Pelosi Launches $50 Million UC Berkeley Institute as 86-Year-Old Ex-Speaker Maps Post-Congress Role
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 29
Pelosi Launches $50 Million UC Berkeley Institute as 86-Year-Old Ex-Speaker Maps Post-Congress Role
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 29
Summary
January 2027 marks Nancy Pelosi’s first formal post-Congress move: a UC Berkeley institute focused on research, learning and civic engagement after 40 years in the House.
Pelosi said Berkeley administrators and about eight professors approached her nearly a year ago, and she agreed to raise $25 million toward a broader $50 million campaign.
The programmatic center will emphasize democracy, human rights, climate and income inequality, and Pelosi said she wants it to operate as a bipartisan academic space rather than a partisan project.
Spring 2027 will bring an exhibit of awards, legislation and personal items, while Pelosi also plans to bring speakers from both parties and co-teach a class with political scientist Eric Schickler.
The institute extends Pelosi’s influence beyond Congress as Democrats prepare for November elections and Berkeley expands a high-profile democracy initiative tied to her legacy.