“The American Idea belongs to all of us – Inherited by our nation’s Founders, preserved by the countless sacrifices of our veterans, and advanced by visionary leaders, past and present. What makes America exceptional is our dedication to the self-evident truth that we are all created equal, giving us equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And that means opportunity.”
– PAUL RYAN
Develop evidence about what works
Across the country, there are thousands of organizations fighting the root causes of poverty and expanding opportunity in their communities. The Foundation will identify successful organizations utilizing innovative approaches and then partner with academic institutions to develop serious, objective evaluations to measure these group’s efforts to identify what’s working and why it’s making a difference.
Educate policymakers on what works
The single most successful domestic policy reform of the last 30 years was welfare reform in 1996. This singular success in getting millions of Americans back into lives of self-sufficiency began with the lessons learned through years of experimentation at the state level. The Foundation will use the evidence base it is developing to prepare policymakers to craft the next generation of policies that promote upward mobility.
Develop broad-based support for a vibrant market-based economy
Too many people are not seeing the benefits of a free, vibrant, market-based system. Because of this, individuals are gravitating towards extreme ideologies with false promises of material benefits and individual meaning. By focusing on the intersection of scaled-up community-based solutions and government policies, the Foundation will work to strengthen communities while improving the material lives of individuals.