Barb Van Andel-Gaby Chairman of Heritage Foundation - Economy | Official Website
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., announced on Monday that it has selected the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network (CALN) and its innovative partners—the John Locke Foundation, the Palmetto Promise Institute, and the South Carolina Policy Council—as recipients of the Heritage Innovation Prize. The award will assist CALN and its partners in providing fellowships, training, and support to local school board members in North and South Carolina. The aim is to empower parents and enhance students' achievements without succumbing to biased agendas that have marred many educational institutions.
The Innovation Prize supports organizations like CALN that strive to improve an education system currently undermined by a lack of transparency, proliferation of divisive ideologies, and insufficient accountability to parents.
Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, stated: “School choice is the civil rights issue of the modern era and a rallying opportunity for generations who agree parents, not school boards, should have full control over their kid’s education. It is a privilege to support the work of CALN and its partners... Every state should lead the charge for educational freedom, and this award will go a long way toward CALN’s efforts to advance school choice in the Carolinas.”
Donald Bryson, CEO of the John Locke Foundation, also expressed gratitude upon receiving the award: “We are 41 years past the Reagan administration’s landmark report titled ‘A Nation at Risk,’ and yet we are still a nation at risk when it comes to student achievement... I appreciate the Heritage Foundation’s continued commitment to education reform..."
The Heritage Innovation Prize recognizes results-oriented nonprofits with financial awards totaling up to $1 million annually for projects involving research, litigation, education, outreach or communications. These projects focus on empowering parents in education; holding Big Tech accountable; countering threats from the Chinese Communist Party; securing America's borders; reducing crime; ensuring free elections; curbing spending growth and inflation; and promoting life and family formation.
This is the fourth round of Heritage Innovation Prizes to be awarded. Previous winners include Communio, the National Association of Scholars, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Speech First, and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. The awards are sponsored by The Heritage Foundation’s robust endowment for innovative conservative projects.
For more information on the most recent Innovation Prize awards or about the prize itself, visit The Heritage Foundation's website.
