Thomas Cusmano
Regional Director, Strategic Partnerships
Thomas (Tom) Cusmano is Regional Director, Strategic Partnerships at the Commonwealth Foundation.
Prior to joining the Commonwealth Foundation in early 2022, Tom spent twelve years at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) and its student journalism subsidiary, the Collegiate Network (CN). Both ISI and CN educate, train, and mentor America’s most promising principled student leaders, scholars, and future journalists.
Tom has spent three decades facilitating development support for national, regional, and statewide charitable organizations. He says, “The greatest blessing of my professional life has been to assist an inspiring group of dedicated, patriotic, and generous Americans with their philanthropy. I now have the opportunity to return that inspiration for my home state of Pennsylvania through the worthy endeavors of the Commonwealth Foundation.”
Tom has been a Pennsylvania resident since 1994 and proudly proclaims another great blessing, living in Amish Country, where he, his wife, and family “found home.”
Education
Pennsylvania Senate Stands with Students (Again); House Democrats Cut Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Low-Income Families (Again)
Harrisburg, Pa., November 15, 2023 – Today, the Pennsylvania Senate sent House Bill (HB) 301—a key portion of the state’s school code—to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Press Release
Read More: Pennsylvania Senate Stands with Students (Again); House Democrats Cut Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Low-Income Families (Again)Taxes & Economy
Taxpayer-Funded Strikes Would be Bad for All Pennsylvanians
Harrisburg, Pa., November 15, 2023 – The Commonwealth Foundation highlighted major problems with House Bill (HB) 1481. If passed, this legislation will provide unemployment benefits for striking workers, effectively forcing taxpayers…
Press Release
Read More: Taxpayer-Funded Strikes Would be Bad for All PennsylvaniansState Budget
Pennsylvania exports a lot — especially bad political leadership
Originally published at Broad + Liberty As the nation’s sixth-largest manufacturing state, Pennsylvania exports a lot of things — from food and pharma to energy and defense. Unfortunately, as…
Media Hit
Read More: Pennsylvania exports a lot — especially bad political leadershipEnergy
RGGI’s downfall gives Shapiro a unique opportunity to create an energy policy that benefits the economy and environment
Originally published in The Morning Call The Commonwealth Court’s long-awaited decision against entry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative gives Gov. Josh Shapiro an incredible opportunity. RGGI, a debacle Shapiro…
Media Hit
Read More: RGGI’s downfall gives Shapiro a unique opportunity to create an energy policy that benefits the economy and environmentEducation
School Choice Report, Episode 21
Derrell Bradford is the president of 50CAN: The 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now. He leads communications and policy, and trains and recruits local leaders across the country to serve…
Podcast
Read More: School Choice Report, Episode 21Health Care
Commonwealth Foundation Report Charts Path Toward More Affordable, Accessible Health Care
Harrisburg, Pa., November 13, 2023 — Today, the Commonwealth Foundation released a new report outlining five ways to improve Pennsylvania’s health care system. The backgrounder, “The Personal Option for Health Care in…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Report Charts Path Toward More Affordable, Accessible Health CareState Budget
Commonwealth Foundation CEO Charles Mitchell joins the Dawn Stensland Show on November 7, 2023
Commonwealth Foundation CEO Charles Mitchell discusses Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s shift on education policy. Topics on this pageCharles E. MitchellEducation policyJosh ShapiroPennsylvania…
Media Hit
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation CEO Charles Mitchell joins the Dawn Stensland Show on November 7, 2023Health Care
The Personal Option for Health Care in Pennsylvania
Summary Keep and expand the health care systems that work: Protect Direct Primary Care (DPC) practices. Allow expanded Association Health Plans (AHPs) so small businesses can offer more affordable coverage.
