RAND Corporation

In 1945, the Douglas Aircraft Company formed Project RAND as part of a post-World War II effort to merge military planning with scientific and technological research. Three years later, Project RAND —which is an acronym for Research and Development — separated from Douglas, became an independent nonprofit organization, and eventually changed its name to RAND Corporation. What began solely as an effort to supply the military with reliable data has transformed into a broader mission to become a global leader in research on education, health care, criminal justice, energy, national security, the environment, and international affairs.

RAND works with private-sector firms, government agencies, universities, and foundations, operating in locations across North America, Europe, and Australia. Since its founding, the research group has conducted 2,100-plus projects and produced more than 20,000 publications, all of which are free and available through RAND's digital library. In addition to these research and analysis services, RAND operates the Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica. It is the nation's oldest and largest public policy doctoral-degree program and the only one of its kind based at an independent public policy organization.