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
- Washington voters back phasing out odd year elections by a 2:1 margin, with 24% unsureby Andrew Villeneuve on January 19th, 2022
52% of likely 2022 voters surveyed about two months ago said they either strongly or somewhat supported doing away with elections in odd-numbered years, while 24% were opposed and another 24% were not sure.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.: Time is neutral, it can be used either destructively or constructivelyby Andrew Villeneuve on January 17th, 2022
Take a few moments to read this excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
- SNL returns; cold open uses a Joe Biden press conference to deliver political and social commentaryby Andrew Villeneuve on January 16th, 2022
Watch highlights from the tenth episode of SNL’s forty-seventh season, hosted by Ariana DeBose, with Bleachers as the musical guest.
- Last Week In Congress: How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted (January 10th-14th)by Targeted News Service on January 16th, 2022
The week’s major votes included House passage of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act and Senate confirmation of Gabriel Sanchez to serve as a judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Will Senator Patty Murray break out of the protective cocoon that often surrounds veteran lawmakers for the 2022 midterms?by Joel Connelly on January 15th, 2022
The cocoon does not become our senior senator, NPI contributor Joel Connelly writes, asserting: We need to see the butterfly, albeit someone who’s proven to be an iron butterfly under pressure.
- COVID-19 Update: Supreme Court blocks vaccine/test mandate for large employersby Rich Erwin on January 14th, 2022
The decision, which was criticized by the administration, was then followed by a second decision allowing a more modest mandate requiring healthcare workers at facilities receiving federal money to be vaccinated.
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.