National Governors Association

What National Governors Association does

The National Governors Association (NGA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1908 that represents all 55 governors of U.S. states, territories, and commonwealths. It functions as the primary bipartisan forum for governors to develop policy solutions, share best practices, and coordinate federal-state advocacy on issues including education, workforce development, healthcare, infrastructure, energy, and public safety. Core deliverables are delivered through its Center for Best Practices, which operates across 14 program areas, and through signature convenings such as the Winter Meeting, Summer Meeting, Policy Summit, Education Policy Advisors Institute, Health and Human Services Policy Advisors Institute, and Infrastructure Coordinators Workshop.

NGA's offerings are policy services rather than commercial products: convenings, technical assistance, multi-state pilot programs, research publications (for example, skills-based hiring reports, workforce investment studies, and early care financing analyses), policy academies, and chair-driven initiatives such as "Let's Get Ready!" (2024-2025) and "Reigniting the American Dream" (2025-2026). It has no proprietary technology platform; instead, it convenes subject-matter experts, federal partners (DOE, EPA, DOT, DOL), and private collaborators (McKinsey, Walmart, Siemens Foundation, C-BEN, Harvard) to produce reports, roundtables, and implementation toolkits.

NGA's revenue model is structured around annual governor membership dues supplemented by project-based grants from federal agencies and private foundations. It does not sell commercial products or services; pricing is non-applicable. Go-to-market is event-driven and relationship-based, with member engagement delivered through in-person convenings and direct technical assistance from the Center for Best Practices rather than traditional sales channels.

Name

National Governors Association

Legal name

National Governors Association

Website

https://nga.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The National Governors Association is a 1908-founded nonpartisan nonprofit representing all 55 U.S. state and territory governors, convening them and providing policy research, technical assistance, and bipartisan advocacy across 14 program areas including education, workforce, health, and infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Policy Association

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Governor/Executive Office & Cabinet Administration (BPAIABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

State Legislature/Regional Assembly Administration (BPAIABAB)

Keywords

• State government policy
• Governor policy research
• Bipartisan policy forum
• Workforce development programs
• Public policy convenings

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Governor's Membership Dues: NGA represents all 55 U.S. states and territories; governors pay membership dues to participate in NGA programs, convenings, and access technical assistance from the Center for Best Practices.
2. Federal Grants and Partnerships: NGA receives funding from federal agencies (DOE, EPA, DOL) and private foundations (Walmart Foundation, Siemens Foundation) for specific policy initiatives, research, and workforce development programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The National Governors Association is the bipartisan, nonprofit organization of the nation's 55 governors. It delivers policy research, convenings, and technical assistance through its NGA Center for Best Practices across 14 program areas including education, health, infrastructure, workforce development, energy, children and families, and public safety. Core offerings include annual and specialized institutes for governors and policy advisors, multi-state policy academies, peer-learning networks, and publications that translate research into actionable state policy.

Product overview

The National Governors Association operates as a policy organization providing a platform for bipartisan policy solutions rather than a traditional product company. Its offerings include convenings and institutes (such as the annual Governors' Education Policy Advisors Institute and Health and Human Services Policy Advisors Institute), research publications (workforce investment reports, strategic financing analyses, skills-based hiring reports), and policy initiatives like the 'Let's Get Ready!' education readiness program. The NGA Center for Best Practices serves as the core research and development arm across 14 program areas including children and families, energy, health, infrastructure, K-12 education, and workforce development. NGA also provides policy academies, guides (such as the forthcoming Governors' Pocket Guide to Early Literacy and Degree Apprenticeship Models Guide), and maintains a Governors' Infrastructure Coordinator Network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NGA Center for Best Practices: The research and development arm of NGA that works with state policy leaders to foster information sharing, research, develop and implement innovative solutions to public policy challenges. It is the only R&D firm that directly serves the nation's Governors.
• Reigniting the American Dream
• Let's Get Ready!
• Disagree Better

Products and services

• NGA Center for Best Practices
• Governors' Education Policy Advisors Institute
• Governors' Health and Human Services Policy Advisors Institute
• Annual Policy Summit
• SNAP and Medicaid Systems Policy Academy
• Data Dashboard Policy Academy
• Governors' Infrastructure Coordinator Network
• Putting State Dollars to Work: How Governors' Signature Investments Drive Workforce Transformation
• Skills-Based Hiring Report
• Governor Strategies to Align Economic Development and Energy Planning
• Skills-Based Talent Ecosystems Guidebook (with C-BEN and Walmart Foundation)
• Strategic Financing for Early Care and Education Systems
• State and Local EV Workforce Collaborative
• Governors' Pocket Guide to Early Literacy
• Degree Apprenticeship Models Guide

