Congressional Institute

What Congressional Institute does

The Congressional Institute, Inc. is a private nonprofit organization founded in 1987 and headquartered at 1700 Diagonal Road, #300, Alexandria, Virginia. Its mission is to provide educational forums, publications, and informational resources to Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, congressional staff, and the general public. Core offerings include the House Floor Procedures Manual (a digital guide to House procedures), the Surviving Inside Congress guide for Hill staff, the Busting Congressional Myths educational content series, and a Congressional Glossary. Since 2009, the Institute has hosted the officially sanctioned Congressional Art Competition for the U.S. House of Representatives, in which over 430 House Members conduct district-level art competitions for high-school-aged constituents; winning artworks are displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year and approximately 1,000 constituents attend the annual Winners' Celebration in Washington, D.C.

The Institute operates on a nonprofit, free-distribution model: all publications, including the House Floor Procedures Manual and Surviving Inside Congress guide, are provided at no charge, and no pricing or paid customer model is disclosed. Content is distributed through its website (congressionalinstitute.org), an email newsletter, social media (notably @conginst on X/Twitter), and in-person events including the annual Staff Directors Conference for Committee Staff Directors and senior Leadership staff. The organization does not operate as a technology company: it has no proprietary technology platform, no mobile application, no API, no integrations, and no AI/ML capabilities — its underlying infrastructure is a content website plus standard digital publishing and event-management tools.

The Institute is a standalone, independent nonprofit with no parent company, no venture capital backing, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed funding rounds. Leadership transitioned in January 2026 when Derek Harley was named President and CEO, succeeding Mark Strand, who had contributed to publications including the House Floor Procedures Manual. The organization continues to operate with a national footprint spanning all 50 states, territories, and the District of Columbia, anchored by the bipartisan Congressional Art Competition.

Name

Congressional Institute

Legal name

Congressional Institute, Inc.

Website

https://congressionalinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Congressional Institute is a 1987-founded nonprofit based in Alexandria, Virginia, that provides free educational publications, forums, and events for Members of Congress, congressional staff, and the public, including the official Congressional Art Competition for high-school students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education

NAICS

Legislative Bodies (921120), Political Organizations (813940)

akta.pro primary industry

Government, Public Policy & Regulatory Congresses (THAHAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education, Research & Academic Congresses (THAHAJAD)

Keywords

• Civic education
• Congressional resources
• Legislative training
• Parliamentary reference
• Art competition

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Congressional Institute is a nonprofit educational organization that provides forums for discussion and educational information to Members of Congress, congressional staff, and the public. It publishes authoritative procedural manuals (House Floor Procedures Manual, Surviving Inside Congress), debunks congressional myths through digital content, and hosts the official Congressional Art Competition for the U.S. House of Representatives, which engages over 430 House Members and draws approximately 1,000 constituents to an annual celebration in Washington, D.C.

Product overview

Congressional Institute is a non-profit organization that provides educational forums, publications, and resources for Members of Congress, congressional staff, and the public. Its product portfolio centers on civic education through several offerings: the Congressional Art Competition (an annual high school art competition), Surviving Inside Congress (a book/resource for navigating congressional procedures), and the House Floor Procedures Manual (a digital guide to House procedures). Additional resources include the Busting Congressional Myths educational series and a Congressional Glossary. The organization also hosts events including the annual Staff Directors Conference and the Congressional Art Competition Winners' Celebration. The offerings are standalone educational products rather than a unified platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Congressional Art Competition The officially sanctioned art competition for the U.S. House of Representatives, held annually for high-school-aged constituents. Over 430 House Members conduct district-level competitions, with winning artworks displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year and a Winners' Celebration in Washington, D.C. that draws approximately 1,000 constituents.
• Surviving Inside Congress A book/resource providing guidance on navigating Congress, covering Floor procedures, Committees, Leadership, and practical advice for Hill staff.
• House Floor Procedures Manual A digital manual designed to assist the public, Members of Congress, and staff in understanding the daily activities and procedures on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, covering 118th Congress rules.
• Busting Congressional Myths Educational content series debunking common misconceptions about Congress, including topics on healthcare benefits, retirement, member pay, congressional mailing privileges, and security.
• Congressional Glossary An appendix resource defining parliamentary and congressional terminology, including bills, resolutions, motions, committees, and procedural terms.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Emerging players

• iCivics: A nonprofit providing free civics curricula and games to U.S. middle and high school students. Comparable to the Congressional Institute in its youth civic-education mission and free-distribution model, but focused on classroom learning rather than congressional procedure.
• National Civic League: A nonprofit that promotes civic engagement, deliberative democracy, and good governance through publications and convenings. Comparable as a civic-education nonprofit that produces resources for elected officials and the public, with similar nonpartisan positioning.
• National Constitution Center: A nonprofit chartered by Congress to disseminate nonpartisan information about the U.S. Constitution and founding history. Comparable in civic-education, federally-aligned nonprofit positioning and audience overlap with students and the general public, though focused on constitutional content rather than legislative procedure.
• Close Up Foundation: A nonprofit that brings high school students to Washington, D.C. for civics and government programming. Overlaps with the Congressional Institute's high-school audience and Winners' Celebration trip to Washington, although Close Up's focus is broader youth civic engagement rather than Congressional procedure.
• Center for Effective Lawmaking: A research initiative producing data and analysis on legislative productivity and effectiveness in the U.S. Congress. Comparable in its focus on how Congress operates and on producing resources for Members and staff, though it is a research-oriented initiative rather than a programming-oriented nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• The Aspen Institute: A large nonprofit that convenes leaders across policy, business, and civic life through public programs and publications. Comparable as a mission-driven civic-education nonprofit that publishes resources and hosts convenings, but operating at a much larger scale and broader topical scope than the Congressional Institute.
• Bipartisan Policy Center: A Washington-based think tank that explicitly operates as a bipartisan policy organization, producing reports, convenings, and policy recommendations on major federal issues. Shares the Congressional Institute's bipartisan positioning and Hill-facing convening model, though focused on policy substance rather than procedural education.
• National Conference of State Legislatures: A nonpartisan organization serving state legislators and staff with research, training, and convenings on legislative operations. Comparable to the Congressional Institute in mission and audience type, but scoped to the 50 state legislatures rather than the federal House.

Direct peers

• Congressional Management Foundation: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides training, resources, and convenings to Members of Congress and their staff on management, communications, and constituent service. It is the closest peer to the Congressional Institute because it serves the same audience (Members and staff) with educational programming on how Congress works.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/conginst
• Facebookfacebook.com/cong.inst
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/congressional-institute-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Congressional Institute