A participatory research project from We Build Progress & RISC
Frontline First
How would frontline communities reimagine federal agencies to be more democratic, more accountable, and more effective?
Too often, frontline communities don’t have a say when it comes to designing the federal policies and programs that govern their lives. How would frontline communities reimagine federal agencies to be more democratic, more accountable, and more effective? In 2026, We Build Progress teamed up with the Research Institute for Structural Change (RISC) to develop a community-driven participatory research project asking frontline communities to reimagine federal governance. We talked to nearly 200 grassroots organizers, local policy experts, and former federal officials, who shared a wealth of knowledge on what barriers to democratic participation persist, and what transformations are necessary to build durable and meaningful change. We compiled their insights into actionable recommendations for rebuilding the executive branch to be more people-centered that you can read in our “Frontline First Agenda.”
The research
Between April–August 2026 we interviewed 192 people from 135 organizations across disability, labor, housing, immigrant, rural, environmental, veterans’ affairs, food, and health sectors, asking them how federal agencies can operate more democratically, effectively, accessibly, and accountably.
- Disability
- Labor
- Housing
- Immigrant
- Rural
- Environmental
- Veterans’ Affairs
- Food
- Health
Virtual briefing
Reimagining Federal Agencies Research Results Launch
The lead researchers will share their topline recommendations for rebuilding the executive branch to be more people-centered.
RSVP now for the November 18 briefing (opens in a new tab)Speakers
- Katherine Eyster We Build Progress
- Dr. Elena Ruíz RISC
- Dr. Yanet Ruvalcaba RISC
- Stakeholder speaker To be announced
- Stakeholder speaker To be announced
The report
The Frontline First Agenda
Actionable recommendations for rebuilding the executive branch to be more people-centered, drawn from the knowledge and experience of frontline organizers, local policy experts, and former federal officials.
Read the Agenda (opens in a new tab)Watch
Frontline First: The briefing
Clips from the November 18 briefing presenting the report.
Our research partner
About the Research Institute for Structural Change (RISC)
RISC is a nonprofit organization that strengthens community resilience by supporting place-based, community-led solutions to today’s most pressing structural problems in human health and wellbeing, from housing insecurity to gender-based violence.