Foundations
Here's a look at documents from U.S. foundations
Foundations
Featured Stories
Reason Foundation Issues Commentary: ROAD to Housing Act Gets Some Things Right
LOS ANGELES, California, July 22 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary by senior policy analyst Christina Mojica:
* * *
The ROAD to Housing Act gets some things right. The hard work is still local.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act responds to a fundamentally local problem with federal solutions.
-
For nearly a century, the federal government has been trying to fix America's housing affordability crisis. The tools have changed, the program names have changed, and the price tags have grown, but the premise has stayed the same since the New Deal. The 21st Century ROAD (Renewing ... Show Full Article LOS ANGELES, California, July 22 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary by senior policy analyst Christina Mojica: * * * The ROAD to Housing Act gets some things right. The hard work is still local. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act responds to a fundamentally local problem with federal solutions. - For nearly a century, the federal government has been trying to fix America's housing affordability crisis. The tools have changed, the program names have changed, and the price tags have grown, but the premise has stayed the same since the New Deal. The 21st Century ROAD (RenewingOpportunity in the American Dream) to Housing Act, which became law this month without the president's signature after passing both chambers of Congress, represents a genuine effort to strip away outdated federal rules and give local governments more room to build. Several of its provisions achieve this goal. But for a bill of this size and ambition, too much of it follows a familiar pattern of expanding federal reach into a problem that has always been, and will always be, solved at the local level.
The housing crisis is real and well-documented. The national housing shortage has reached an estimated 3.7 million units, and new housing construction is projected to slow from the current rate of 1.4 million units per year to just 1.1 million units per year between 2025 and 2035.
That slowdown comes even before accounting for the existing shortfall. The gap between what the country needs and what gets built has been growing for years. The demand for housing is not in question. People need somewhere to live, and that need does not go away when construction slows down. The real question is why so little of that demand is actually being met with new supply.
The shortfall in available housing units is not the result of a failure of federal housing policy alone, although that has certainly played a role. Research tracing this pattern across several states shows that local housing markets that adopted growth management laws and land use mandates saw affordability decline, and the effect compounded over time, with the steepest price increases in jurisdictions that had lived under these frameworks the longest. The problem plays out differently in different markets, but the underlying dynamic is the same: when local governments make it harder and more expensive to build, supply falls behind demand and costs rise. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act responds to this fundamentally local problem with a fundamentally federal solution, and that mismatch runs through nearly every section of the bill.
The bill earns credit by removing barriers rather than adding programs. The most significant example is Section 301, which eliminates the chassis requirement for manufactured housing. That single regulatory change has the potential to open an entire tier of housing production that has been artificially suppressed. Countries where factory-built construction is the norm rather than the exception show what's possible at scale. Japan and Sweden together produce hundreds of thousands of factory-built homes annually, and research puts the resulting savings at a steady 10% to 20% below traditional construction costs. Removing the chassis requirement moves the United States closer to making those conditions possible here.
The community banking provisions added by the U.S. House are also a genuine improvement. Smaller institutions held 57% of one-to-four-family residential construction loans in 2024, and easing their regulatory burden removes friction from the very part of the lending market that finances most new home construction. Beyond those provisions, the bill becomes harder to defend.
The legislation assigns the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at least 35 new programs, regulations, studies, and oversight responsibilities at a time when HUD already has more work than it can handle. Adding more slow-moving federal bureaucratic processes is not likely to help grow housing supply. Moreover, two of the bill's pilot programs, the Whole Home Repairs initiative and the Innovation Fund, cannot be implemented at all without separate congressional appropriations that are not guaranteed. Congress has handed a depleted agency a longer to-do list.
The problem runs deeper than implementation capacity. Section 204 adds affordable housing construction as an eligible activity under the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG). The HOME Investment Partnerships Program, described by HUD as the largest federal block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households, already finances affordable housing construction at approximately $1.25 billion per year for both owner-occupied and rental housing. Adding the same authority to CDBGs does not bring new resources or new approaches to the table or address the fact that the average HUD-funded "affordable" housing unit costs $584,000 to build. The five-year, $30 million Whole Home Repairs pilot runs into the same wall. Home repair is already an eligible activity under multiple existing HUD programs. Pilot programs that cover ground already covered by permanent programs tend to do one of two things: quietly expire or generate enough political support to become permanent themselves. Neither outcome adds housing or reduces housing costs.
