At NIFI, we envision a participatory democracy where public problems are resolved through deliberation. Our Mission is to equip, empower, and mobilize people to use deliberation to take action for the public good.

National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) is a nonprofit and nonpartisan operating foundation that promotes public deliberation about difficult public issues. NIFI is the national leader in producing discussion issue guides about national, local, and historic decisions facing the country and other materials used by local forum groups. It also encourages collaboration among forum sponsors and shares information about current activities in the network.

We also offer training opportunities and resources for moderating forums based on the National Issue Forums framework of deliberation. Moderators and conveners and our resources are indispensable in organizing, leading, and advertising their forums for public deliberation. We also provide guidelines for those who wish to frame their own issues.