Third Side Strategies is a non-partisan action-oriented think tank and advisory firm that supports managers, boards, investors, advisors and others working to improve public affairs governance in today’s hyper-political environment. Amid pressure to “pick sides,” we believe it is most effective to take the “third side”—focusing on shared long-term value for business and society.

Specifically, we help companies embed Corporate Political Responsibility (CPR) Governance as a non-partisan best practice for managing their firm’ external influences in a consistent, principled and prepared way, regardless of the political environment.

We focus on strengthening the governance of public affairs as both a necessary practical strategy and a critical enabler of enterprise risk mitigation; long-term value creation; fulfillment of fiduciary duty and business purpose; and the stable, healthy systems that business and society depend on. 

To achieve this, we are developing a suite of tools, leadership programs and services we hope will be useful in collaboration with the Council’s members, including:

·      The CPR Hub (thecprhub.org) - A dynamic, curated site featuring tools, insights and examples to help companies apply CPR Governance to their unique situations

·      CPR Governance Reviews and Responsible Engagement Policies (Summer ‘25) – a self-guided process (optional orientation and check-ins) for identifying upgrades to your public affairs governance and refining your Responsible Engagement Policy

·      Socio-political Risk Reviews (for US jurisdictions) – a review of emerging socio-political risks and opportunities in a specific US jurisdiction, and implications for business risk management categories

·      “Third Side” Strategies for Difficult Situations – consultation with a team of conflict and depolarization experts on how to understand critics’ concerns, align on fair processes, deliver a “positive no,” and avoid conflict escalation

Launched in May, 2025, Third Side Strategies was incubated at the Erb Institute at the University of Michigan, a Council Ally and host of the non-partisan Corporate Political Responsibility Taskforce (CPRT). The CPRT engaged business leaders, academics and civil society organizations to develop the Erb Principles for Corporate Political Responsibility as a way to operationalize the concept of corporate political responsibility (CPR) first introduced by then-Faculty Director Tom Lyon. We now operate as fiscally sponsored project of Future 500, a 501(c)3 non-profit consultancy focused on “finding common ground for the common good."

We are inspired to continue our collaboration as an Ally of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism community, especially as companies consider business’s role in responsible regulation as a key factor in shared long-term prosperity. We hope you will visit us at thecprhub.org.