The Breakthrough Institute was founded in 2003 on the premise that the complaint-based, interest group liberalism born in the 1960s and 1970s was failing to achieve the broad social and ecological transformations America and the world need. The Breakthrough Institute's goal is to accelerate the transition to a future where all the world's inhabitants can enjoy secure, free, prosperous, and fulfilling lives on an ecologically vibrant planet. The Breakthrough Institute is a paradigm-shifting think tank committed to modernizing environmentalism for the 21st century. Our core values are integrity, imagination and audacity.

Contact details

Website:
http://thebreakthrough.org/

Address:
THE BREAKTHROUGH INSTITUTE 436 14TH STREET, SUITE 820 OAKLAND, CA 94612, USA

Country:
United States

Sub-region:
Northern America

Areas of focus

Geographics of focus
Global
Operating languages
English

Organisation details

Business model
Non-profit
Institutional affiliations
No affiliation
Year founded
2003
Age (years)
Breakthrough Institute
 22
United States average
 42
Global average
 32
Founded by
Founders: Ted Nordhaus | Michael Shellenberger
Founder gender: All male
Leadership
Leader(s) (2025): Ted Nordhaus
Leader gender: Male
Leader(s) (2024): Ted Nordhaus
Leader gender: Male
Leader(s) (2023): Ted Nordhaus
Leader gender: Male
Staff size
2025
Breakthrough Institute
 22
United States average
 47
Global average
 88
2024
Breakthrough Institute
 19
2023
Breakthrough Institute
 22
% Female staff
2025
Breakthrough Institute
 50%
United States average
 51%
Global average
 50%
2024
Breakthrough Institute
 53%
2023
Breakthrough Institute
 50%
% Female researchers
2019
Breakthrough Institute
 60%
United States average
 28%
Global average
 35%

Organisational performance

Publications
2024
Breakthrough Institute
 8
United States average
 61
Global average
 57
2023
Breakthrough Institute
 14
2022
Breakthrough Institute
 26

Social

Facebook
Likes (2023)
Breakthrough Institute
 8,682
United States average
 65,411
Global average
 26,974
Likes (2022)
Breakthrough Institute
 8,508
Likes (2021)
Breakthrough Institute
 8,452
Twitter
Followers (2025)
Breakthrough Institute
 20,100
United States average
 50,826
Global average
 19,888
Followers (2024)
Breakthrough Institute
 20,300
Followers (2022)
Breakthrough Institute
 18,750
Subscribers (2025)
Breakthrough Institute
 2,770
United States average
 19,260
Global average
 7,436
Subscribers (2024)
Breakthrough Institute
 2,610
Subscribers (2023)
Breakthrough Institute
 2,320
Instagram
Followers (2025)
Breakthrough Institute
 1,077
United States average
 73,649
Global average
 18,586
Followers (2024)
Breakthrough Institute
 1,046
Followers (2023)
Breakthrough Institute
 998
Followers (2025)
Breakthrough Institute
 8,000
United States average
 24,319
Global average
 15,926
Followers (2024)
Breakthrough Institute
 6,000
Followers (2023)
Breakthrough Institute
 5,011

Data notes

Last updated: 18/03/2025
Rating of data accuracy (find out more) : OTT reviewed
Data sources consulted: Organisation´s website
Have we got something wrong?: Contact us to update this record. There is more information in the database, you can download it here.