Today, The Roots of Progress officially becomes the Roots of Progress Institute (RPI).
The new name represents the new identity we took on ever since we announced our first program last year, the Roots of Progress Fellowship. Before then, the organization had primarily been a vehicle for Jason Crawford’s writing and speaking; “The Roots of Progress” was the name of the blog he started in 2017 that was the origin of this project. Starting in 2023, we became a full-fledged cultural institute, with a mission to establish a new philosophy of progress for the 21st century.
We stuck with “Roots” for a few reasons. First, we like the brand we have built so far, and we wanted to keep it. The idea of “roots” points to what is unique about our role in the progress movement: focusing on the deepest causes of progress, and the fundamental ideas underlying it. And everyone told us they liked the original name. So we’ve simply added “Institute” to put us in the right reference class.
We’re also pleased to introduce a new logo and website, designed by the excellent And–Now (the unofficial design firm of the progress movement). The logo also sticks with the “roots” concept, now adding branches and leaves as well. In addition to evoking “root causes,” it evokes life, growth, and flourishing—the north star of true progress. And the inverted symmetry of the design reflects the logic, structure, and clarity we aim to bring to the discourse.
The original blog lives on at blog.rootsofprogress.org; it will continue to serve as Jason’s personal voice and intellectual outlet. The main site here at rootsofprogress.org is now the home for the organization and its programs. Our Substack at newsletter.rootsofprogress.org will continue to have both essays by Jason and official announcements from the organization (they are now organized into two sections, and you can subscribe to either or both). On social media, RPI will mostly post the announcements, and Jason will post his thoughts and essays from his personal accounts (but both accounts will repost each other).
Thanks to the tens of thousands (!) of you who have been following this journey for years now. We deeply believe that our mission is needed now more than ever, and we’re looking forward to moving forward with this new chapter. We’re excited about our 2024 fellowship—we’re still selecting the fellows from among hundreds of applicants, but the cohort is shaping up to be very strong, and we can’t wait to announce it to you. We’re also excited to announce very soon our first annual progress conference, along with other programs in the near future.
Onward!