Backgrounder
Read More: The Personal Option for Health Care in PennsylvaniaState Budget
Jennifer Stefano: Josh Shapiro is the least productive Pennsylvania governor of the last 50 years
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s lack of bipartisan leadership during his first nine months as governor has resulted in the passage of very few policy initiatives, notes Philadelphia Inquirer columnist…
Press Release
Read More: Jennifer Stefano: Josh Shapiro is the least productive Pennsylvania governor of the last 50 yearsState Budget
Josh Shapiro is the least productive Pennsylvania governor of the last 50 years
Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer Pennsylvania Republicans were in a lather last November after Josh Shapiro sailed into the governorship and Democrats took the state House of Representatives…
Media Hit
Read More: Josh Shapiro is the least productive Pennsylvania governor of the last 50 yearsEnergy
Commonwealth Foundation Sr. VP Nathan Benefield on The Rich Zeoli Show November 2, 2023
Commonwealth Foundation Sr. Vice President Nathan Benefield joined The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss a Pennsylvania appellate court’s decision to prevent the state’s entrance into the Regional Green House Gas…
Media Hit
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Sr. VP Nathan Benefield on The Rich Zeoli Show November 2, 2023Regulation
Pennsylvania’s red tape is a red flag for would-be business owners
Originally published at Broad + Liberty When it comes to zip codes, Americans are dating around. The rise in remote work has changed how people choose their hometowns, allowing…
Media Hit
Read More: Pennsylvania’s red tape is a red flag for would-be business ownersEducation
Sen. Ward sees momentum for Lifeline Scholarships despite union pressure, state house turmoil
Originally published at Broad + Liberty Political figures are advancing unsustainable arguments about education, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, a Westmoreland County Republican, said in an interview. Wealthy…
Media Hit
Read More: Sen. Ward sees momentum for Lifeline Scholarships despite union pressure, state house turmoilRegulation
Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Appellate Court Decision to Strike Down RGGI
Harrisburg, Pa., November 1, 2023 — Commonwealth Foundation applauds the Commonwealth Court’s decision today to halt Pennsylvania’s entrance into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The appellate court rightly ruled that entry…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Appellate Court Decision to Strike Down RGGIEducation
School Choice Report, Episode 20
Our guest in this episode is CEO and President of Pennsylvania Families for Education Choice Sharon Sedlar. She strongly believes that parents are uniquely qualified to make educational decisions for…
Podcast
Read More: School Choice Report, Episode 20Education
The nation is watching Gov. Shapiro; he should lead on educational freedom in Pennsylvania
Originally published at The Patriot-News The state has a public education system with students trapped in failing schools. The governor wants to create the school choice funding they…
Media Hit
Read More: The nation is watching Gov. Shapiro; he should lead on educational freedom in PennsylvaniaPublic Union Democracy
Unions are hurting taxpayers and Pennsylvania’s economy
Originally published at The Patriot-News The United Auto Workers (UAW) strike recently reached Dauphin County, with 145 employees at the Mack Trucks remanufacturing plant in Lower Swatara Township walking…
Media Hit
Read More: Unions are hurting taxpayers and Pennsylvania’s economyRegulation
Regulatory Streamlining in Pennsylvania Would Boost Opportunities for State Residents
Introduction Good morning, members of the Senate Majority Policy Committee. My name is James Broughel and I am a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington DC, as…
Testimony
Read More: Regulatory Streamlining in Pennsylvania Would Boost Opportunities for State ResidentsPublic Union Democracy
Union Pandering Disguised as Railway Safety
Originally published at RealClearPolicy More workers have gone on strike in the first nine months of 2023 than in all of 2022. Philadelphia alone saw strikes at Temple University, Rutgers University,…
Media Hit
Read More: Union Pandering Disguised as Railway SafetyEducation
Jennifer Stefano: Jewish donors and allies’ letters to Penn expose the moral rot in American higher education
University of Pennsylvania donors are withdrawing their financial support over the university’s failure to condemn as terrorism recent Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians, notes Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and Commonwealth…
Press Release
Read More: Jennifer Stefano: Jewish donors and allies’ letters to Penn expose the moral rot in American higher educationEducation
Jewish donors and allies’ letters to Penn expose the moral rot in American higher education
Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer In the past two weeks, several Jewish megadonors and their allies have thunderously announced that they are pulling financial support from their…
Media Hit
Read More: Jewish donors and allies’ letters to Penn expose the moral rot in American higher education