The Best of 2013: NPP's Year-End Roundup
From sequestration to the shutdown, we fought for you! 
Greetings! 

2013 marked NPP's 30th anniversary, and it was certainly a memorable year for the federal budget. Through it all, you have been an invaluable partner in our common fight for the budget priorities of ordinary Americans. We extend our heartfelt thanks for your commitment to our shared vision of a more vibrant and just democracy. 
 
We are excited to share and celebrate with you our favorite NPP moments from 2013. Read on!

Please also take a moment to support NPP's work to make 2014 an even better year for our democracy.

Drum roll please. We present NPP's Best of 2013! 
  
Best Interactive Tools of 2013
 
In September, we launched a one-of-a-kind interactive visualization tracking tax break data over the past 40 years, and illustrating how different income groups benefit. Our data was used in a front page article in USA TODAY.

 

 We debuted a new site, Cost of National Security, featuring counters ranging from homeland security to food assistance. The counters track costs per hour for 9,900 cities and towns, and every Congressional District, county, and state.  

 

 Our signature local spending database got a face-lift this year, with new data from USASpending and key social indicators. This tool remains an invaluable resource for Americans and organizations seeking to understand how federal dollars flow into their communities.

 

Best Media Moments of 2013

 

 This spring, Mattea Kramer was on MSNBC's Up With Chris Hayes, talking about defense cuts and other impacts of sequestration.

 

 New York Times correspondent Nicholas Kristof cited NPP's cost of war and homeland security since 2001 in his opinion column. 

 

 The day before Thanksgiving, Jo Comerford wrote a feature for the op-ed pages of The Hill, urging the budget conference committee to listen to Americans' priorities.

 

Best Social Buzz of 2013

 

Our Tax Day analysis of how your income tax dollar gets spent, by the penny.  

  

Our reveal of how the Pentagon spent money right before the shutdown: Did they think we wouldn't notice?  


Our breakdown of the proposed 2014 discretionary budget and how it compares to Americans' priorities.

Best Advocacy Victories of 2013

More than 7,000 of you signed our change.org petition to the budget conference committee, demanding that Americans' priorities be heard. We delivered your letters to Rep. Ryan and Sen. Murray -- and will keep the pressure on as we move into the 2015 budget season.

We partnered with Center for Effective Government and Sunlight Foundation to condemn Congress's failure to complete its appropriations responsibilities in time to avoid a damaging government shutdown in October.

Tens of thousands of Americans used our Build a Better Budget tool to send their budget priorities directly to members of Congress early in the budget process.

Best Videos of 2013

Hundreds of you sent in pictures for our Take Back the Federal Budget video. We loved featuring real people and their priorities in this call to action:
Be the Change: Take Back the Federal Budget

We explained how Congress got to Oct. 1 without a budget and how that caused the government shutdown, in Why the Government Shutdown? Congress Got a Little Distracted:
Why the Government Shutdown? Congress Got a Little...Distracted.

Youth from all over the country submitted incredibly moving videos for the If I Had a Trillion Dollars Youth Video Contest, a partnership between NPP and American Friends Service Committee. This retrospective video features IHTD youth asking Congress, "Invest in Us":
Dear Congress, Invest in Us.

Best Quotable Mentions of 2013

"I've found NPP's work to be an extraordinarily valuable source of insight and analysis with regard to what's at stake for the nation, what our priorities ought to be, and how far we've drifted from those widely-shared goals." -- Robert Reich

"I greatly value NPP's work and use it regularly in my own work." -- Bill Moyers

"NPP has given me the gift of self awareness with respect to what is going on in the government.  Now that I am armed with knowledge, I know that wherever life takes me I will be ready to make a difference." -- Octavia Gentles, college student
Help us reach year-end fundraising goals!
 


More 2013 Highlights

For a detailed review of NPP's work in 2013, please check out Jo's executive director report!
 
We're Mobile!

NPP's website is now mobile-friendly! Check us out from your favorite mobile device.
What's Ahead in 2014
 
Here are just a few of the projects we'll undertake next year!

Look for the second edition of the acclaimed People's Guide to the Federal Budget, along with an updated Educator Toolkit.

We are creating a go-to, interactive tool tracking federal spending and revenue by state.

We're overhauling Federal Budget 101 resources to make them more engaging and actionable.

We want to build a mobile app for on-the-go localized spending data. See our plan here!

We will expand Faces of the Budget to collect more stories about the human impact of the budget.

NPP Turns 30!

In honor of our 30th anniversary this year, we celebrated 30 Democracy Champions from around the country -- allies and partners in NPP's work to take back the federal budget.

Check out this special edition 30th anniversary publication celebrating NPP's history and future!
It's All Thanks to You

As we celebrate NPP's success in 2013, we want to thank our national and local organizing partners, individual constituents, and dedicated supporters and funders. We couldn't have done it without you!

As 2013 comes to a close, we wish you a joyous and peaceful new year. Together, we'll make our democracy even stronger in 2014!
Sincerely,
Becky, Derrick, Jason, Jennifer, Jo, Kris, Mattea, and Robin
P.S. Will you chip in $15 or $50 to help us end the year on strong financial footing? We can't do it without you. Thanks for your help! 
National Priorities Project (NPP) makes complex federal budget information transparent and accessible so people can prioritize and influence how their tax dollars are spent. We hold the vision of an informed and engaged democracy where all people affected by federal spending priorities have the ability and opportunity to shape our nation's budget. Find out more at our website.