About

Who We Are

Since 1981, PRA has been the leading research and strategy organization equipping frontline social justice organizations with the information they need to block antidemocratic forces and build a just future. 

A nationally-recognized resource for understanding and countering authoritarian forces in the U.S. and globally, PRA’s expertise is grounded in deep relationships, mutual trust, and alignment with social justice movements.

What We Do

“I first began working with PRA during a pivotal moment for the Movement for Black Lives, when we urgently needed to strengthen our resilience and safety infrastructure. In that context, PRA was not just a research and strategy center, they were trusted partners, insightful thought leaders, and a steady compass in moments of complexity. Their work doesn’t just inform strategy; it strengthens the very fabric of how we build movements that last.” - Thenjiwe McHarris, M4BL

Research

We ground our work in the assertion that you can’t win a fight you don’t know you’re in. 

We work across six research areas: (1) Immigration & Militarization, (2) White Nationalism A social movement based on a belief in biologically determined racial hierarchies, often with the ultimate goal of establishing an all-White nation state. Learn more & Antisemitism A form of oppression targeting Jews and those perceived to be Jewish, including bigoted speech, violent acts, and discriminatory policy. Learn more , (3) Political Repression Repression occurs when public or private institutions—such as law enforcement agencies or vigilante groups—use arrest, physical coercion, or violence to subjugate a specific group. Learn more & Islamophobia A form of religious bigotry, with strong racial components, that scapegoats & demonizes Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim. Learn more , (4) Gender & Authoritarianism A form of top-down political system that concentrates state power in the hands of a single leader and/or group of close allies. Learn more , (5) Corporate Right, and (6) Christian Right A movement that emerged in the 1970s encompassing a wide swath of conservative Catholicism and Protestant evangelicalism. Learn more . Through investigative research, trendspotting, threat monitoring and analysis, and mapping, we help journalists and movements make sense of the political moment, see their terrains of struggle more clearly, and thereby build more dynamic and durable oppositional power.

Strategic Partnerships

PRA uses our expertise to strengthen movement strategy. 

We provide deep, ongoing strategic advisement with numerous frontline organizations and leaders on the forefront of fights for racial, gender, immigrant, trans and LGBTQ An umbrella acronym standing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning. Learn more , and economic justice. We offer expertise to identify and counter authoritarian threats and build democratic power. PRA staff convene coalitions, organize trainings, and brief community members using our research. Through our movement accompaniment, we meet regularly with partners, co-create research-informed tools, and offer support on strategy development and rapid-response analysis tailored to specific contexts. We also provide scenario planning and security training to safeguard and strengthen movements in the face of authoritarianism.

Communications and Editorial

We make the threats posed by anti-democratic and supremacist movements tangible and intelligible to our audiences.

We ensure the rigor, integrity, and accessibility of our research through careful fact-checking and high editorial standards, and regularly publish strategic insights as articles, webinars, podcasts, and explainers. We have two publication outlets (The Public Eye and Religion Dispatches) in addition to our Inform Your Resistance podcast and PRA Presents podcast miniseries. We provide change-makers with strategic insights and actionable research in order to identify, disrupt, and compete with movements and institutions that undermine democracy, justice, and human rights.

We translate research and analysis into strategy and action to defeat authoritarian forces and build democracy.

Strategic Priorities

Produce Critical Analysis

• Equip social justice organizations, civic leaders, journalists, and other partners with timely, actionable research on antidemocratic, authoritarian, and supremacist trends and movements.
• We do this by:
  • Producing strategic assessments of antidemocratic groups, leaders, and campaigns
  • Distributing interactive research tools for the democracy and social justice fields
  • Expanding capacities for trend spotting and early detection of new threats
  • Generating investigative research and journalism on underestimated risks
  • Designing actionable tool kits for organizers

Effect Narrative Change

• Shift the paradigm for how civil society addresses the existential crisis posed by 21st century antidemocratic, authoritarian, and supremacist movements.
• We do this by:
  • Exposing and challenging White nationalist, theocratic, and other bigoted actors and campaigns
  • Replacing outdated frameworks and false solutions
  • Shifting narratives toward a systems-oriented understanding of threats and solutions
  • Working with other “watchdog” groups to support democracy and justice organizing
  • Connecting our experts to legacy and social media

Sharpen Pro-democracy Strategy

• Partner with justice-oriented groups and organizers to sharpen strategies to block antidemocratic movements and build multiracial democracy.
• We do this by:
  • Providing sustained strategic counsel to key civil society partners
  • Supporting national initiatives and select regional strategies
  • Documenting and disseminating strategic lessons learned

Maintain & Grow PRA’s Capacity

• Establish the optimal resources, infrastructure, and talent to achieve results in an environment where staff can grow and thrive.
• We do this by:
  • Recommitting to a culture of equity, inclusion, and transparency
  • Raising resources from donor activists and institutions to expand PRA’s capacity to meet the needs of our field
  • Emphasizing feedback, evaluation, and learning to ensure PRA endures as an adaptable, strategic, and effective organization

Our Impact

Reaching hundreds of thousands of readers, listeners, and social justice movement leaders annually, PRA is shifting cultural narratives and building the capacity of social justice movements to defeat authoritarianism and build democracy.

Some examples of our impact:

• Built a united front of pro-democracy and justice organizations against the current rise in authoritarianism
• Unearthed secretive Christian Nationalist agendas like Project Blitz
• Closed down ICE detention centers through our work on anti-immigration sheriffs
• Exposed the connection between “trans-exclusive feminists” and the Christian Far Right
• Laid the groundwork for rigorous widespread understanding of confusing movements like Christian Zionism A strand of Christian thought which holds that the State of Israel is crucial to the fulfillment of end times prophecies. Learn more
• Hosted hundreds of security and ending political violence trainings that have built skills for identifying right-wing threats at protests and actions around the country