Letter from the Executive Director

Local Impact of Federal Spending

A Bangor high school teacher relayed the following about education in Maine:

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

The late Congresswoman Barbara Jordans words were never as true as they were in 2009. The events of the last yearboth the challenges and the promise called us all to pay attention and engage with our government, on the local, state and national levels. In 2009, National Priorities Project (NPP) constituents fought for a broadened definition of security, struggling to hang on to teachers for their children and to create good jobs for their neighbors. They supported the first steps in healthcare and climate change reform while addressing a financial and housing crisis that threatened our nation. People responded to the surge in the Afghanistan war and to the sweet promise of nuclear arms reduction. They worked for food security, energy independence, an end to racial disparities, an adequate social safety net for our families and reflection on the way our nation relates with the world. People organized because they know that our government only works if everyone participates, if all voices shape our nations debate. And they turned to National Priorities Project in greater numbers than ever before for information about federal spending and its local impact because they wanted to strengthen their convictions as well as their arguments. Because of you and your commitment to NPP, we responded with federal budget analysis and tools critical to closing the gap between the peoples priorities and our federal budget. On behalf of the Board and staff of National Priorities Project, I invite you to take a moment to reflect with us on the events of 2009 and on NPPs impact, all the way from the grassroots to national organizing campaigns. Barbara Jordan also said, If

Environment, Energy & Science 6%

Major Collaborators
National Priorities Project collaborated with many organizations in 2009 including:
Afghanistan Working Group Alliance for Nuclear Accountability American Friends Service Committee American Human Development Project The Backbone Campaign Brave New Foundation Bread for the World Budget Priorities Working Group Campaign for Americas Future Center for American Progress Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation Citizens for Global Solutions and the United Nations Association, NE CT Chapters Coalition on Human Needs Code Pink Colonias Development Council Connect U.S. DataCenter Ecumenical Advocacy Days Emergency Campaign for Americas Priorities Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Foreign Policy in Focus Friends Committee on National Legislation/ Our Nations Checkbook Greater New Haven Peace Council Homelessness Marathon Institute for Policy Studies Jobs for America Now Jobs with Justice Legacy of Equality, Leadership and Organizing Massnonprofit.org Media Education Foundation MoveOn.org The National Council of Churches The Nation Network New America Foundation New Hampshire Citizens Alliance Northwest Federation of Community Organizations OMB Watch One Wisconsin Now Peace Action Political Economy Research Institute Presbyterian Church (USA) Priorities NH The Progressive Caucus Progressive Democrats of America ProgressNow Colorado Rebuild and Renew America Now Right to the City Rural Organizing Project Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development Sunlight Foundation True Majority University of Massachusetts Center for Public Policy and Administration United for Peace and Justice U.S. Action Womens Action for New Directions Womens International League for Peace and Freedom Womens Legislative Lobby Working America

NPP Out Loud

NPP Writing in the Blogosphere AlterNet Asia Times Common Dreams Countercurrents Dollars and Sense The Huffington Post Mother Jones The Nation OurFuture Salon TomDispatch truthout Media Highlights Associated Press The Boston Globe Christian Science Monitor CNBC.com CNN Democracy Now The Nation National Public Radio Newshour with Jim Lehrer NOW with Bill Moyers Pacifica Radio TIME Magazine USA Today The Washington Post Media Mentions Radio Television Magazines Blogs Total
871 25 22 1,431 2,349

NPP Who We Are

NPP Board List Dennis Bidwell Eve Brown-Waite Rosa Alicia Clemente Peter Greenwald (Treasurer, Outgoing Chair) Jen Kern Bakari Kitwana Michael Klare Stephanie Luce Paul Kawika Martin Miriam Pemberton Lorna Peterson Vijay Prashad Bill Strickland Sue Thrasher Leah Wise Lawrence Wittner Cate Woolner (Vice Chair, incoming Chair) NPP Staff List Juan Carlos Aguilar Barb Chalfonte Jo Comerford Kristine Elinevsky Chris Hellman Mary Orisich Sara Lockard Silvia Brendan Smith Greg Speeter
NPP gratefully acknowledges the service of staff members that departed the organization in 2009: Jillian Hanson, Daniel McLeod, Diana Riddle, Suzanne Smith, and Beth Spong.

