Press Release: Better Utah Institute, Action Utah Join Forces

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 16, 2020

Salt Lake City, UT – Today, two Utah nonprofits, Better Utah Institute and Action Utah, announced they will be joining forces to form a single organization under the Better Utah Institute name, management, and mission. Through the rest of this year, Action Utah will begin moving its bounty of resources and programming into the Better Utah Institute fold. Under this new format, Better Utah Institute will perpetuate and grow many of Action Utah’s programs, building on the good work Action Utah has done over the past four years and strengthening Better Utah’s ongoing work to inform Utahns and inspire civic engagement. 

Josh Kanter, Better Utah Institute founder and board chair, said, “At the core of both the Better Utah Institute and Action Utah’s organizational missions is a deep belief in the power of people and the difference they can make in their communities when they’re engaged in the democratic process. Without input from citizens, the government can fail to reflect the people it represents. But when people get involved, the living, breathing work of democracy grows into its most robust form and does what it’s ultimately meant to do: work for people.

“We’re thankful to the Action Utah team for their invaluable contributions to the political landscape in Utah over the past four years,” continued Kanter, “And we know that Utah’s civic world is more robust because of their tireless efforts. We’re thrilled about this development and believe it will benefit the people we serve and the civic efforts of Utahns.”

“It is with enthusiasm that we bring the important work of Action Utah to a terrific, nonpartisan organization like the Better Utah Institute, which is dedicated to our common purpose of helping Utahns make a difference in their communities. This is the beginning of a new, exciting chapter of civic engagement work in Utah,” said Action Utah co-founder and executive director, Andrea Himoff.  

Some details include: 

  • Action Utah and Action Utah Education Fund will dissolve by the end of the year
  • Action Utah staff member Melissa Nelson-Stippich will join the Better Utah team as Civic Engagement Coordinator to focus on the transition and boost its civic engagement programs
  • Resources and tools that have been developed by Action Utah will gradually be incorporated into the Better Utah Institute website
  • Action Utah co-founders, Andrea Himoff and Katie Lieberman, will continue to work with the Better Utah Institute board to oversee the transition 

Better Utah Institute is the sister organization to Alliance for a Better Utah and is a 501c(3). Action Utah, a 501(c)(4), and Action Utah Education Fund, a 501(c)(3), are sister organizations better known collectively as “Action Utah.”

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Better Utah Institute, formerly known as the ABU Education Fund,  is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing a strong, educational voice by creating resources that advance civic engagement and good governance. For more information, visit BetterUtahInstitute.org

Action Utah is a nonpartisan community advocacy organization empowering Utahns from both sides of the aisle to get civically engaged and impact the issues they care about most by providing education, resources and advocacy opportunities. 

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