WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation announced that it has selected The Immigration Accountability Project (IAP) as a recipient of the Heritage Innovation Prize.

The Immigration Accountability Project (IAP) will receive a $100,000 award to support its aims to keep the immigration issue and the ongoing border crisis on voters' minds through the end of 2024. IAP will create engaging content and use geo-targeted social media ads to educate voters on what their Members of Congress are—or are not—doing to change and improve immigration policy and how those actions impact public safety, education, healthcare, and competition for other public resources.

Heritage President Dr. Kevin Roberts released a statement upon announcement of the award:  

“The ongoing incursion at our southern border and ensuing crime in America’s cities is out of control and comes with a devastating cost to countless innocent families. I am proud to support organizations like IAP, which, like Heritage, are tackling the issue of immigration and holding our leaders accountable for their dereliction of duty. Now more than ever, we must preserve our national identity and restore our justice system by enforcing existing U.S. law, securing our border, and deporting those who have illegally entered our open border.” 

Chris Chmielenski, president of the Immigration Accountability Project, also released a statement:  

"The Immigration Accountability Project is grateful to receive the Innovation Prize from Heritage. The outcome of the November elections will have a critical impact on the future of America’s border security and immigration policies. With the Innovation Prize, IAP will create engaging content to educate the largest number of voters on the actions, votes, and statements of their Members of Congress and candidates for federal office to help voters make the most informed decisions at the polls." 

The Heritage Innovation Prize recognizes and provides substantive financial awards totaling up to $1 million annually to results-oriented nonprofits for projects involving research, litigation, education, outreach, or communications, particularly those focused on empowering parents in education, holding Big Tech accountable, countering the threat of the Chinese Communist Party, securing America’s borders and reducing crime, ensuring free and fair elections, reducing the growth of spending and inflation, and promoting life and family formation. 

This is the fourth round of Heritage Innovation Prizes to be awarded. In 2023, winners of the prize included Communio, the National Association of Scholars, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Speech First, and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. These awards are sponsored by The Heritage Foundation’s robust endowment for innovative conservative projects. 

For more information on the most recent Innovation Prize awards, read here, or for information on the inaugural awards, read here. For more information about the prize itself, read here.