Accomplishments

  • The Commonwealth Foundation’s ongoing work to expand school choice has greatly strengthened the charter school movement and grown tax credit scholarship programs. Most recently, the Foundation has achieved a $275-million increase in the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Scholarship over the last two years, providing options for an estimated 65,000 students and families.
  • Commonwealth Foundation has led the fight to protect Pennsylvanians from government overreach and excessive taxation. In recent years, the foundation has successfully blocked $33 billion in tax increases, allowing Pennsylvania to rebuild its rainy day fund and reduce business taxes; and successfully implemented a constitutional amendment – the first of its kind in any state - limiting a governor’s emergency powers.
  • Commonwealth Foundation educated lawmakers to help advance a monumental pension reform bill that was the largest-ever shift of taxpayer liability in Pennsylvania history. The Foundation further added to its record of accomplishment in leading the charge on enacting bipartisan criminal justice reform.
  • The Commonwealth Foundation has become the go-to source of free-market ideas and policy solutions in Pennsylvania and is a trusted source of information for lawmakers. The Foundation has been recognized as a national leader with awards from organizations such as the Heritage Foundation, State Policy Network, and Atlas Network. Its policy innovation has provided the blueprint for other states to follow.

The Commonwealth Foundation is taking Pennsylvania’s public policy back to its roots in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, where we were “conceived in liberty.” Today, individual liberty and personal responsibility are still the solutions to most of our state’s systemic problems. For too long, Pennsylvania has allowed bureaucrats and special interests to drive our schools and local businesses into the ground while driving up spending and taxes. We believe all Pennsylvanians will flourish if Harrisburg gets out of the way—so we work with lawmakers to enact state policies that make you prosperous and independent.