of the world feel a lot less hopeless than the news makes it seem.
If not us, who?
j