The bill's environmental review provisions tell only part of the story. Streamlining the review process for HUD-assisted projects is a welcome step, but those projects represent a small fraction of the housing that gets built in this country. Most new housing construction happens in the private market, where developers continue to navigate lengthy and costly review processes that the bill does not address. Extending regulatory relief only to federally assisted projects leaves the larger private market exactly where it started.
The institutional investor provision deserves attention because it reflects a broader misdiagnosis of the problem. The bill bars investors who own 350 or more single-family homes from purchasing additional properties. Large institutional investors own fewer than 3% of single-family homes in the United States. The cap does nothing to expand supply and sets a precedent for Congress to exclude any category of investor from any segment of the housing market at any time, for any reason.
The history here also matters. When the mortgage market collapsed in 2008, millions of homes sat vacant and deteriorating across the country. Neighborhoods faced sustained abandonment. Institutional capital stepped in, purchased those properties, maintained them, and kept them occupied, mostly as rentals. The investors who helped stabilize those markets after the financial crisis are now the target of a federal purchasing restriction, while the zoning rules that prevent new housing from being built in the first place remain untouched.
This bill also fits a longer pattern in federal housing policy worth examining. The Federal Housing Administration, created in 1934, institutionalized redlining by declining to insure loans in Black or racially mixed neighborhoods, a federal policy decision with consequences that shaped American cities for generations. The 1949 Housing Act, passed with bipartisan support, authorized 800,000 units of public housing through slum clearance and urban renewal that disproportionately demolished viable Black neighborhoods in Detroit, Atlanta, St. Louis, and elsewhere. Those units quickly fell into what a 1992 federal report described as severe distress and required ongoing federal bailouts.
The 1992 Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act, passed by a 77-vote margin in the Senate, imposed affordable housing mandates on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, requiring both to securitize mortgages for buyers with borderline credit scores. When housing prices fell, those buyers went underwater, and the resulting defaults cascaded into a bond crisis.
The housing voucher program, created as a market-oriented alternative to public housing, still struggles to move people toward independence. Federal rules cap a household's rent contribution at 30% of income, which functions as an effective 30% marginal tax on any additional earnings, a design that dulls the incentive to work more or seek higher-paying jobs. The result, according to a 2025 analysis of HUD data, is that most non-elderly, non-disabled participants remain in subsidized housing for more than 10 years. The tool itself, a portable subsidy that works with the private market rather than against it, remains sound. But even the best-designed market-based alternative can undercut its own goal of being a bridge to self-sufficiency if the implementation isn't right.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act adds to this architecture of failed federal housing policies rather than rethinking it. States and localities that have made real progress on housing have done so by making it easier to build. California's accessory dwelling unit (ADU) reforms, which produced over 139,000 permitted units and nearly 80,000 completed units between 2018 and 2024, resulted from the removal of local barriers to construction. Montana's 2023 reform package legalized duplexes statewide, expanded ADU rights, and opened commercial zones to multifamily housing; changes the Montana Supreme Court allowed to take effect in 2024 and fully upheld against constitutional challenge in 2026. Idaho followed in 2025 with its own package, including a new law capping minimum lot sizes at 1,500 square feet for starter home subdivisions in larger cities. Both states passed their reforms too recently to have full outcome data yet, but the direction is the same as what California, Houston, and Austin have already shown. That kind of reform happens in city halls and state legislatures. A 381-page federal bill can complement it at the margins, but it cannot substitute for it.
Congress deserves real credit for the manufactured housing reform and the community banking provisions. Those provisions reflect the kind of barrier-removal approach that moves the needle on supply. If lawmakers want to build on that momentum, the path forward is clear. Extend environmental review relief to all private developers rather than limit it to HUD-assisted projects. Support state-level preemption of exclusionary local zoning. Reconsider programs that have spent decades failing to deliver on their original promises. The ROAD Act takes some meaningful steps in the right direction. Sustaining that direction will require doing more of what works in this bill and less of everything else.
* * *
Christina Mojica is a senior policy analyst at Reason Foundation.
* * *
Original text here: https://reason.org/commentary/the-road-to-housing-act-gets-some-things-right-the-hard-work-is-still-local/
* * *
The ROAD to Housing Act gets some things right. The hard work is still local.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act responds to a fundamentally local problem with federal solutions.
