The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank that was established in Washington, DC in 1973. The Foundation is deeply aligned with the goals of far-right elements of the Republican Party. It also claims to influence the policy decisions of the Presidential administration. Among the policy recommendations of the Heritage Foundation is Project 2025. This project is a policy agenda aimed at cementing conservative values and outlooks in society through radical changes in government. The Foundation claims that the administration of President Donald Trump has accepted over 64% of the Foundation’s policy recommendations. Furthermore, sixty policy experts from The Heritage Foundation were appointed to, and currently work in, the current administration. Outside of government, the Foundation focuses on political activism and providing opportunities for the next generation of ultra-conservative public servants.
[source, source, source, source]
Image Sourced From: Heritage Foundation, Elvert Barnes
1 Mission, Symbols, History
1.1 Mission
The mission of the Heritage Foundation is to “formulate and promote public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense”.
1.2 Symbols
The picture above is the official logo of the Heritage Foundation.
1.3 History
Edwin Feulner and Paul Weyrich, both of whom were Republican congressional staffers, founded the Heritage Foundation in 1973, during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. One of the main goals of this organization was, and continues to be, to conduct research to affect change.
As a think tank, the Heritage Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organisation. This would normally mean that it can engage only in a small portion of political lobbying. However, the Heritage Foundation holds a unique position because it has established separate advocacy organisations–Heritage Action for America and Sentinel Action Fund. Both are classified as 501(c)(4)s, which allows them to lobby and participate in political campaigns to a greater degree.
4 Organisation
4.1 Business Structure
The Heritage Foundation itself is classified as a non-profit. However, it manages two other organisations, Heritage Action for America and Sentinel Action Fund, which allow it to pursue monetary avenues for affecting change. The Sentinel Action Fund, which is a Super Political Action Committee (PAC) is one of the ways in which the Heritage Foundation can support its policies and preferred candidates beyond its think tank role.
4.2 Key Figures
Kevin D. Roberts: President. He became president of the Heritage Foundation in October 2021. He is also the president of Heritage Action for America. Before working for The Heritage Foundation, Kevin served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF). His main policy interests include education, health care, border security, and election integrity.
Eric Korsvall: Chief Operating Officer (CEO). Eric’s first experience with The Heritage Foundation was in 1998 when he served as a business relations intern. Since then he has continued to work within the foundation, specializing in the organisational and administrative side. He also manages Heritage’s corporate real estate portfolio.
Derrick Morgan: Executive Vice President. He oversees the policy, communications, and government relations aspects of the Foundation. Before joining the Heritage Foundation, Derrick held positions ranging from campaign aide to chief of staff.
4.3 Recruitment
Methods
The Heritage Foundation hires full time employees through its application portal located on its website. It also trains interns and has a twelve week leadership development program called the Heritage Academy. These internships and fellowships span college and high school age students. Beyond this, the Foundation also has a base of two million volunteers who help the Foundation’s policies and ideas gain traction on the ground.
4.4 Connections to other important organisations
The Heritage Foundation has extensive connections within the Republican (Grand Old Party or GOP) party. It plays a key role in policy recommendation and formulation. Many members or previous employees of the Heritage Foundation are also directly involved with the United States government and the Trump presidential administration. In 2024, The Heritage Foundation had an annual lobbying total of $780K. The main recipients of donations from the The Heritage Foundation in 2024 include Moms for Safe Neighborhoods, Donald Trump, and Sentinel Action Fund.
Outside of the United States, the Heritage Foundation has also cultivated ties with international leaders and conservatively aligned activists. In March 2024, The Foundation held an event for ultra conservative strongman and prime minister of Hungary Viktor Orban. While the party does not officially align itself with the Prime Minister, the Foundation does support providing a platform for diverse conservative opinions and leaders.
5 Projects and Associations
5.1 Project 2025
Project 2025 is a policy proposal of over nine hundred pages. The project delineates the closing of federal departments, like the Department of Education; firing as many as 50,000 career federal employees and instead hiring vetted loyalists; limiting access to abortion; cutting federal healthcare employees; mass deportations; and ending certain diversity programs. Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation and author of Project 2025, stated that the goal of Project 2025 is to “institutionalize Trumpism.”
The Trump administration has overtly maintained its distance from Project 2025, with President Trump himself claiming to be unaware of the project all together prior to his inauguration. However, due to the variety of ties between the Foundation and the administration, including the execution of Project 2025 proposals as current administration policy, these claims are suspect.
[source, source, source, source]
5.2 Employee Watchlists
Besides its own projects the Heritage Foundation also sponsors other organisations. For example, the Heritage Foundation donates funds to the American Accountability Foundation (AAF). The AAF has compiled a list of government employees who the foundation has categorized as diversity, equity, and inclusion hires. The list further asks President Trump to fire these individuals. Many of the workers on these lists are Black workers at health agencies.
6 The Future
In the past, different Republican administrations have accepted the policies of the Heritage Foundation to varying degrees. However, given the influence the Foundation has had thus far in the current administration, it is likely that their policies will continue to play a key role in White House decisions. The Foundation is also highly likely to continue to have a high degree of influence on a grassroots and governmental level. Their ability to mobilize local volunteers and materialize the funds to use for lobbying and for the funding of other organisations speaks to their continuing influence.
7 Conclusion
The Heritage Foundation is a deeply conservative think tank with deep ties to the Republican Party. Their policies and projects, the most recent and prominent of which is Project 2025, span a variety of topics. Project 2025 was drafted with the intent of cementing more conservative initiatives in the government and in American society. The Heritage Foundation is not a stand alone organisation, however. The Foundation also has the Sentinel Action Fund – a Super PAC that gives the Foundation the ability to lobby for certain policies.
