What is the Heritage Foundation?: The Heritage Foundation is a very influential research and policy advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. The foundation exists specifically to "formulate and promote conservative public policies" on a wide range of foreign and domestic issues.
Background : Founded in 1973, the foundation is much newer relative to peer organizations like the Brookings Institution or the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. And, unlike those organizations, Heritage clearly identifies itself with a particular, in this case conservative, political movement. Beer magnate Joseph Coors and billionaire Richard Mellon Scaiffe provided much of the initial funding for the Heritage Foundation. The foundation's profile and influence in the policy community grew substantially during Reagan Administration in the 1980's.
What Does the Heritage Foundation Do?: Heritage operates research, analysis, and advocacy projects in dozens of topic areas. Of most relevance to U.S. foreign policy is work on defense policy, key regions, international organizations and trade. Much of this work is coordinated by the Davis Institute for International Studies.
Long Time Leader: The Heritage Foundation has had the same president since 1977, just four years after its birth. Ed Feulner has overseen tremendous growth in the size and influence of the foundation. He specifically set out to make the institution's policy analysis and recommendations much more readable and relevant to immediate policy debates than typical think tank publications of the time. Many other organizations of all political stripes have since followed suit.
Heritage Foundation Funding: Guide Star works to create accountability and transparency among nonprofit organizations. Their report on the Heritage Foundation is here. A free registration is required.
