National Conference of State Legislatures

What National Conference of State Legislatures does

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is a bipartisan, nonpartisan, nongovernmental nonprofit membership organization founded in 1975 through the merger of three predecessor bodies. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado with a second office in Washington, D.C., NCSL serves every one of the nation's 7,386 state lawmakers and more than 30,000 legislative staff across all 50 states, commonwealths, territories and the District of Columbia — membership is automatic and universal. The organization is governed by an elected 63-member Executive Committee and operates with a workforce of 51–100 employees.

NCSL's product surface spans policy research covering more than 1,400 issue areas, professional development training, expert legislative testimony, and an annual portfolio of in-person events anchored by the Legislative Summit (100+ sessions, 4,000+ attendees) and a suite of professional staff association seminars (LINCS, LSPA, NLSSA, NLPES, NALIT, ASLCS, NALFO, RELACS, LRL). Its technology stack is primarily third-party: a Drupal-based website (ncsl.org), a video resource center (videos.ncsl.org), simplecast-hosted podcasts (Our American States), and Breezio-powered online collaborative spaces (groups.ncsl.org). Content products include State Legislatures Magazine, verticalized trackers such as Financial Literacy 2026 Legislation, and an annual Legislative Use of Artificial Intelligence survey.

NCSL's business model is diversified across five streams: Foundation sponsorships from a 501(c)(3) entity created in 1982, event registration and sponsorships for the Summit and seminars, advertising and exhibit fees, research and technical assistance contracts including expert testimony, and implicit membership support funded through state legislative allocations. The Foundation alone awarded more than $3 million to NCSL programs in a recent fiscal year. Specific pricing is not publicly disclosed because the membership is automatic rather than individually transacted.

Name

National Conference of State Legislatures

Legal name

National Conference of State Legislatures

Website

https://ncsl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

NCSL is a bipartisan nonprofit founded in 1975 that automatically enrolls all 7,386 state lawmakers and 30,000+ legislative staff across the 50 states as members, providing nonpartisan policy research, professional development training, and federal advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legislative Research and Policy Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal & Governance Professional Development (EDAGANAK)

Keywords

• Legislative policy research
• Professional development training
• State government services
• Legislative news analysis
• Policy tracking database

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Sponsorships: The NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that receives funding from a distinguished group of corporate, union, and nonprofit sponsors. The Foundation awarded more than $3 million to NCSL programs and initiatives in a recent fiscal year.
2. Membership Dues (Implicit): Every state legislator and staffer is automatically a member of the organization with full access to services. While specific dues are not mentioned, the organization serves as the primary resource provider for state legislatures.
3. Event Registration and Sponsorships: NCSL generates revenue through the Legislative Summit, professional development seminars, and other events. These events include advertising, exhibits, and event sponsorship opportunities.
4. Research and Technical Assistance Services: NCSL provides objective, fact- and evidence-based research, technical assistance, and skills training to support the policymaking process. The organization offers expert testimony directly to legislative committees.
5. Advertising and Exhibits: NCSL Foundation sponsors receive 10% off pricing on advertising. The organization offers advertising and exhibit opportunities to make organizations' views known to legislators and staff.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NCSL is a nonpartisan, bipartisan membership organization that provides state legislators and legislative staff across all 50 states, commonwealths, territories, and DC with policy research across 1,400-plus issue areas, professional development and training, technical assistance including expert testimony, federal advocacy, and peer networking. It serves as the only national institution dedicated to supporting, defending, and strengthening state legislatures. The organization distributes its offerings through digital platforms (ncsl.org, videos.ncsl.org, podcasts), dedicated state liaisons, the annual Legislative Summit, and numerous professional development seminars.