-
For nearly a century, the federal government has been trying to fix America's housing affordability crisis. The tools have changed, the program names have changed, and the price tags have grown, but the premise has stayed the same since the New Deal. The 21st Century ROAD (Renewing ... Show Full Article LOS ANGELES, California, July 22 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary by senior policy analyst Christina Mojica: * * * The ROAD to Housing Act gets some things right. The hard work is still local. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act responds to a fundamentally local problem with federal solutions. - For nearly a century, the federal government has been trying to fix America's housing affordability crisis. The tools have changed, the program names have changed, and the price tags have grown, but the premise has stayed the same since the New Deal. The 21st Century ROAD (RenewingOpportunity in the American Dream) to Housing Act, which became law this month without the president's signature after passing both chambers of Congress, represents a genuine effort to strip away outdated federal rules and give local governments more room to build. Several of its provisions achieve this goal. But for a bill of this size and ambition, too much of it follows a familiar pattern of expanding federal reach into a problem that has always been, and will always be, solved at the local level.
The housing crisis is real and well-documented. The national housing shortage has reached an estimated 3.7 million units, and new housing construction is projected to slow from the current rate of 1.4 million units per year to just 1.1 million units per year between 2025 and 2035.
That slowdown comes even before accounting for the existing shortfall. The gap between what the country needs and what gets built has been growing for years. The demand for housing is not in question. People need somewhere to live, and that need does not go away when construction slows down. The real question is why so little of that demand is actually being met with new supply.
The shortfall in available housing units is not the result of a failure of federal housing policy alone, although that has certainly played a role. Research tracing this pattern across several states shows that local housing markets that adopted growth management laws and land use mandates saw affordability decline, and the effect compounded over time, with the steepest price increases in jurisdictions that had lived under these frameworks the longest. The problem plays out differently in different markets, but the underlying dynamic is the same: when local governments make it harder and more expensive to build, supply falls behind demand and costs rise. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act responds to this fundamentally local problem with a fundamentally federal solution, and that mismatch runs through nearly every section of the bill.
The bill earns credit by removing barriers rather than adding programs. The most significant example is Section 301, which eliminates the chassis requirement for manufactured housing. That single regulatory change has the potential to open an entire tier of housing production that has been artificially suppressed. Countries where factory-built construction is the norm rather than the exception show what's possible at scale. Japan and Sweden together produce hundreds of thousands of factory-built homes annually, and research puts the resulting savings at a steady 10% to 20% below traditional construction costs. Removing the chassis requirement moves the United States closer to making those conditions possible here.
The community banking provisions added by the U.S. House are also a genuine improvement. Smaller institutions held 57% of one-to-four-family residential construction loans in 2024, and easing their regulatory burden removes friction from the very part of the lending market that finances most new home construction. Beyond those provisions, the bill becomes harder to defend.
The legislation assigns the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at least 35 new programs, regulations, studies, and oversight responsibilities at a time when HUD already has more work than it can handle. Adding more slow-moving federal bureaucratic processes is not likely to help grow housing supply. Moreover, two of the bill's pilot programs, the Whole Home Repairs initiative and the Innovation Fund, cannot be implemented at all without separate congressional appropriations that are not guaranteed. Congress has handed a depleted agency a longer to-do list.
The problem runs deeper than implementation capacity. Section 204 adds affordable housing construction as an eligible activity under the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG). The HOME Investment Partnerships Program, described by HUD as the largest federal block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households, already finances affordable housing construction at approximately $1.25 billion per year for both owner-occupied and rental housing. Adding the same authority to CDBGs does not bring new resources or new approaches to the table or address the fact that the average HUD-funded "affordable" housing unit costs $584,000 to build. The five-year, $30 million Whole Home Repairs pilot runs into the same wall. Home repair is already an eligible activity under multiple existing HUD programs. Pilot programs that cover ground already covered by permanent programs tend to do one of two things: quietly expire or generate enough political support to become permanent themselves. Neither outcome adds housing or reduces housing costs.
The bill's environmental review provisions tell only part of the story. Streamlining the review process for HUD-assisted projects is a welcome step, but those projects represent a small fraction of the housing that gets built in this country. Most new housing construction happens in the private market, where developers continue to navigate lengthy and costly review processes that the bill does not address. Extending regulatory relief only to federally assisted projects leaves the larger private market exactly where it started.
