North Star creates collaborative spaces where civic leaders develop visionary solutions to complex public interest problems.
Our Mission
North Star creates collaborative spaces where civic leaders develop visionary solutions to complex public interest problems. We take an entrepreneurial approach and invest our time and financial resources to accelerate change. We focus on democracy and shared prosperity — because we believe that these are the building blocks for a hopeful future.
Learn more about us.
Latest Updates
Read our Summer Dispatch. A quarterly(ish) newsletter with updates on projects and our work.
Your City, Your Choice Survey: We’re proud to partner with Oregon Values and Beliefs Center to ask Portland residents for input on how our community is doing — and how we can revitalize our city together. Our 2025 survey focused on public services, representation and connection to local governments, how Portlanders feel connected in our community, and our vision for the future. Please see the survey results and share!
Collaborations for Impact
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The Bull Run Center: Portland's Wellspring for Civic Leadership
With 180 leaders in government, business, philanthropy, arts, and culturally specific communities
Since time immemorial, people in this place have stewarded the land we call home for future generations. 130 years ago visionary civic leaders saw great promise for the small town of 17,500 on the banks of the Willamette. They preserved land and a lake that now provide fresh drinking water to nearly a million people.
The Bull Run legacy inspires us today, and invites us to ask how we’re preparing for future generations. We established the Bull Run Center to foster trust among civic leaders, embolden our shared vision for Portland’s future, and open pathways for aligned action.
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Stumptown Stats
Driven by our volunteer civic research team
Explore civic data to chart Portland’s progress. We’re starting with historic data about Portland elections and Portlander's’ views on belonging and public services. We’ll track how civic life and government in Portland change over the coming decade.
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PDX Design Collaborative
Driven by the PDX Design Collaborative
An ongoing series of talks, charrettes, exhibits, and gatherings about Portland urban design, architecture, and civic ambition.
Check out their upcoming events and a new video, City of Possibility: 7 Projects That Will Transform the Central City.
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PDX Charter Facts
With research from the Compass Fellows
In November 2022 Portlanders voted to pass a historic reforms to the city government. We developed a Fact Book as a resource for journalists in their coverage of the proposal.
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State Budget Stabilization
A project of the Mt. Goats team
Without raising taxes, Oregon policymakers could stabilize the general fund and dedicate one-time money to prioritized one-time projects like building housing, transportation, or protecting communities from wildfire.
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Our Next 20
A project of the Mt. Goats team
From Pendleton to Ashland, local governments in Oregon face persistent budget imbalances. Our 2019 report calls for new civic leadership, and outlines options to find balance and serve communities now and for the future.
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