Economic Opportunity Institute

Mission

The Economic Opportunity Institute’s mission is to build an economy that works for everyone by advancing public policies that promote educational opportunity, good jobs, healthy families and workplaces, and a dignified retirement for all.

Commitment to Racial Equity

To fulfill our mission, we must acknowledge the structural and institutional racism that manifests as ongoing and devastating economic, educational, health and other disparities facing our communities. EOI has recently convened a Race and Social Justice Workgroup to begin integrating a racial equity lens into our public policy research, communications and advocacy, internal governance, and external relations. We still have much to learn, and we will continue to reflect and act with courage, openness, and humility.

How We Work

Citizens count on democratic institutions to make sound public policy choices that protect and promote broad economic opportunity for our children, families and communities. But when public policy debates are dominated by narrow self-interest and the drive for private gain, civic institutions fail to develop solutions to our common problems. That puts our communities and collective future at risk.

Working in concert with grassroots organizations, community coalitions and elected officials, we publish research, shape public debate and catalyze policy initiatives that make Washington state a better place to live, work, raise a family and do business. We focus primarily on promoting high-quality education, high-road economic development, modern work-life standards, retirement security, and shared investments in our common future.

We research and analyze economic changes as well as the evolving needs of Washington’s workers and families, focusing our creative policy development, rigorous research, strategic communications and coalition partnerships to:

• Promote paid sick days and paid family leave standards, so workers can care for their own and their family's health without losing a day’s wages, or their job;
• Ensure every child gets a strong start in life through high-quality early childhood education, and has access to affordable higher education that lays the foundation for success in life;
• Promote a strong minimum wage, and create opportunities for every worker to save for a more secure retirement, while protecting and strengthening "America's pension": Social Security.
• Advocate for a progressive tax structure to support evolving public needs.