Incite at Columbia University
Insights thrive in unlikely company.
Insights thrive in unlikely company.
At Incite Institute, scholars, change makers, artists, and others unite to engage the social world in surprising new ways.
A home for unconventional ideas
Together with our collaborators, we ask and pursue ambitious questions, embracing experimentation even at the risk of failure.
Latest news
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go to As Columbia unveils official oral history of President Barack Obama, CC ’83, project leaders reflect on how they captured his ‘transformational presidency’
Mar 1, 2026
As Columbia unveils official oral history of President Barack Obama, CC ’83, project leaders reflect on how they captured his ‘transformational presidency’
Originally published in the Spectator, Columbia University student Joseph Zuloaga writes about Columbia's role in the Obama Presidency Oral History.
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go to Obama Took On Recession, Health Care and Iraq. What He Didn’t See Coming Was Trump.
Feb 17, 2026
Obama Took On Recession, Health Care and Iraq. What He Didn’t See Coming Was Trump.
The New York Times spotlighted Incite Institute's Obama Presidency Oral History Project, an archive of more than 450 interviews offering behind-the-scenes perspectives on the Barack Obama administration.
Because social issues need social insights
The biggest issues of our time aren't just technical—they're social. We bring together partners from inside and outside the academy who approach these issues with different forms of expertise.
Featured Projects
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go to the The Elders Project project
The Elders Project Capturing the stories of elders who have shaped America—from Civil Rights activists to tribal leaders to survivors of Stonewall—before they’re lost to history. -
go to the Movements Against Mass Incarceration project
Movements Against Mass Incarceration
Building the United States' first archive to center the political ideas and movement-building of incarcerated people.
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go to the Obama Presidency Oral History project
Obama Presidency Oral History
Creating a comprehensive oral history of the Obama years with over 450 officials, activists, organizers, and extraordinary people from all walks of life.
Building new capacities
Through our projects, funding opportunities, training programs, and public events, we strive to build capacity in people and organizations so that they can drive transformation on their own terms.