National Institute for Civil Discourse

09/24/2026

At the Washington National Cathedral, President Dallin H. Oaks of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave a keynote address on one of the hardest questions in public life: how do people who deeply disagree still live and govern together?

He argued that the Constitution requires us to deal with people we disagree with, and that building common ground is one of its core purposes. He pointed to the 2015 Utah Compromise as proof it can be done. Longtime opponents, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and LGBTQ advocates, sat down together and passed a law that protected both religious freedom and nondiscrimination.

His message aligns closely with our work at the National Institute for Civil Discourse:
* Our fellow citizens are not our enemies. We need each other.
* Nobody should demand total victory for every position.
* Hard issues are a chance to listen and learn, not just to argue.
* Finding common ground through good-faith negotiation is a strength, not a weakness.

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-dallin-oaks-faith-freedom-common-good

09/21/2026

Find out how you can get involved with Faith in America, our nonpartisan effort to bring faith communities together for free, fair, and safe elections. Read more in The Fulcrum:

A nonpartisan call for all Americans to honor and protect our election process.

09/16/2026

NICD's Engaging Differences, in partnership with Faith in America, is supporting a nonpartisan effort bringing America's faith communities together to pray for our country and support free, fair, and safe elections.

We're inviting all Americans to submit short videos showing their commitment to free, fair, and safe elections. Make a personal video, or team up with someone you differ with politically but share a deep commitment to respecting the will of the people. Create your video today! https://engagingdifferences.org/faithinamerica/

09/14/2026

NICD is excited about the release of Governor Spencer Cox's new book Off Ramp: How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt, which shares the Governor's practical insights into disagreeing better in the midst of extreme polarization. Governor Cox holds a deep, genuine commitment to promoting greater civility in political discourse, and this commitment has made him an incredible longtime partner to NICD.

We're proud to share that Off Ramp specifically cites NICD as an organization doing great work in bridging divides. If you're interested in pragmatic strategies for disagreeing better, we'd highly encourage you to give Off Ramp a read.

NICD President Keith Allred says, "It's been my honor to work with Governor Cox and his team on his Disagree Better efforts extending back to well before he launched the official NGA campaign. We continue to enjoy a close working relationship with him and the entire Disagree Better organization. I can tell you from those up close and personal interactions with Governor Cox that he's the real deal. He practices what he preaches, in public as well as behind closed doors."

You can learn more about Off Ramp and find links to purchase here:

“A huge majority of Americans love our country and want a healthier, happier civic life. Governor Spencer Cox’s Off Ramp is the guide we need to get us there.” —Arthur C. Brooks,...

09/11/2026

Today, NICD remembers the nearly 3,000 lives lost 25 years ago on September 11th. We also honor the New Yorkers who came together to shape what would rise from Ground Zero.

On July 20, 2002, 5,000 everyday New Yorkers gathered to review the first official plans for rebuilding the 16 acres of Ground Zero — and rejected them. In their place, they delivered something rare: a clear, collective vision, reached through consensus rather than committee.

That gathering, known as Listening to the City, was convened by Carolyn Lukensmeyer, founder of AmericaSpeaks and later founding Executive Director of our own National Institute For Civil Discourse (NICD).

A new documentary, "9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero," airing on all major streaming platforms, tells the story of how these citizens found common ground after unimaginable loss.

This is what democracy looks like when it's built to include everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af64TMcGJLI

09/02/2026

Our flagship program CommonSense American just reached an exciting milestone: over 1,000 responses on the Immigration Policy Brief! With congressional outreach already starting, complete the brief as soon as you can to ensure CommonSense American can take your thoughts on immigration to Congress.

Weigh in now: https://bit.ly/4qNMQXO

CommonSense American is thrilled to announce that we've already received over 1,000 responses to our Immigration Policy Brief! This means we've reached enough responses to hit the ground running on our congressional outreach.

We're starting to share our results with congressional offices, but don't worry if you haven't weighed in yet! Our results automatically update with every new response. If you complete the brief now, your thoughts on immigration will still be shared with Congress.

Review the Immigration Policy Brief as soon as you can to ensure your voice is represented in our results. Congress is waiting to hear your views!

Click here to complete the brief: https://bit.ly/4qNMQXO

08/25/2026

NICD President Keith Allred was recently featured on the Congressional Communities podcast, which facilitates conversations about ways the current representative system is falling short and what's being done to strengthen it. In his conversation with co-hosts Alex Clark and Dan Carracino, Keith shared more about the National Institute for Civil Discourse as well as NICD's flagship program, CommonSense American. Keith was grateful for the opportunity to share more about the critical work CSA is doing to help bring common sense from everyday Americans to Congress.

If you're interested in hearing the full conversation, you can click one of the links below to tune in on your preferred podcast platform.

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9LdwPfzocc
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0qEkTcJVPV4sebkRGTcIFo
Apple Music:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-silent-majority-isnt-who-you-think/id6797884561?i=1000785779897

08/24/2026

Our latest intern team has officially finished their summer with us! We're wishing Katie, Nate, and Paul all the best on their next adventures.

As part of their sendoff, we took the team on a bus tour of some of the most meaningful and historic spots in DC. Of course, no DC tour with NICD would be complete without some reflections from our President Keith Allred on the legacy left us by the Founders. And, in true tourist fashion, we had to take some good selfie stick photos!

08/05/2026

As the summer wraps up, we're sad to be saying goodbye to our excellent team of summer interns! Learn more about each of these amazing students below.

Katherine Anderson is a rising junior at William & Mary, double-majoring in Government and English. Her interests in constitutional law, particularly First Amendment issues, drew her to NICD’s mission of encouraging civil discourse and bipartisan problem-solving. In her free time, Katherine enjoys competing with her moot court team, hiking, and training for triathlons.

Nate Stewart is a rising junior at Tufts University studying International Relations and Political Science with a minor in Chinese. He was initially drawn to NICD by the organization’s diverse programming that seeks to address the problem of political division on multiple levels. In his free time, Nate enjoys watching baseball (specifically the Red Sox), playing board games with friends, and reading.

Paul Leighninger is a rising sophomore at Grinnell College studying English and Political Science. As someone interested in political divides and government functionality, Paul was drawn to NICD's mission of combatting polarization through bipartisan discourse. Paul is Canadian American and an avid tennis player. He enjoys music and exploring the free museums of DC in his free time.

This has been a fabulous team of interns, and we are very thankful for their many contributions to NICD's work this summer!

We are no longer accepting applications for fall interns. If you or someone you know is interested in interning with us next spring, please visit this page within the next few weeks for more details on our spring 2027 intern application timeline: https://nicd.arizona.edu/intern-application/

07/30/2026

We’re smiling in these pictures, but don’t let the smiles fool you— this was a tough day for NICD! Our incredible Director of Congressional Engagement and Public Policy, Jack Thomas, will be leaving our team to start law school in the fall. While we couldn’t be more excited for Jack to start this next chapter, we are very sad to see him go. Jack’s policy savvy, work ethic, constant positivity, and daily shark facts will be deeply missed around the office.

Of course, we had to say goodbye to Jack with the classic NICD sendoff: a competitive game of Anaconda Poker!