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 new podcast, PNWcurrents, from our episode archive page. Complete transcripts are also available for each episode.
- COVID-19 Updates: Browse an archive of posts about the coronavirus pandemic, incorporating briefings from the authorities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia
- Open staff positions at NPI are posted here. Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian American, Pacific Islander, disabled, and LGBTQ+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Public opinion research findings released by NPI from 2017 to the present
- Archive of Last Week In Congress, our recurring feature that shows you how Cascadia’s United States lawmakers voted
Recently published by NPI
- COVID-19 Update: Young children are now vaccine-eligible, to the relief of many parentsby Rich Erwin on November 26th, 2021
With the omicron variant B.1.1.529 threatening to complicate management of the coronavirus pandemic, the United States is working on vaccinating young children against COVID-19 and enforcing vaccine mandates.
- Happy Thanksgiving 2021!by Rich Erwin on November 25th, 2021
Here’s what our team at the Northwest Progressive Institute is grateful for this year.
- Washington’s 2021 general election certified; turnout is the third-worst in state historyby Andrew Villeneuve on November 24th, 2021
Fewer than four in ten voters voted for just the third time in a statewide general election, going back to when recordkeeping began. The turnout we just saw is the third worst general election turnout in state history, behind only 2017 and 2015.
- New rules to bar oil/gas drilling in the vicinity of Chaco Culture National Historical Parkby Joel Connelly on November 24th, 2021
Situated in the remote Four Corners area in New Mexico and reached by a rough road, Chaco Culture contains remains of stone buildings and Great Houses that were once among the largest structures in North America.
- East Link from the air, part two: Get a bird’s eye view of station construction in Redmondby Andrew Villeneuve on November 21st, 2021
This second part of NPI’s East Link from the air project focuses on NPI’s hometown of Redmond, with two additional galleries of photos showcasing Sound Transit’s forthcoming light rail extension linking Seattle to Redmond via Bellevue and Mercer Island.
- Last Week In Congress: How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted (November 15th-19th)by Targeted News Service on November 21st, 2021
The week’s major votes included House passage of the Build Back Better Act and Senate confirmation of several Biden nominees, including Chuck Sams, the first Native American to lead the National Park Service.
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.