The institutional investor provision deserves attention because it reflects a broader misdiagnosis of the problem. The bill bars investors who own 350 or more single-family homes from purchasing additional properties. Large institutional investors own fewer than 3% of single-family homes in the United States. The cap does nothing to expand supply and sets a precedent for Congress to exclude any category of investor from any segment of the housing market at any time, for any reason.
The history here also matters. When the mortgage market collapsed in 2008, millions of homes sat vacant and deteriorating across the country. Neighborhoods faced sustained abandonment. Institutional capital stepped in, purchased those properties, maintained them, and kept them occupied, mostly as rentals. The investors who helped stabilize those markets after the financial crisis are now the target of a federal purchasing restriction, while the zoning rules that prevent new housing from being built in the first place remain untouched.
This bill also fits a longer pattern in federal housing policy worth examining. The Federal Housing Administration, created in 1934, institutionalized redlining by declining to insure loans in Black or racially mixed neighborhoods, a federal policy decision with consequences that shaped American cities for generations. The 1949 Housing Act, passed with bipartisan support, authorized 800,000 units of public housing through slum clearance and urban renewal that disproportionately demolished viable Black neighborhoods in Detroit, Atlanta, St. Louis, and elsewhere. Those units quickly fell into what a 1992 federal report described as severe distress and required ongoing federal bailouts.
The 1992 Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act, passed by a 77-vote margin in the Senate, imposed affordable housing mandates on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, requiring both to securitize mortgages for buyers with borderline credit scores. When housing prices fell, those buyers went underwater, and the resulting defaults cascaded into a bond crisis.
The housing voucher program, created as a market-oriented alternative to public housing, still struggles to move people toward independence. Federal rules cap a household's rent contribution at 30% of income, which functions as an effective 30% marginal tax on any additional earnings, a design that dulls the incentive to work more or seek higher-paying jobs. The result, according to a 2025 analysis of HUD data, is that most non-elderly, non-disabled participants remain in subsidized housing for more than 10 years. The tool itself, a portable subsidy that works with the private market rather than against it, remains sound. But even the best-designed market-based alternative can undercut its own goal of being a bridge to self-sufficiency if the implementation isn't right.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act adds to this architecture of failed federal housing policies rather than rethinking it. States and localities that have made real progress on housing have done so by making it easier to build. California's accessory dwelling unit (ADU) reforms, which produced over 139,000 permitted units and nearly 80,000 completed units between 2018 and 2024, resulted from the removal of local barriers to construction. Montana's 2023 reform package legalized duplexes statewide, expanded ADU rights, and opened commercial zones to multifamily housing; changes the Montana Supreme Court allowed to take effect in 2024 and fully upheld against constitutional challenge in 2026. Idaho followed in 2025 with its own package, including a new law capping minimum lot sizes at 1,500 square feet for starter home subdivisions in larger cities. Both states passed their reforms too recently to have full outcome data yet, but the direction is the same as what California, Houston, and Austin have already shown. That kind of reform happens in city halls and state legislatures. A 381-page federal bill can complement it at the margins, but it cannot substitute for it.
Congress deserves real credit for the manufactured housing reform and the community banking provisions. Those provisions reflect the kind of barrier-removal approach that moves the needle on supply. If lawmakers want to build on that momentum, the path forward is clear. Extend environmental review relief to all private developers rather than limit it to HUD-assisted projects. Support state-level preemption of exclusionary local zoning. Reconsider programs that have spent decades failing to deliver on their original promises. The ROAD Act takes some meaningful steps in the right direction. Sustaining that direction will require doing more of what works in this bill and less of everything else.
* * *
Christina Mojica is a senior policy analyst at Reason Foundation.
* * *
Original text here: https://reason.org/commentary/the-road-to-housing-act-gets-some-things-right-the-hard-work-is-still-local/
Kentucky Sheriff Removes Unconstitutional Easter Posts After FFRF Intervention
MADISON, Wisconsin, July 22 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
* * *
Kentucky sheriff removes unconstitutional Easter posts after FFRF intervention
The Freedom From Religion Foundation convinced the Rowan County Sheriff's Office in Morehead, Ky., to remove social media posts promoting Christianity after FFRF raised constitutional concerns.
