Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will lend her name to a new institute at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on representative democracy and public leadership. The Nancy Pelosi Institute for Representative Democracy (NPI) is slated to open in January 2027, coinciding with Pelosi's planned departure from Congress.
The university announced that $35 million has already been raised toward a $50 million goal for the center, which will serve as a hub for research, teaching, and civic engagement. The institute aims to strengthen American democracy, address significant social, economic, and environmental challenges, promote human and civil rights, and foster political leadership that reflects diverse perspectives.
Pelosi, who served as the first female Speaker of the House for two terms, expressed her enthusiasm for the partnership. "The work of democracy is never finished, and securing its future is our greatest calling," Pelosi said in a statement. "UC Berkeley has a long, proud history of challenging the status quo and producing leaders who run toward the greatest challenges of our time. I am honored to partner with this exceptional community of scholars and students so we can equip the next generation with the tools they need to strengthen our democratic institutions and forge a future that serves the public good."
UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons stated that the institute's purpose will be enhanced by the university's capacity to unite leading faculty and students, and its commitment to advancing the greater good. "We intend to do more than simply study democracy; we are building this institute to strengthen it," Lyons added.
The institute will be located at UC Berkeley, a university known for its progressive activism, to ensure accessibility for a diverse student body, including many first-generation and low-income students. This initiative is intended to provide future public leaders with opportunities often associated with Ivy League institutions.
Pelosi, 86, concluded her congressional career after serving as Speaker from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023. She was the first Californian elected Speaker of the House and will co-teach a course on Congress at the institute.