NGA Center for Best Practices
NGA Center for Best Practices teams develop innovative solutions to today’s most pressing public policy challenges. The NGA Center is the only research and development firm that directly serves the nation’s Governors.
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Reflecting on Thirty Years of TANF
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a flexible block grant for states and territories to help fund a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families. As TANF ...
2025-2026 U.S. Supreme Court Term: Summary of Key Decisions and Implications for States
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2025-2026 term featured a number of significant decisions affecting state and territorial governments. The Court issued approximately 68 decisions, along with additional orders on its emergency ...
Behavioral Health Risks and State Strategies Related to Increasingly Potent and Accessible Psychoactive Products
On August 26, 2026, the NGA Health team convened state and territory health policy advisors to discuss how they are addressing the rapidly evolving market for psychoactive substances. The call ...
Reigniting the American Dream
Every American should have the opportunity to build a life of purpose, to strengthen their community, and to help shape a nation defined not only by prosperity, but by potential realized. Yet across our very diverse states, too many people have lost faith in this opportunity. They’ve faced too many obstacles, encountered too many closed doors, and given up the hope of a brighter future. We can do better.
Reigniting the American Dream is more than an initiative. It’s an invitation for every U.S. governor to take action.
Program Areas
Center for Best Practices Library
The State of Infrastructure: Governors 2026 Priorities
Infrastructure forms the invisible backbone of modern civilization, enabling everything from the water that flows through our taps to the ...
Red Tape and Rising Demand: Governors Talk Energy
At the 2026 Winter Meeting, Politico reporter Josh Siegel moderated a discussion with Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, North Dakota Governor ...
Division, Trust, and the Road Forward
After a stirring delivery of the national anthem, NGA CEO Brandon Tatum welcomed Governors to the 2026 Winter Meeting by invoking Theodore Roosevelt’s famous “Man ...
Council of Governors Holds 32nd Plenary Meeting
The Council of Governors (COG) held its 32nd Plenary Meeting February 19, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The meeting was held ...
Governors Call for Civil Discourse and State-Led Solutions
Ahead of the 2026 NGA Winter Meeting, NGA Chair Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Vice Chair Maryland Governor Wes Moore ...
Opportunity Done Right
Dr. Brandon Tatum In state after state, Governors are getting stuff done. They are streamlining permitting, building workforce partnerships, expanding ...
Marketing, Outreach, and Creative Funding for SNAP E&T
Last month the SNAP E&T Policy Academy held a webinar to look at marketing, outreach, and creative funding for SNAP ...
Building the Skills Infrastructure States Need
How NGA and AIR Are Advancing Skills-Based Practices in the Public Sector Across the country, governors and other state leaders ...
Utilizing Existing Right-of-Way to Deploy Transmission and other Linear Infrastructure
On November 4, 2025, the National Governors Association (NGA) convened a roundtable to discuss key issues and solutions associated with ...
Governor Strategies to Align Economic Development and Energy Planning
In June of 2025, the National Governors Association and McKinsey & Company, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy ...
Briefing on Credentialing and Skills Training
The NGA Center and National Skills Coalition hosted a briefing on January 20, 2026 on credentialing and skills training. NSC ...
Cannabis State Roundtable
On January 28, 2026, the NGA hosted a roundtable to bring together 11 states and industry stakeholders to discuss cannabis ...
PAST NGA CHAIRS INITIATIVES
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Gov. Jared Polis’s Initiative
Let’s Get Ready! - 2023-2024
Gov. Spencer Cox’s Initiative
Disagree Better - 2022-2023
Gov. Phil Murphy’s Initiative
Strengthening Youth Mental Health - View all…