Founded in 1987, the Congressional Institute is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to helping Members of Congress better serve their constituents and helping their constituents better understand the operations of the national legislature. The Institute sponsors major conferences for the benefit of Members of the US Congress and their staffs. Since 1987, the Congressional Institute has held an annual policy Conference for House and Senate Republicans. It also sponsors conferences for Chiefs of Staff for Legislative and Communication Directors. The Institute sponsors one out of every four privately-sponsored trips for Congressional Members and staff. The Institute does important surveys on issues affecting Congress including recent surveys on voter frustration, best practices in social media, and Millennials (http://conginst.org/category/projects/). Institute President Mark Strand facilitates individual Congressional office retreats. The Institute also sponsors the Congressional Art Competition that awards a winning artist from all of the 435 Congressional Districts (the winning art hangs in the U.S. Capitol building for a year). The Congressional Institute publishes "Surviving Inside Congress," a guidebook for Congressional staff. More than 24,000 copies have been distributed on Capitol Hill, and it is an assigned text in several colleges and universities. The Institute runs a training program for private sector employees on "Understanding Congress." The Institute also publishes The Sausage Factory, a blog that provides an inside look at legislative strategies and procedures (http://conginst.org/archive/). It also provides briefings for diplomats based in Washington DC on the workings of Congress, major elections, and current issues that have consequences for their countries. It also participates in international conferences and exchanges. The Congressional Institute is currently pursuing a project promoting major Congressional reform.
