Institute for Nonpartisan Innovation(INI)

Powered by Vngle in collaboration with a growing coalition of CUNY campuses

Disinformation, news deserts, and institutional distrust are eroding the foundations of American civic life. According to the Knight Foundation and Gallup, only 26% of Americans say they have a "great deal" of trust in the news media, while Edelman's 2024 Trust Barometer shows that 59% believe journalists purposely mislead the public. INI exists to change this — by building verifiable civic infrastructure that communities, researchers, and institutions can trust.

🧭 Our Mission

The Institute for Nonpartisan Innovation (INI) is a research and technology think and do-tank launched in collaboration with faculty, and programs across the City University of New York system. We operate at the intersection of community storytelling, verified technology, and applied research to close critical civic information gaps across New York City and the United States.

INI functions as a cross-campus collaboration engine, connecting talent, research, and real-world implementation across CUNY’s multi-campus system.

⚠️ Why it Matters

26% of Americans trust news media
59% believe they're regularly misled

With just 26% of Americans expressing strong trust in the media and 59% believing they're regularly misled (Gallup & Edelman), INI exists to rebuild trust — one verified civic insight at a time.

📐 The Three Pillars

1

Nonpartisan Representation

Elevating verified community voices into systems that shape decisions.

2

Information Provenance

Using Vngle’s infrastructure to ensure civic data is traceable, verifiable, and trustworthy.

3

Responsible Tech & Governance

Developing ethical frameworks for how civic data is built and used.

🤝 The Vngle–CUNY Synergy

Vngle's national creator network and CUNY's academic research engine combine to form a one-of-a-kind civic infrastructure pipeline — where grassroots intelligence meets institutional analysis and policy action.

"INI combines Vngle's real-time grassroots intelligence with CUNY's deep research capacity to create civic innovations that are equitable, verifiable, and scalable."
— Douglas Smith, Cybercriminology Professor at John Jay College & Program Manager, TTP at City Tech

💬Real Stories on INI’s Impact”

💡 Engagement Paths

"Your support fuels nonpartisan civic innovation that strengthens democracy — one verified insight at a time."