The Center for Progressive Reform is a “boutique” research and advocacy organization — one that specializes in policy and legal issues that are vital for achieving a more socially just and ecologically sustainable society but that are too often overlooked by others due to their technical complexity.

Our work focuses on reimagining our administrative and regulatory institutions to make them more robust, responsive, and inclusive. We focus on these issues because we believe that people-centered governance is essential for achieving a society in which individuals are able to pursue their innate potential, and which coexists in harmony with its supporting ecosystems.

The Center also recognizes that strengthening governing institutions is necessary but insufficient for achieving our goals. Our administrative and regulatory institutions cannot function well without durable engagement from an active and empowered civil society. Because of this, we also work to build connective tissue and trusted relationships within the progressive movement, especially among legal and policy scholars, environmental and climate justice advocates, impacted communities, and policymakers. This approach helps build mutually reinforcing learning loops that can help identify more opportunities for administrative governance reforms, shared goals, and wins.

We strive to be effective and earn the trust of policymakers, the press, and our public interest allies through our commitment to independence, rigorous research and analysis, and unwavering courage to follow wherever that research and analysis leads. We pursue this work in an integrated fashion through our three program areas: Responsive Government; Climate Justice; and Protecting Against Environmental Harm (formerly known as Public Protections).