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
- 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
- 2023 is the new worst: Washington again sets a record for low turnout in a general electionby Andrew Villeneuve on November 29th, 2023
November 28th, 2023 was the deadline for counties to certify their returns in the November 2023 general election. Statewide turnout will pass into the history books at 36.41% for this year. That’s the lowest Washington has seen since recordkeeping began.
- After picking up WA-03 and Alaska in 2022, PNW House Democrats are now on defenseby Joel Connelly on November 27th, 2023
It takes days to count mail-in ballots in Washington, and weeks under Alaska’s ranked voting system. Conceivably, the nation could be kept waiting next November for a final vote on which party controls one house of Congress.
- Netanyahu and Hamas depended on each other. Both may be on the way out.by Andrew Villeneuve on November 26th, 2023
For much of the 2000s, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s serial governments and Hamas’s leaders have found each other useful for their own purposes, a The Washington Post analysis explains.
- Sorry, Semi Bird: Data shows that Dave Reichert is the leading Republican candidate in Washington’s 2024 gubernatorial contestby Andrew Villeneuve on November 26th, 2023
The former Republican congressman is well positioned to advance to the November 2024 general election along with Attorney General Bob Ferguson, with a robust lead in NPI’s early gubernatorial polling.
- Steve Pool: 1953–2023by Andrew Villeneuve on November 25th, 2023
Born November 5th, 1953, Pool grew up in Western Washington. He went to Tyee High School in SeaTac and served his peers as student body president. He went to college at the University of Washington and became a KOMO intern during those years. After he graduated in 1978 with a major in communications, he was hired to work at the station full time as a reporter, covering hard news and sports.
- Gaza gets a reprieve with negotiated pause in fighting between Israel and Hamasby Andrew Villeneuve on November 24th, 2023
“The UN welcomes the release of 24 hostages held in Gaza since October 7 and renews its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” the international organization said.
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.