Quantifiable outcome

• Louisiana connected nearly 2,000 students to internships with 250 businesses through career-connected pathways
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026NGA partnered with C-BEN to release a guidebook helping state leaders establish skills-based talent ecosystems. C-BEN launched the Powering Trust in Skills initiative backed by Walmart Foundation funding to help 35 jurisdictions build public skills infrastructure.
• McKinsey & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025NGA partnered with McKinsey & Company, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity, to host a roundtable on energy planning and economic development. The partnership brought together state energy and economic development leaders to identify policy solutions for surging electricity demand.
• National League of CitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025NGA co-leads the State and Local EV Workforce Collaborative with the National League of Cities, bringing together state and local leaders, industry partners, and workforce experts for EV sector workforce development.
• U.S. Department of Energy Office of ElectricitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOE Office of Electricity supports NGA's energy policy work and participates in roundtables on electricity demand and grid modernization with state leaders.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPA partners with NGA on infrastructure implementation, water policy, and environmental matters. EPA officials participate in NGA Infrastructure Coordinator Workshops and provide program updates.
• U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOT participates in NGA infrastructure workshops and convenings, providing updates on federal transportation programs, Build America Bureau initiatives, and NEPA assignment processes.
• U.S. Department of LaborcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOL engages with NGA on workforce development policy, SNAP Employment & Training programs, and implementation of federal workforce initiatives.
• Big Seven Coalition MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGA is a member of the Big Seven coalition of nonpartisan state and local government associations, including National League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors, and others, working together on federalism and shared policy priorities.
• Federal Funds Information for States (FFIS)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFFIS provides research on federal funding implications, including analysis of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expiration impacts for NGA's infrastructure coordinator network.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Conference of State Legislatures: Bipartisan membership organization serving state legislators across all 50 states. Operates as a parallel counterpart to NGA for the legislative branch, running analogous convenings, research programs, and federal-state advocacy, with a similar dues-and-grant funding model.
• Council of State Governments: Nonpartisan association serving all three branches of state government. Directly comparable to NGA in serving state officials across all 50 states with regional offices, policy research, and federal-state coordination — NGA explicitly participates alongside CSG in the Big Seven coalition.
• National League of Cities: Nonpartisan membership organization representing municipal governments. Big Seven coalition partner of NGA that co-leads programmatic initiatives such as the State and Local EV Workforce Collaborative and shares NGA's dues-plus-grant revenue model.
• U.S. Conference of Mayors: Bipartisan organization of U.S. mayors. A Big Seven coalition partner of NGA operating the same model of bipartisan convenings, federal advocacy, and policy research, but for city-level executives instead of governors.
• National Association of Counties: Nonpartisan membership organization representing county governments nationwide. Shares the NGA model of membership dues plus foundation/federal grant funding, recurring convenings, and federal-state-local policy coordination in the Big Seven coalition.

Emerging players

• National Lieutenant Governors Association: Bipartisan association for the second-ranking state executives — overlapping NGA's state-executive member audience but narrower in scope, focused specifically on lieutenant governors rather than the full chief executive role.
• National Academy for State Health Policy: Nonprofit policy organization dedicated to state health policy across all 50 states. Comparable in being a nonpartisan state-focused policy research outfit, but specialized narrowly on health rather than NGA's 14 program areas.
• National Association of State Budget Officers: Bipartisan membership association of state budget and finance officials. Operates on a similar dues-plus-grant model serving a defined state-official member base, but specialized on fiscal/budget policy rather than NGA's full policy portfolio.
• Education Commission of the States: Nonpartisan interstate compact supporting state education policy. Comparable to one of NGA's 14 program areas (K-12 Education) but specialized exclusively on education rather than full-spectrum bipartisan convening.
• National Center for State Courts: Nonprofit serving state court systems across all 50 states. Uses a parallel model of policy research, convenings, and federal-state coordination, but for the judicial branch rather than the executive/governor level that NGA serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/natlgovsassoc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/nationalgovernorsassociation
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationalgovernorsassociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/governors_nga/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Governors Association