Institute for Local Self Reliance, Inc.

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance has been at the forefront of advancing policies and models that support locally driven economies while protecting the climate and reducing inequity. 

• Working alongside grassroots groups, ILSR is changing the rules so that decentralized solar energy is beginning to displace centralized utility monopolies.
• Scores of communities have drawn on ILSR’s resources and expertise as they built publicly owned telecommunications networks that offer viable alternatives to big telecom monopolies.
• With technical assistance from ILSR, dozens of grassroots groups have thwarted plans for large incinerators in their communities and have taken the lead in promoting cleaner, job-creating alternatives based on reuse, recycling, and composting.
• ILSR’s influential research has brought new attention to the consequences of corporate concentration, while our practical policy tools have inspired dozens of cities to take steps to strengthen and expand locally owned, independent businesses.

To learn more about what we’ve accomplished and where we’re headed, take a look at our Annual Reports. 

Please help us expand our impact and support the movement for healthy, equitable, and self-reliant communities by making a donation to ILSR. 

You can also donate by mailing a check to: Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 2720 E. 22nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55406