A local resident informed FFRF that the Rowan County Sheriff's Office posted on its official Facebook page on April 3 in observance of Good Friday. The post said, "Please keep in mind the importance of what this day ... Show Full Article MADISON, Wisconsin, July 22 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release: * * * Kentucky sheriff removes unconstitutional Easter posts after FFRF intervention The Freedom From Religion Foundation convinced the Rowan County Sheriff's Office in Morehead, Ky., to remove social media posts promoting Christianity after FFRF raised constitutional concerns. A local resident informed FFRF that the Rowan County Sheriff's Office posted on its official Facebook page on April 3 in observance of Good Friday. The post said, "Please keep in mind the importance of what this dayis about & what Jesus did for each of us!" Additionally, the Sheriff's Office posted on its Facebook page a photo that read, "Happy Easter 'He is not here for he has risen just as he said' Mathew [sic] 28:6."
"Rowan County's residents trust their law enforcement officials to attend to their secular duties and treat all community members equally," FFRF Patrick O'Reiley Legal Fellow Charlotte R. Gude wrote to Sheriff Matt Sparks.
When a sheriff's office promotes religion, particularly a single faith, through its social media accounts, it signals government favoritism toward religion over nonreligion and Christianity over all other faiths. By encouraging residents to "keep in mind" "what Jesus did for each of us," the sheriff's office abandoned the religious neutrality required of government agencies. Such messaging marginalizes residents who are nonreligious or belong to minority faiths. Data show 38 percent of the American population is non-Christian, including almost 30 percent who are nonreligious. Such exclusionary content sends a message that they are second-class citizens to Rowan County community members who subscribe to minority faiths or no religion at all.
Following FFRF's letter, Sheriff Matt Sparks confirmed by email that the posts had been removed.
"FFRF takes these kinds of violations very seriously. When members of law enforcement use their position to push their own religious beliefs, community members who do not adhere to those same beliefs undoubtedly feel less safe," FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says. "The sheriff's office must avoid religious endorsements or messaging in all of its official communications, including on social media."
* * *
With more than 41,000 members and several chapters nationwide, including nearly 300 members and a chapter in Kentucky, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America.
* * *
Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/kentucky-sheriff-removes-unconstitutional-easter-posts-after-ffrf-intervention/
[Category: Religion]
* * *
Kentucky sheriff removes unconstitutional Easter posts after FFRF intervention
The Freedom From Religion Foundation convinced the Rowan County Sheriff's Office in Morehead, Ky., to remove social media posts promoting Christianity after FFRF raised constitutional concerns.
A local resident informed FFRF that the Rowan County Sheriff's Office posted on its official Facebook page on April 3 in observance of Good Friday. The post said, "Please keep in mind the importance of what this day ... Show Full Article MADISON, Wisconsin, July 22 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release: * * * Kentucky sheriff removes unconstitutional Easter posts after FFRF intervention The Freedom From Religion Foundation convinced the Rowan County Sheriff's Office in Morehead, Ky., to remove social media posts promoting Christianity after FFRF raised constitutional concerns. A local resident informed FFRF that the Rowan County Sheriff's Office posted on its official Facebook page on April 3 in observance of Good Friday. The post said, "Please keep in mind the importance of what this dayis about & what Jesus did for each of us!" Additionally, the Sheriff's Office posted on its Facebook page a photo that read, "Happy Easter 'He is not here for he has risen just as he said' Mathew [sic] 28:6."
"Rowan County's residents trust their law enforcement officials to attend to their secular duties and treat all community members equally," FFRF Patrick O'Reiley Legal Fellow Charlotte R. Gude wrote to Sheriff Matt Sparks.
When a sheriff's office promotes religion, particularly a single faith, through its social media accounts, it signals government favoritism toward religion over nonreligion and Christianity over all other faiths. By encouraging residents to "keep in mind" "what Jesus did for each of us," the sheriff's office abandoned the religious neutrality required of government agencies. Such messaging marginalizes residents who are nonreligious or belong to minority faiths. Data show 38 percent of the American population is non-Christian, including almost 30 percent who are nonreligious. Such exclusionary content sends a message that they are second-class citizens to Rowan County community members who subscribe to minority faiths or no religion at all.
Following FFRF's letter, Sheriff Matt Sparks confirmed by email that the posts had been removed.
