The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

NDI recognizes that empowering citizens requires more than encouraging participation or providing tools. It also must mean helping citizens master the organizing techniques — e.g., issue identification and analysis, planning, resource management, deliberation, communication, fundraising, and evaluation — and develop the know-how required to take collective action, solve complex problems, and become leaders in their own right.

Through its programs, NDI assists local partners as they climb a "ladder of participation" that starts with loosely organized, politically inactive groups on the bottom rung and well-organized and politically influential groups on the top. NDI also seeks to engage local groups higher up the ladder to serve as role models, mentors, and facilitators for their counterparts at lower levels. Organizations with which the Institute works include, among others:

• GONG
  GONG is a nonpartisan citizens’ organization that conducts non-partisan election monitoring, public advocacy campaigns, and civic education programs.  Formed in 1997 by anti-war organizations and student associations in Croatia, GONG requested NDI’s assistance in 1997 to monitor the presidential elections. NDI expanded its technical assistance to include training sessions, guided practice, and consultations on organizational development issues, such as financial management, reporting, communications, planning and decision-making.  Among its successes, GONG successfully advocated for a law to permit independent and non-partisan observers to monitor elections for both houses of the Croatian parliament, established parliamentary tours for the public, and launched a parliamentary internship program. In 2003, the Croatian Parliament awarded GONG the Golden Coat of Arms award for its efforts to strengthen democracy and advance human rights.

• Transparencia
  Transparencia works to strengthen Peru’s democratic system through electoral observation, the promotion of a culture of vigilance and active citizen participation, oversight and control of political institutions and actors, and building consensus among political and social actors.  NDI began working with Transparencia, a nonprofit founded in 1994, in the run-up to Peru’s 1995 presidential election by providing assistance on techicnal issues and organizational development. NDI later collaborated with Transparencia to monitor Peru’s 2000 presidential elections and has also held joint training session on a number of issues, such as parallel vote tabulation (PVT), accounting practices, press releases, and internal communication. Transparencia has mobilized 12,000 volunteers on average as observers for each national election and has produced a number of manuals through its citizen education program.  Transparencia is a leading member of NDI’s Civic Network-a network of Latin American NGOs promoting citizen involvement and engagement.           

• European Institute for Democracy (EID)
  The European Institute for Democracy (EID) is a nonpartisan, nongovernmental foundation formed in Warsaw in 1998 to support democratic institutions in Poland and the surrounding former Eastern bloc countries.  EID developed out of multi-partisan party-building programs conducted by NDI in Poland from 1996 to 1998. Today, NDI collaborates with EID to provide an opportunity for new NDI partners throughout Eurasia to learn about the Polish experience in democracy-building. Study missions allow NDI partners to meet with prominent Polish political leaders, visit Polish nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and political party headquarters, as well as government and parliamentary offices, and participate in workshops on topics such as organizational development, advocacy and coalition building. Recent study missions have included participants such as women civic leaders from Belarus, executive branch representatives from Kyrgyzstan, opposition political party leaders from Azerbaijan as well as pro-government political party leaders from Azerbaijan.

• PACT
  PACT is a membership organization of U.S. private and voluntary organizations that was founded in 1971 with the goal of empowering local organizations to reach sustainable development. NDI partners with PACT to implement the Haiti Civil Society Advocacy Program.  Through the program, NDI has expanded two of its ongoing initiatives in Haiti—Civic Forums and the Democracy for All Program. NDI continues to work with community organizations via Civic Forums to develop community vision statements, create community action plans, organize community development projects, facilitate regular dialogue on community issues, and establish relations with public officials. The Democracy for All Program works with schools throughout Haiti to develop curriculum and train teachers to educate youth on the Haitian constitution, democratic institutions, human rights, elections, citizen advocacy and political participation.

• Common Cause International
  Common Cause International is a project of the Common Cause Education Fund that offers comprehensive training in advocacy and organization building skills to civil society groups in emerging democracies. Common Cause is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in the U.S. in 1970 that today has chapters in 38 states. With its expertise in accountability issues, such as ethics and transparency, voting and elections, and media and democracy, Common Cause has partnered with NDI to act as a resource and advisor to NDI’s democracy development programs in Haiti.