Institute for Local Self Reliance, Inc.

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance turned 50 years old in 2024 and throughout has been at the forefront of advancing policies and models that support locally driven economies while protecting the climate and reducing inequity. 

In a political climate where the sides often seem separated by a lava-filled ocean more than an aisle, a consensus is emerging. At the root of so many challenges in our communities and economy is the dominance of corporate entities only interested in enriching their shareholders. We see this increasing accord when supporting communities of all political persuasions that are embracing municipal broadband to connect its residents to a world of information and opportunity, to health, and to each other. And we've witnessed a similar trend as local composting grows increasingly popular on farms and in urban centers alike. This year, ILSR continued exposing corporate utility monopolies that exploit communities regardless of voting history and unpacked how the ongoing legacy of racism fuels monopoly power that is more concerned with how Black and Brown a community is regardless of how red or blue it is.

• Working alongside grassroots groups, ILSR is changing the rules so that decentralized solar energy is beginning to displace centralized utility monopolies. Our blockbuster report, Upcharge: What the Monopoly Utility Model Really Costs Us, placed investor-owned utilities into the same platform monopoly league as Amazon and Google. It highlighted the staggering costs of the monopoly utility model, from soaring electricity prices and debilitating shutoffs to producing nearly one-third of annual energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. 
• Community composters from 30 states and 5 other countries attended our 8th National Cultivating Community Composting Forum to network and strategize about surviving & thriving in a changing landscape for recycling wasted food.
• Our Community Broadband Networks Initiative held six Tribal Broadband Bootcamps, teaching participants how to build their own networks and fostering interpersonal connections that provide ongoing support. Several participant Tribes credited the event with helping them receive multi-million dollar grants to build needed networks.
• Our influence on the national media narrative about the impact of chain dollar stores remained strong, creating opportunities to provide technical assistance to more than 50 rural and urban communities rejecting the chain stores and chart a path forward. We advocated for the adoption of local laws blocking expansive dollar store development — which locks in poverty and causes food deserts — and instead supported investments in locally owned grocery stores.

To learn more about what we’ve accomplished and where we’re headed, take a look at our Annual Reports. 

Please help us expand our impact and support the movement for healthy, equitable, and self-reliant communities by making a donation to ILSR. 

You can also donate by mailing a check to: Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 2720 E. 22nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55406