"FFRF takes these kinds of violations very seriously. When members of law enforcement use their position to push their own religious beliefs, community members who do not adhere to those same beliefs undoubtedly feel less safe," FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says. "The sheriff's office must avoid religious endorsements or messaging in all of its official communications, including on social media."
* * *
With more than 41,000 members and several chapters nationwide, including nearly 300 members and a chapter in Kentucky, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America.
* * *
Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/kentucky-sheriff-removes-unconstitutional-easter-posts-after-ffrf-intervention/
[Category: Religion]
International Myeloma Foundation: Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care Applauds Reintroduction of the Cancer Drug Parity Act
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, California, July 22 -- The International Myeloma Foundation issued the following news:
* * *
Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care Applauds Reintroduction of the Cancer Drug Parity Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care (CIACC), convened by the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF), applauds Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) for reintroducing the bipartisan Cancer Drug Parity Act, legislation that would ensure patients do not face higher out of pocket costs simply because their prescribed anticancer treatment is taken orally ... Show Full Article NORTH HOLLYWOOD, California, July 22 -- The International Myeloma Foundation issued the following news: * * * Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care Applauds Reintroduction of the Cancer Drug Parity Act WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care (CIACC), convened by the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF), applauds Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) for reintroducing the bipartisan Cancer Drug Parity Act, legislation that would ensure patients do not face higher out of pocket costs simply because their prescribed anticancer treatment is taken orallyrather than administered intravenously.
As advances in cancer research continue to transform treatment, oral anticancer therapies have become the standard of care for many cancers. Yet outdated insurance benefit designs continue to leave many patients paying significantly more out of pocket for oral medications than physician administered therapies, creating financial barriers that can limit access to the treatment their healthcare provider recommends.
The need for modernized insurance coverage is reinforced by a recent Susan G. Komen study examining the impact of treatment administration on patients' daily lives. According to the study, people receiving intravenous treatment were more than three times as likely as those receiving oral therapy to report that treatment had a significant impact on their productivity at work or school. The study also found that 54% of people receiving IV treatment frequently took paid time off from work and 33% frequently took unpaid leave, compared with just 5% and 9%, respectively, among those receiving oral therapies.
"The way a cancer treatment is administered should never determine whether a patient can afford it," said Danielle Doheny, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the International Myeloma Foundation. "Oral therapies have become an essential part of modern cancer care, yet insurance coverage has not kept pace with these advances. The Cancer Drug Parity Act will help ensure treatment decisions are based on clinical need rather than financial barriers. We thank Senators Smith and Moran for their continued bipartisan leadership and urge Congress to advance this important legislation."
Convened by the International Myeloma Foundation, CIACC brings together patient advocacy organizations, provider organizations, professional societies, and other stakeholders committed to ensuring equitable access to cancer care. Coalition members from across the oncology community expressed strong support for the legislation.
"The advent of effective oral therapies marked a significant change in the way many people with lymphoma and CLL are treated," said Meghan Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer, Lymphoma Research Foundation. "To ensure patients receive the most effective therapy at the right time, and achieve the best outcome, we must ensure access to these treatments. The Cancer Drug Parity Act is an important step to achieve this."
"Oral therapies are an important cancer care advancement that can reduce the burden of care for some and can be not only the best option, but the only option for others, especially for those living with metastatic breast cancer," said Molly Guthrie, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy at Susan G. Komen. "Unfortunately, outdated insurance design often takes away patient and provider choice leaving these treatments out of reach for too many. Komen is proud to support the Cancer Drug Parity Act and applauds Senators Smith and Moran for their continued efforts to ensure breast cancer patients can choose the best treatment for them without erroneous barriers."
"No colorectal cancer patient should pay more out of pocket simply because their treatment comes in pill form instead of through an IV," said Anjee Davis, Chief Executive Officer, Fight Colorectal Cancer. "Oral therapies are standard of care for many colorectal cancer patients, and cost should never be the reason someone cannot access the treatment their doctor recommends. The Cancer Drug Parity Act closes that gap, and Fight Colorectal Cancer is proud to support it."
