Narrative Initiative - About Us

// About Us

Shifting deep narratives.

Narratives shape who we are, what we value, and what we aspire to become. Our current dominant narratives sustain patterns of inequity and harm, and reflect the worldview of a few powerful actors. We believe better narratives can extend power to those with the most at stake, and nurture a shared vision for common good. 

At Narrative Initiative (NI), we believe that narrative is a form of power. We equip social justice leaders with the knowledge, resources, and skills necessary to harness narrative power and create durable social change.

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A multidisciplinary team

Narrative Initiative staff at Frank 2019

Our team is small, mighty, and multidisciplinary, and our approach to narrative change centers organizing. This is what we do:

We collaborate with changemakers to challenge the power of harmful narratives through organizing, story, and research;  

We forge and enrich bonds among organizations and constituents to cultivate alignment and broaden their impact;

We listen deeply and think critically about equity, justice, and repair;

We create and share, in partnership with those with the most at stake, a vision for the common good.

Let's stay in touch

Who we work with

We are network-driven and field-facing. Our partners and collaborators come from a variety of disciplines.

Narrative Initiative - Who We Work With Graphic

Toward New Gravity

As a new organization devoted to connecting and supporting the emergent field of narrative change, we interviewed more than 100 thought leaders in the field. This report captures some of what we learned.

Building Narrative Infrastructure in Minnesota

A report on Narrative Initiative’s state strategy to support emergent narrative change infrastructure in Minnesota that includes what we learned as well as recommendations for practitioners and funders.

Rapid Response Worksheet

This worksheet provides a strategic communications framework for advancing narrative strategy in the face of a crisis or other breaking news development.