Hope&

Rachel Hope Anderson (Hope& Consulting) has extensive experience at the intersection of faith and early childhood policy. Rachel supports state advocates as they develop and pursue strategies to bring religious communities and leaders into their work.

Rachel Hope Anderson is a fellow with the Center for Public Justice; she founded and serves as strategic advisor to the Center’s Families Valued initiative. Previously, she served as the director of faith affairs at the Center for Responsible Lending where she formed and led a cross-ideological religious coalition to reign in predatory payday lending. Rachel brings a background in community organizing, advocacy, and spiritual formation to her consulting work and is committed to the practice of pluralism—helping those with deep differences to work together with mutual respect toward a shared common good. She is a graduate of Harvard Law and Divinity Schools.

Our state allies can call on her to:

Help them identify potential faith-based advocates in their states, connect with those advocates around common principles, and develop ways to work together on key issues.

Share existing research, data, and trends in religious communities that impact thinking about support for children and families in order to inform policy development and messaging for a broader spectrum of audiences.

Vet planned state advocacy strategies in support of key early childhood policy areas, including paid leave, child care, workplace supports, home visiting, and family economic supports.

Brief them on child and family policy through a faith-based advocacy lens — at both the state and federal level.

“I’ve known Rachel Anderson for over a decade and not only is she brilliant, but she is thoughtful, strategic, and kind. She can both master complex policy problems and proposals, and understand how to unite faith communities that rarely work together.”