Purpose
A standing agreement on how we work together.
Up for Growth convenes a cross-sector member network — practitioners, researchers, advocates, public-sector partners — committed to solving the U.S. housing shortage and affordability crisis through data-driven research and evidence-based policy.
Doing that well requires more than expertise. It requires the conditions that make rigorous, candid, cross-sector conversation possible: trust, good faith, and a baseline of mutual respect that does not depend on whether members agree. This code sets that baseline.
Who this applies to
Everyone, every venue.
This code governs the conduct of all members of the Up for Growth network, including:
- Up for Growth staff and contractors
- Member-organization representatives serving on work groups
- Invited speakers, panelists, and guests at Up for Growth convenings
- Anyone accessing Up for Growth's internal tools (including this Apps portal)
It applies in every venue we share, including in-person meetings, video calls, email, Slack, internal apps, and any external setting where you are representing Up for Growth or the network.
Our shared principles
Four value pairs that anchor how we behave.
Collaboration + Service
We bridge the gap between members, experts, and legislators, enabling all to contribute ideas and expertise. We assume the best of one another and make room for partners with different starting points.
Diversity + Equity
We seek out and elevate perspectives that are too often left out of housing policy — geographic, demographic, professional. Inclusion is a practice, not a slogan.
Integrity + Informed Rigor
We cite our sources. We surface uncertainty. We separate what we know from what we believe, and we change our minds when the evidence does.
Vision + Transformation
We frame housing as an opportunity, not an obstacle. We propose solutions rather than amplify grievance, and we keep the conversation forward-looking.
Expected behavior
What good participation looks like.
Please do
- Show up prepared, on time, and ready to engage
- Disagree on substance; debate ideas, not people
- Disclose conflicts of interest before they become a problem
- Credit colleagues and source data appropriately
- Make space for quieter voices in the room
- Use the network's tools for the work of the network
Please don't
- Treat work-group conversations as platforms for partisan or campaign activity
- Pressure other members to take public positions on your behalf
- Recruit, sell, or solicit business inside the network's venues
- Use a disagreement as cover for personal disparagement
- Share readouts or work-group materials outside their intended audience
A note on disagreement
Up for Growth is non-partisan and intentionally heterodox. You will be in rooms with people whose politics, sector, and starting assumptions differ sharply from yours. That tension is the point. Pressing on substance — hard — is welcome. Personalizing it isn't.
Unacceptable behavior
Conduct that has no place in this network.
The following are not subject to interpretation. Engaging in any of them is grounds for immediate removal from a work group, suspension of Apps access, and — in serious cases — termination of membership:
- Harassment of any kind, including discriminatory comments, unwanted contact, intimidation, or sustained disruption of meetings
- Discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any protected characteristic
- Threats of violence, whether toward members, staff, or third parties referenced in our work
- Misappropriation of network materials — publishing, leaking, or commercializing internal readouts, research drafts, or member data without authorization
- Misrepresentation of the network's positions, of your role within it, or of cited data and sources
- Retaliation against anyone who reports a concern in good faith under this code
Confidentiality
Readouts are internal. Treat them that way.
Work-group readouts and the discussions they document are made available to members so they can speak candidly. That candor only holds if members can trust where the conversation goes next.
Unless a readout is explicitly marked for external use, you should assume it is internal to the network, and you should not:
- Forward or post readouts outside Up for Growth
- Quote a named member's position publicly without their consent
- Use member contact information for solicitation, fundraising, or unrelated outreach
When in doubt, ask staff before sharing.
Reporting concerns
How to raise something — confidentially.
If you experience or witness conduct that conflicts with this code, please tell us. You can report concerns in any of the following ways:
- Email [email protected] — monitored by the Chief of Staff
- Speak directly with any member of Up for Growth staff you trust
- For concerns involving a staff member, contact the Board chair via [email protected]
Reports are handled confidentially. We will not retaliate against good-faith reporters, and we ask the network to do the same.
Enforcement
What happens after a report.
Each concern is reviewed by Up for Growth staff, with a small standing committee for matters involving members. Depending on severity and context, possible outcomes include:
- A private conversation and written acknowledgment
- A formal warning placed in the member's file
- Temporary suspension from one or more work groups
- Suspension of Apps access
- Termination of network membership
We aim to communicate outcomes to the reporter to the extent confidentiality allows. We will not share details beyond what is needed to address the situation.
Questions about this code?
We update it annually with input from the network.