This is the online home of the Northwest Progressive Institute, a regionally focused nonprofit working from Washington, Oregon, & Idaho to constructively transform our world through insightful research and imaginative advocacy. Learn more about us and the work we do.
Frequently requested resources
- Listen on demand to episodes of NPI’s special limited podcast series, NPI@NN, recorded live at Netroots Nation 2022 in Pittsburgh with host Caya Berndt.
- Browse our latest publicly released research poll findings, which include electoral findings for U.S. Senate and Secretary of State in Washington as well as policy findings across a range of issues.
- Read our response to the Supreme Court’s horrific Dobbs decision.
- Open staff positions at NPI are posted here. Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian American, Pacific Islander, disabled, and LGBTQ+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
- See the archive of Last Week In Congress, our recurring feature that shows you how Cascadia’s United States lawmakers voted.
Recently published by NPI
- National Democrats find they have a lot they can learn from Marie Gluesenkamp Perezby Joel Connelly on March 26th, 2023
She has held office fewer than three months, but the 3rd Congressional District’s Representative Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez (MGP), D-Washington, is emerging as a role model and media magnet in the Democrats’ Class of 2022.
- Last Week In Congress: How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted (March 20th-24th)by Targeted News Service on March 26th, 2023
The week’s major votes included House passage of the Providing Appropriate Recognition and Treatment Needed to Enhance Relations with ASEAN Act and Senate confirmation of Gordan P. Gallagher to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Colorado. The Senate also rejected numerous Republican amendments to a bill to repeal the Iraqi invasion use of force authorization.
- “Pro-life” Idaho Republican Governor Brad Little just signed a firing squad execution billby Andrew Villeneuve on March 25th, 2023
Idaho Republicans are most definitely not trying to change their state’s laws to abolish executions. They could be, but they are choosing not to be. It’s a choice.
- A roundup of reaction to the Supreme Court’s Quinn ruling upholding WA’s capital gains taxby Andrew Villeneuve on March 24th, 2023
Read what elected officials, advocacy organizations, and other think tanks are saying about the Washington State Supreme Court’s decision upholding the capital gains tax on the wealthy.
- VICTORY! Washington State Supreme Court upholds new capital gains tax on the wealthyby Andrew Villeneuve on March 24th, 2023
The Court voted 7-2 in favor of finding that Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5096 (the law that created the capital gains tax) is indeed an excise tax. The majority opinion, authored by Associate Justice Debra L. Stephens, also rejected the Quinn plaintiffs’ other arguments, affirming the law’s constitutionality.
- Seattle voters love ST3’s Ballard and West Seattle light rail extensions, but will they love the alignment Sound Transit’s board picks?by Andrew Villeneuve on March 23rd, 2023
81% of likely February 2023 special election voters in Seattle support light rail to Ballard and West Seattle, which is in design. Sound Transit would be wise to keep that in mind when making alignment decisions that our region will have to live with for decades.
Who we are and what we do
A strategy center is an organization that helps people think and act pragmatically so they can realize their goals. That is NPI’s role within the community of people and organizations identifying as progressive.
At our core, we’re a think tank with the soul of a tech startup, generating and refining ideas that would raise up our region and our country, leading to a more inclusive economy and society for everyone.
But we’re also a media, advocacy, and outreach organization, because we know that taking an idea from conception to implementation requires a lot more than research. It’s this commitment to communicating and organizing that sets us apart from conventional think tanks.
Metaphorically, NPI can be thought of as a Swiss Army knife for the progressive movement. We’re a multifaceted organization that has been built to move quickly and effectively. Ingenuity is in our DNA. We’re funded and supported by activists who want to invest in permanent infrastructure, not just win the next election. Our goal is to empower activists to become thought leaders, mastering the reframing skills needed to liberate our public discourse from right wing demagoguery.
We invite you to learn more about who we are and what we do.
Our Values
Progressive values are traditional American values, values that we are proud of.
We believe in a more perfect Union that guarantees freedom, liberty, equality, and opportunity for all of its citizens, with laws and rules rooted in our core values of empathy and mutual responsibility. We believe in an America that prizes dissent and independent thinking as patriotic.
We believe that the people and the planet are more important than profit. In the words of the old Native American proverb: We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. We believe that taxes are investments that allow us to pool our resources to afford the essential public services we need. And we believe the laws we adopt as a society should make us healthier, cleaner, and safer.
Too often, decisions are driven by greed as opposed to what it is in the public interest or supported by science. At NPI, we believe we must liberate our politics from the grip of big money.
Our values shape and guide our views on the major issues that face our country today. We support policy directions and specific policies (whether proposed through our system of representative government or directly to the people by initiative) that embody our values.
See recent positions we’ve taken on ballot measures and legislative bills in our Advocacy section.
Our Projects and Publications
Besides our core website, our online presence includes the following projects and publications:
Become a member
Our work would not be possible without the support of our members, who donate annually or monthly to sustain our research and advocacy. Help revolutionize grassroots politics by becoming a member of the Northwest Progressive Institute today.
As one way of saying thank you for investing in our work, we offer the following benefits of membership.
- Activist: Members who donate $25 per year receive the opportunity to join NPI’s monthly Thought Leadership Briefings, held via Zoom. Each briefing begins with update from NPI’s staff and board on the latest significant research findings from NPI and other trusted sources on national and local issues, and concludes with a Q&A.
- Advocate: Members who donate $50 per year receive an exclusive invitation to participate in quarterly Activism Matters seminars (held jointly with the Northwest Progressive Foundation) plus access to NPI’s monthly Grassroots Leadership Briefings.
- Sustainer: Members who donate $100 per year receive discounted admission to all ticketed NPI events (like our Spring Fundraising Gala), plus exclusive invitations to participate in quarterly Activism Matters seminars and access to NPI’s monthly Grassroots Leadership Briefings.
- Champion: Members who donate $250 per year or more receive a new book twice a year as part of NPI’s Staff Book Club, accompanied by a one-page guide explaining how we use the book to advance our work, plus exclusive invitations to participate in quarterly Activism Matters seminars, discounted admission to all ticketed NPI events, and access to NPI’s monthly Grassroots Leadership Briefings.
Becoming a member of NPI is easy. We offer two ways to pay dues: online via credit card or by check through U.S. Mail. If you choose the latter option, our website will generate a completed membership form for you that you can print out and enclose with your check.