NPP Financial Summary

Volunteers Kat Allen Lisa Baskin Jessica Berger Mary Bombardier Rachel Chandler-Worth Chicopee High School Students Kristen Chilingslee Court Cline Frances Crowe Lori Divine-Hudson Bill Dwight Margi Gregory Nancy Grossman Pam Hannah Ann Hennessey Carolyn Herrick Laurie Herrick Tom Herrick Ann Levinger George Levinger Jim Levey Arky Markham Erin McNally Stuart Mieher Hannah Morehouse Sara Nolan de Aguilar Doug Renick Diana Riddle Rachel Simpson Michele Spring-Moore Gordon Tripp Paki Wieland Interns Angela Bellas Zilin Cui Samantha Dana Jimmy Gagnon Mollie Herman Respina Jani Xuanzi Jia Yulia Lyalyutska Michael Marelli Danna Niedzweicki Susan Salinas Susana Sanchez Edise Schmitz Mark Soukup Long Truong Carlos Ventura Foundation Funders Ben & Jerrys Foundation Colombe Foundation Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts Educational Foundation of America Nathan Cummings Foundation New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Rockefeller Brothers Fund Rockefeller Family Fund Select Equity Group Foundation Solidago Foundation Stewart R. Mott Charitable Trust Wellspring Fund of the Peace Development Fund
NPP is grateful for the support of many, many generous individual donors.

About National Priorities Project

A vital, engaged democracy demands more than transparent government: it requires a broad, well-informed public to shape the priorities of its governing institutions. For 26 years, National Priorities Project (NPP) has made complex budgetary and policy information easily accessible to our constituents individuals, organizations, elected officials and the mediawith the goal of increasing civic engagement. NPP is a unique, dynamic bridge between budget and policy decisions made in Washington, D.C. and thousands of towns and cities across the United States. We offer clear information about how government spending works, and how it affects state and local communities.

Transportation 3% Income Security & Labor 2% International Affairs 4%

Expenses and Revenue For the year ended December 31, 2009 with comparative totals for 2008

Maines fiscal year 2011 education Health 5% budget looks pretty grim. In 2010, thanks Housing & to federal recovery funds and Title I Community 6% money, weve been able to hang on to Government 6% most of our teachers. Next year, local Food 1% Education 4% communities will still be dealing with huge 5% Veterans Benefits state shortfalls plus the federal stimulus funds will end. Well either have to raise taxes, cut programs or both. These cuts will come at the same time as more and more of our kids are qualifying for increased services because of the financial trouble their families are facing. For example, our free and reduced lunch numbers are the highest theyve ever been. Our schools will be called on to N P P D ATA B A S E do more, not less, www.nationalpriorities.org/nppdatabase_tool but with a lot less resources. Were NPP TRADEOFFS on a collision www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs course, for sure.

Military Spending 58%

2009*
Revenue & Support

2008 $286,473 186,265 27,399 3,850 6,152 $510,139

Website Statistics The NPP website had more than one million unique web visitors in 2009.

Grants Donations In-kind Other Interest

TOTAL REVENUE AND SUPPORT

$394,800 197,894 $13,945 1,875 3,184 $611,698

Budget of the U.S. Govt, FY 2011

Expenses

Program Administration Development

TOTAL EXPENSES CHANGE IN NET ASSETS

$466,735 84,337 118,739 669,811 (58,113) $485,782 $472,669

$523,308 60,278 108,436 692,022 (181,883) $667,665 $485,782

We are facing one of the biggest crises of our generation. To respond strategically we will need to both understand the roots of the problems and arm ourselves with the data that we can use to organize and stand up to address it. NPP gives us both.

NET ASSETS, beginning of the year NET ASSETS, end of the year CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

National Priorities Project

243 King Street, Suite 109 Northampton, Massachusetts 01060 413.584.9556 www.nationalpriorities.org www.facebook.com/nationalpriorities www.twitter.com/natpriorities

When our teacher turned to NPP to learn more about the state and local impact of federal spending, he found:
Our Federal Priorities Database with data on 27 state-level, education-related federal programs or grants coming into Maine and 26 indicators tracking everything from school drop out rates to student/teacher ratios. NPPs annual analysis of the Presidents Budget with a five-year, across-budget spending comparison and a three-year state level impact overview for programs like Title I. Our annual Tax Day analysis which examines how the federal government spent our 2009 federal income tax dollars. NPPs Trade Off tool that quantifies the opportunity costs of federal spending decisions, with a focus on education related trade-offs, including numbers of teachers and Head Start slots.

Beginning of the year End of the year *Unaudited figures

Complete audited statements available upon request.

$356,368 $298,255

$411,420 $356,368

youre going to play the game properly youd better know every rule.

