While litigation is one tool used by some of the Appleseed Centers, the organization tends to focus on achieving structural changes through market-based reforms, policy analysis and research, legislation, and rule making.

Appleseed's network office is based in Washington, D.C. Appleseed helps promote Center work, serves as a clearinghouse of projects, and provides training and technical assistance, particularly in communications, development, project management and board development, as well as in the areas of education, immigration, financial access, health care and disaster recovery.

Appleseed currently has Centers in Alabama, Chicago Appleseed, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawai`i, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, Texas, and Mexico.

[citation needed] Some of Appleseed's work has included research on child protection at the Mexico-United States border,[6] the HIV epidemic,[7] youth homelessness in Texas,[8] and broadband internet access in Kansas.

The research by Appleseed received congressional attention from Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Katherine Clark, who called on government agencies to rectify the situation.