National Priorities Project - Budget 101

For Russian government economic program, see National Priority Projects

National Priorities Project (NPP) is an American non-governmental organization based in Northampton, MA that aims to help citizens shape the federal budget by arming them with information they can use and understand. In 2014, the organization was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for their research on U.S. military spending.

Origins

The National Priorities Project was founded by Greg Speeter in 1983 to help community groups understand and respond to federal budget cuts in Massachusetts communities.

Curious why so many social programs were closing in Springfield, MA Speeter found that during a two-year period, the First Congressional District had lost over $54 million in federal funding for housing, education, health care and other areas.

Shocked by this report, the district’s Congressperson, Silvio Conte, became a strong supporter of more federal spending for community-based programs and came out against a “balanced budget amendment” that slashed the federal safety net.

Activities

NPP currently focuses on educating the public about the federal budget with their online tool, Federal Budget 101, and their published book, The People's Guide to the Federal Budget. Barbara Ehrenreich wrote the foreword for the book.

The organization also focuses on taxes, the national debt, and government transparency, as well as federal spending for the military, education, healthcare, and other social programs.

References