What is DSI?

Mission

Democratic Systems Inc. (DSI) is a nonprofit organization that improves societal outcomes for marginalized groups through strategic, principled, collaborative action.

Our work leverages historical research, data (qualitative and quantitative), and intentional relationships to address the causes of structural inequity and improve societal outcomes.


Core Goals

To accomplish this mission, DSI’s works to:

  1. Increase Transparency
    • Increasing the public’s ability to assess the state of societal issues at the national, state, and local levels.
  2. Increase Accountability
    • Increasing the public’s ability to hold elected leaders accountable for their legislative actions.
  3. Develop Innovative Solutions
    • Bringing together community members from different industries and sectors to create innovative solutions for complex social issues.

Data & Community Projects

To achieve our core goals and advance our strategic vision, DSI is advancing the following projects:

1. Increasing Transparency |  Grinnell College Community Partnership 2023

  • The Performance Tool provides citizens with a simple and centralized location for evaluating annually-released government data detailing the government’s performance in addressing different systemic issues over time.


2. Increasing Accountability |  Grinnell College Community Partnership 2024

  • The Rap Sheet provides citizens with a simple and centralized location for accessing public statements from elected officials regarding their stances on different systemic issues.

3. Developing Innovative Solutions | Youth Actualization & Dormitory Program (ages 18-25)