Join us in 2010 as NPPs federal budget research, networking and capacity building help make the federal budget rules visible, so that everyone can play. With all best wishes for the days ahead,

A group of unemployed residents from the Rochester, Michigan area meet with Congressman Gary Peters (MI) using NPP data to advocate for continued funding for unemployment and jobs stimulus. Our Nations Checkbook members meet with Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (PA). This is a campaign to shift federal spending priorities towards meeting the needs of people in the United States. A collaborative effort between FCNL, NPP and other groups, advocates are working in key states and congressional districts to change the way this country allocates its financial resources.

In my experience, no matter what issue one focuses on, one thing is painfully clear: the world is upside down. There is enough for everyone and yet people are in need. They are hungry, homeless, jobless, anxious. They are without good schools, affordable health care, reliable childcare, a living wage. Most Americansmost humansknow this is wrong. National Priorities Projects federal budget information tells this truth: It doesn't have to be this way.
Jen Kern, Minimum Wage Campaign Coordinator, National Employment Law Project, Washington, DC

Abraham T. Mwaura, Project Coordinator Warehouse Workers for Justice (featured in Michael Moores Capitalism: A Love Story)

Jo Comerford
Executive Director

P.S. Save the date for NPPs Fall Party GalaSunday October 3, 2010. Our keynote speaker will be the Honorable Donna Edwards, Congresswoman, 4th District, Maryland.

Progressive Democrats of America have held 287 Brown Bag Lunch Vigils using NPP data to advocate with Congress for Healthcare Not Warfare.

If I took one trillion dollars I would spend

Photos on this panel by Matthew Weinstein

No other organization focuses as clearly and creatively as NPP does on the gap between what we say as a country we value, and where our money actually goes. And no other organization provides citizens with tools to do their own analysis, revealing how federal spending affects their own communities, and to use this analysis to advocate for change. Without such informed citizen action, special interest business as usual will prevail.
Miriam Pemberton, Research Fellow Institute for Policy Studies, Washington, DC

Our budget problem is not that we spend too much, but that we

it on important things like education, health care and the environment. We need to focus on education because our school systems lack enough books, art supplies, musical equipment If we had a better education system, fewer people would make the wrong decisions. I remember one year our school ran out of paper and isnt that ironic because Holyokes the Paper City. How does that happen?
This mural in Sunset Park, Brooklyn was sponsored by the Groundswell Community Mural Project. A group of young women painted a mural that was their response to military recruiters in their schools and neighborhoods. The murals lower sections have data provided by National Priorities Project on the war, women and the military. (Photo by David Gonzalez/The New York Times) Sophia Velasquez, 9th Grade, Holyoke, Massachusetts

Where Did Your 2009 Tax Dollars Go?

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spend far too much in areas where we shouldnt, and far too little in other places, which could do so much to improve the quality of the lives of all Americans. National Priorities Project has consistently been one of the few organizations to draw

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attention to this point. Providing vital advocacy as we shift away from grossly excessive military spending and into categories that will be far more productive for our quality of life is a

A sign designed by Fort Green, Brooklyn residents (pictured below) using data from NPP and its www.costofwar.com website.

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great asset, and one that I believe will become increasingly important as we deal with a budget crisis that will only be

5.4 Military

7.2 3.5 3.7

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resolved sensibly if the country pays attention to NPPs advice.

Congressman Barney Frank, Fourth Congressional District of Massachusetts

243 King Street Suite 109 Northampton, MA 01060

For 25 years the National Priorities Project has insightfully and accurately brought the realities of federal spending priorities
$83 billion for education-related spending
You can have a say in this by writing, calling or visiting with your congressperson.
To learn more, visit www.nationalpriorities.org

8.2 Non-Military

2009

(panel right) U.S. spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will reach $1 trillion in 2010. The If I Had a Trillion Dollars curriculum was developed and piloted with a small group of youth from the Holyoke, Massachusetts Upward Bound program. To help young people both understand and respond to this milestone, NPP in partnership with the American Friends Service Committee launched the youth video campaign. Asking what they would do for their communities with $1 trillion, youth are building capacity to understand federal spending through the curriculum, participation in our Data for Democracy webinars, and tools and materials from NPPs website. (pictured) If I Had a Trillion Dollars program participants: David Arriago, left; Jailah Hernandez, right; Sophia Velasquez, middle.

$79 billion for environment, energy and science-related spending

$737 billion for military-related spending

The President requested the following spending in FY11:

$860 billion for health-related spending

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into the forefront of discussions both within the halls of Congress and across the nation. Its work has greatly assisted those of us who are working to reorient our federal budget priorities to reflect our Nations values and the true needs of our people.
The Honorable Barbara Lee, Ninth Congressional District of California

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