Product overview

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is a nonpartisan membership organization serving all 7,386 state lawmakers and more than 30,000 legislative staff across the 50 states, territories, and commonwealths. NCSL operates as a multi-product organization offering policy research and publications (tracking 1,400-plus issue areas), professional development and training programs, legislative news and analysis content, podcasts (Our American States), and annual events including the Legislative Summit and numerous professional development seminars. The organization also maintains the NCSL Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting legislative strengthening through public-private partnerships. Key content products include financial literacy legislation tracking, pretrial policy resources, and various topical toolkits for legislators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Policy Research and Publications Comprehensive research and publications tracking 1,400-plus issue areas, offering unbiased answers to policy, legislative, and leadership questions for state legislators and staff. NCSL experts provide testimony directly to legislative committees.
• Professional Development and Training Custom, experiential training delivered both in-person and virtually on a wide range of topics for legislators and legislative staff to increase skill development and accelerate professional growth.
• NCSL Legislative Summit Annual bipartisan gathering of state legislators and staff—the largest meeting for state legislators—featuring over 100 sessions on policy topics, held in different cities each year. The 2026 Summit took place in Chicago.
• Professional Development Seminars Multiple in-person professional development seminars for legislative staff, including LINCS, LSPA, NLSSA, NLPES, NALIT, ASLCS, NALFO, RELACS, and LRL seminars covering specialized topics for different staff roles.
• NCSL Podcasts (Our American States) Podcast series featuring insights from legislators, legislative staff, and experts on issues including healthcare costs, workforce, criminal justice, and energy affordability. Hosted on simplecast.com.
• Legislative News and Analysis State Legislatures News providing the latest news and trends in state policy, politics, and personalities through articles, analysis, and coverage of the Legislative Summit.
• Financial Literacy Legislation Tracking Comprehensive tracking and analysis of financial literacy legislation across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C., with detailed bill summaries and status updates. As of 2026, at least 35 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C. had pending measures on financial literacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 sessions at the 2026 Legislative Summit covering AI, state budgets, infrastructure, and governance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature3 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Council of State Governments: The Council of State Governments is the closest peer to NCSL—both are bipartisan, nonpartisan membership associations serving state government officials. CSG serves all three branches of state government while NCSL focuses on legislators, but they directly compete for the same audience and policy-research mandate.
• National Governors Association: NGA serves all 50 state governors with bipartisan policy research, professional development, and federal advocacy—structurally identical to NCSL but for the executive branch. Comparable business model and revenue mix (dues, events, foundation support).
• American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC): ALEC is a membership organization of state legislators that provides policy research, model legislation, and meetings. Differs ideologically (more conservative) but operates a comparable model-legislation and convening business targeting the same legislator audience.
• National League of Cities: NLC is a membership association serving municipal officials with research, training, and federal advocacy—structurally similar to NCSL but focused on city-level government. Comparable nonprofit dues-plus-events-plus-foundation revenue model.
• National Association of Counties (NACo): NACo serves county officials nationwide with policy research, professional development, and federal lobbying—mirror image of NCSL at the county level with analogous membership, advocacy, and convening functions.
• U.S. Conference of Mayors: The U.S. Conference of Mayors is a bipartisan association of mayors with policy research, training, and federal advocacy—directly comparable structure to NCSL serving executive municipal officials rather than state legislators.
• National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO): NASBO is a professional membership association serving state budget officers with research, training, and convening—a smaller-scope analog of NCSL but with identical professional-association business model and revenue streams.
• National Association of Secretaries of State: NASS is a bipartisan professional association of secretaries of state providing research, training, and federal advocacy—directly comparable to NCSL in structure, mission, and revenue model, but for a narrower elected-official segment.

Emerging players

• Pew Research Center: Pew is a major nonpartisan research organization producing policy-relevant analysis frequently cited by state legislators. It competes with NCSL for the attention of policymakers and serves a thought-leadership function alongside NCSL's research products.

Others

• National Conference of State Legislatures (Historical: predecessor organizations): The three predecessor organizations that merged to form NCSL in 1975 (National Legislative Conference, National Society of State Legislators, National Legislative Leaders Conference) represent the historical comparables that NCSL itself absorbed—not relevant current peers but contextual reference points.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NCSLorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NCSLorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/NCSLorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-conference-of-state-legislatures
• Instagraminstagram.com/ncslorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Conference of State Legislatures