"Providers, including hematology and oncology pharmacists, too often see patients forced to choose between the treatment that is best for them and the one they can afford. The proposed legislation seeks to eliminate this disparity and promote access to the most appropriate therapies for patients with cancer. If passed, the Cancer Drug Parity Act would ensure that oral anticancer therapies are covered on par with intravenous medications, allowing treatment decisions to be driven by a patient's clinical needs rather than by financial constraints. We applaud Senators Smith and Moran for introducing the bill and urge Congress to quickly pass this important legislation," said Amy Seung, President, Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association.
"Every day, oncology nurses see this disparity play out in real time, a patient whose most effective treatment happens to come in pill form, forced to weigh their care against cost sharing the IV administered counterpart would never face," said Ryne Wilson, DNP, RN, OCN(R), CNE, President, Oncology Nursing Society. "As oral chemotherapy becomes a growing standard of care, more of these treatments have no IV equivalent. That gap isn't just an inconvenience, it's a barrier to the best possible outcome. ONS thanks Senators Moran and Smith for their bipartisan leadership and urges Congress to pass this commonsense fix."
"The Cancer Drug Parity Act advances equitable access to cancer treatment by ensuring that patients are not subject to higher out of pocket costs based solely on how a medically necessary therapy is administered," said Triage Cancer. "At Triage Cancer, we believe this legislation removes unnecessary financial barriers to care and helps ensure that treatment decisions are driven by clinical need, not cost."
The Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care urges Congress to swiftly advance the Cancer Drug Parity Act to ensure patients have equitable access to medically necessary cancer treatments regardless of how those therapies are administered. As cancer care continues to evolve, insurance coverage must evolve with it so patients can access the treatment their healthcare provider determines is most appropriate. CIACC looks forward to continuing to work with Congress and stakeholders to advance this important legislation and ensure treatment decisions are guided by clinical evidence and patient need, not financial barriers.
* * *
About the Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care
The Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care (CIACC), convened by the International Myeloma Foundation, is a coalition of patient advocacy organizations, provider organizations, professional societies, and other stakeholders committed to ensuring patients have equitable and affordable access to medically necessary cancer treatments regardless of how those therapies are administered.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.myeloma.org/news-events/multiple-myeloma-news/ciacc-cancer-drug-parity-act-reintroduction
* * *
Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care Applauds Reintroduction of the Cancer Drug Parity Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care (CIACC), convened by the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF), applauds Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) for reintroducing the bipartisan Cancer Drug Parity Act, legislation that would ensure patients do not face higher out of pocket costs simply because their prescribed anticancer treatment is taken orally ... Show Full Article NORTH HOLLYWOOD, California, July 22 -- The International Myeloma Foundation issued the following news: * * * Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care Applauds Reintroduction of the Cancer Drug Parity Act WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care (CIACC), convened by the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF), applauds Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) for reintroducing the bipartisan Cancer Drug Parity Act, legislation that would ensure patients do not face higher out of pocket costs simply because their prescribed anticancer treatment is taken orallyrather than administered intravenously.
As advances in cancer research continue to transform treatment, oral anticancer therapies have become the standard of care for many cancers. Yet outdated insurance benefit designs continue to leave many patients paying significantly more out of pocket for oral medications than physician administered therapies, creating financial barriers that can limit access to the treatment their healthcare provider recommends.
The need for modernized insurance coverage is reinforced by a recent Susan G. Komen study examining the impact of treatment administration on patients' daily lives. According to the study, people receiving intravenous treatment were more than three times as likely as those receiving oral therapy to report that treatment had a significant impact on their productivity at work or school. The study also found that 54% of people receiving IV treatment frequently took paid time off from work and 33% frequently took unpaid leave, compared with just 5% and 9%, respectively, among those receiving oral therapies.
"The way a cancer treatment is administered should never determine whether a patient can afford it," said Danielle Doheny, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the International Myeloma Foundation. "Oral therapies have become an essential part of modern cancer care, yet insurance coverage has not kept pace with these advances. The Cancer Drug Parity Act will help ensure treatment decisions are based on clinical need rather than financial barriers. We thank Senators Smith and Moran for their continued bipartisan leadership and urge Congress to advance this important legislation."
Convened by the International Myeloma Foundation, CIACC brings together patient advocacy organizations, provider organizations, professional societies, and other stakeholders committed to ensuring equitable access to cancer care. Coalition members from across the oncology community expressed strong support for the legislation.
