A Message From Our Leadership

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To be a conservative at this moment should give you an immense feeling of pride.

Looking back at 2020, it is stunning to see how many of The Heritage Foundation’s ideas were embraced—by members of Congress, by the administration, and by allied think tanks and grassroots leaders across America and around the world.

Conservative solutions have proven across time and place to be the only way to ensure the survival of our nation and see us through challenging events like the ones we faced in 2020.

Think about the COVID-19 pandemic. Americans are faring better in states where policymakers have followed Heritage’s recommendations and not imposed sweeping COVID-19 lockdowns, but rather used data to determine whether and where such rash measures are even necessary.

People and economies are doing better where elected officials have allowed society to remain open with proper safety measures, where they’ve recognized citizens’ rights to earn a living, and where kids have been able to go to school in person or choose flexible learning options.

Our nation also wrestled with civil unrest in 2020, racial tension, and an unprecedented election plagued by allegations of fraud. The conservative solutions to these problems are clear. They’re written in our nation’s laws and the Constitution: Allow the peaceful exercise of free speech, treat all Americans equally under the law, bring to justice those who commit crimes, and allow states to implement common-sense measures to verify that every legal vote counts.

By contrast, every time one of the left’s misguided policies comes into play—whether it’s all-mail voting or defunding police departments—the result is disaster.

If we are to see our way through this period as a nation—and we will—it will be because conservatives were able to come together as a movement, break through the deception and the hostility of the left, speak directly to the American people, and put our policies in place.

This is what your support has and will continue to accomplish.

Conservative solutions have proven across time and place to be the only way to ensure the survival of our nation.

What you will read about today is how you put conservative solutions at the forefront of the national debate in 2020, through the vast and unmatched efforts of The Heritage Foundation, Heritage Action for America, and The Daily Signal. This report looks back at the battles we fought and the gains we made.

In 2020, the questions and challenges were new; the way to answer them was not. As we always do, Heritage looked to conservatism’s True North principles for guidance. True North is an orientation based on the Constitution and America’s founding principles of liberty.

Some of our achievements in 2020 will last for decades—like the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett and the massive infrastructure of conservative youth we trained through our Young Leaders Program.

We also exposed identity politics and critical race theory run amok in our federal government, the media, the entertainment industry, and our educational system. In a year when it was clear that the corporate world had gone “woke,” we countered the left’s influence in corporate America through new partnerships and fearless investigative reporting.

We also added more Americans to our ranks—from the very same communities the left has staked their claims on for decades: women, minorities, and young people.

We fought to strengthen the security and integrity of our election system as the left sought to corrupt it, and we were one of the first and only groups to sound the alarm against all-mail voting and other fraud-prone “reforms” pushed during the pandemic.

We helped guide a great rebuilding and modernization of the American military, strong American leadership, and a thriving economy. We helped the administration and state leaders spur a dynamic and effective response to COVID-19, with the development of a vaccine in record time. We launched our Fight for America campaign to encourage civic involvement at a time when every vote counted.

Quite simply, we showcased the power of ideas.

We did all this—and more—with a virtual workforce. While some nonprofits weren’t able to weather the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing their operations and even closing up shop, we expanded our operations by reprioritizing our existing resources. We activated our Enterprise Risk Management team and found a way to position our workforce to work almost entirely remotely. We did this while having maximum influence. We also helped employees made vulnerable by the pandemic and even supported law enforcement and doctors in the Washington, D.C., metro area. And we doubled down on our efforts to shape policy, and it showed.

Heritage did so well, in fact, that throughout the year, we lent our strength and guidance to other conservative organizations. We offered trainings, webinars, and support to help them stay strong during the pandemic. We conducted more than 60 one-on-one consultations on programming, fundraising, strategy, and management.

We also began a special effort to provide support and opportunities to former Trump administration officials—highly skilled and principled conservatives who now face blacklisting from the left. This led to some exciting new Heritage team members in 2021: former Vice President Mike Pence; Chad Wolf and Ken Cuccinelli, former secretary and deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan; and former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie.

This is what leadership of the movement looks like, and it is why your support always resonates farther than just Heritage. This would not have been possible without you and your fellow Heritage members.

As we write, many conservatives feel defeated and anxious about the future. When you read this recap of the year, we think you’ll be reassured about our odds of reclaiming this country. The Heritage Foundation is more influential than we have ever been—ranked No. 1 in the world among think tanks in terms of policy impact and No. 1 in the world for use of social media and the internet, where the battle for the hearts and minds of the American people is being fought.

Heritage experts immediately planted the flag against the Biden administration’s harmful agenda. Heritage is fighting reckless immigration policies, job-killing energy and environmental policies, dangerous intentions for the Iran Deal and other international treaties, and the embrace of identity politics and transgender ideology. We are going to work with our many allies in Congress and in the conservative movement, educate the American people about the good and bad of these policies, and fight like never before for the country we love.

It bears repeating: The Heritage Foundation is a permanent institution. One election can’t wipe out the truth of conservative ideas. Nothing—we repeat nothing—has diminished the validity of America’s founding principles, the U.S. Constitution, or the movement that upholds them. Conservatism is the modern iteration of these principles, but it’s something more: It’s the defense policy and foreign policy that won the Cold War, it’s the work ethic that built the world’s most powerful economy, and it’s the bravery and sacrifice of those who came before us to fight for the Founders’ vision. It’s the way in which, even today, millions of Americans are raising their children with traditional morals, values, and responsibilities.

Conservatism is the American spirit—and it’s bigger, stronger, and more enduring than anything the left has ever seen. We’re fighting for the American identity and for the legacy our parents and grandparents left us—and it’s that understanding that keeps us anchored in our beliefs. We’re fighting for America, and now, more than ever, we must thank you who make The Heritage Foundation possible.

The year 2021 will be a trial, but just like any trial that God allows in our path, this one can make us even stronger, more unified, and clearer about our beliefs. Thank you for your courage, for your support even in these difficult economic times, and for your unwavering dedication to fight for America and for the kind of future that we all want to leave to our children and grandchildren.

All the Best,