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Building Local Power. Fighting Corporate Control.

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance is a national research and advocacy organization that partners with allies across the country to build an American economy driven by local priorities, accountable to people and the planet.
The annual Arts and Crafts Street Fair with vendors selling food, gifts and art products along main street Sherman Avenue, and through city park in the lakefront tourist resort town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.… Read More
The annual Arts and Crafts Street Fair — Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

What is Local Self-Reliance?

Local self-reliance means that we, the people, are free to exercise power over our lives — how we provide for our families, how resources are shared and allocated in our communities, and how decisions are made by government, corporations, and businesses, because it affects all of us.

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  • Our Focus

    We believe that democracy can only thrive when economic and political power is widely dispersed. ILSR works to achieve this vision through four key initiatives that center local communities, giving citizens the authority, capacity, and responsibility to exercise power over their lives.
    Aerial view of data centers in Ashburn, Virginia.
    Aerial view of data centers in Ashburn, Virginia.

    Local Power vs. Data Centers

    Communities are now being asked to absorb the costs of building a generative AI future that is poised to eliminate jobs, expand surveillance, and provide corporations with new tools to manipulate prices and wages. Our resources explore policies to reclaim local power in the AI race, and stories from those who are fighting back.

    Explore Our Data Center Hub