"The advent of effective oral therapies marked a significant change in the way many people with lymphoma and CLL are treated," said Meghan Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer, Lymphoma Research Foundation. "To ensure patients receive the most effective therapy at the right time, and achieve the best outcome, we must ensure access to these treatments. The Cancer Drug Parity Act is an important step to achieve this."
"Oral therapies are an important cancer care advancement that can reduce the burden of care for some and can be not only the best option, but the only option for others, especially for those living with metastatic breast cancer," said Molly Guthrie, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy at Susan G. Komen. "Unfortunately, outdated insurance design often takes away patient and provider choice leaving these treatments out of reach for too many. Komen is proud to support the Cancer Drug Parity Act and applauds Senators Smith and Moran for their continued efforts to ensure breast cancer patients can choose the best treatment for them without erroneous barriers."
"No colorectal cancer patient should pay more out of pocket simply because their treatment comes in pill form instead of through an IV," said Anjee Davis, Chief Executive Officer, Fight Colorectal Cancer. "Oral therapies are standard of care for many colorectal cancer patients, and cost should never be the reason someone cannot access the treatment their doctor recommends. The Cancer Drug Parity Act closes that gap, and Fight Colorectal Cancer is proud to support it."
"Providers, including hematology and oncology pharmacists, too often see patients forced to choose between the treatment that is best for them and the one they can afford. The proposed legislation seeks to eliminate this disparity and promote access to the most appropriate therapies for patients with cancer. If passed, the Cancer Drug Parity Act would ensure that oral anticancer therapies are covered on par with intravenous medications, allowing treatment decisions to be driven by a patient's clinical needs rather than by financial constraints. We applaud Senators Smith and Moran for introducing the bill and urge Congress to quickly pass this important legislation," said Amy Seung, President, Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association.
"Every day, oncology nurses see this disparity play out in real time, a patient whose most effective treatment happens to come in pill form, forced to weigh their care against cost sharing the IV administered counterpart would never face," said Ryne Wilson, DNP, RN, OCN(R), CNE, President, Oncology Nursing Society. "As oral chemotherapy becomes a growing standard of care, more of these treatments have no IV equivalent. That gap isn't just an inconvenience, it's a barrier to the best possible outcome. ONS thanks Senators Moran and Smith for their bipartisan leadership and urges Congress to pass this commonsense fix."
"The Cancer Drug Parity Act advances equitable access to cancer treatment by ensuring that patients are not subject to higher out of pocket costs based solely on how a medically necessary therapy is administered," said Triage Cancer. "At Triage Cancer, we believe this legislation removes unnecessary financial barriers to care and helps ensure that treatment decisions are driven by clinical need, not cost."
The Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care urges Congress to swiftly advance the Cancer Drug Parity Act to ensure patients have equitable access to medically necessary cancer treatments regardless of how those therapies are administered. As cancer care continues to evolve, insurance coverage must evolve with it so patients can access the treatment their healthcare provider determines is most appropriate. CIACC looks forward to continuing to work with Congress and stakeholders to advance this important legislation and ensure treatment decisions are guided by clinical evidence and patient need, not financial barriers.
* * *
About the Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care
The Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care (CIACC), convened by the International Myeloma Foundation, is a coalition of patient advocacy organizations, provider organizations, professional societies, and other stakeholders committed to ensuring patients have equitable and affordable access to medically necessary cancer treatments regardless of how those therapies are administered.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.myeloma.org/news-events/multiple-myeloma-news/ciacc-cancer-drug-parity-act-reintroduction
TPPF Releases New Research on Ensuring Only Citizens Vote
AUSTIN, Texas, July 21 (TNSrpt) -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release:
* * *
TPPF Releases New Research on Ensuring Only Citizens Vote
*
Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation released How to Ensure That Only Citizens Vote, a new research paper by Chief National Initiatives Officer Chuck DeVore outlining how Texas can strengthen election integrity by ensuring that only eligible U.S. citizens vote in state and local elections.
The report recommends that Texas adopt a voter registration system modeled after Arizona's, requiring documentary proof of citizenship ... Show Full Article AUSTIN, Texas, July 21 (TNSrpt) -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release: * * * TPPF Releases New Research on Ensuring Only Citizens Vote * Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation released How to Ensure That Only Citizens Vote, a new research paper by Chief National Initiatives Officer Chuck DeVore outlining how Texas can strengthen election integrity by ensuring that only eligible U.S. citizens vote in state and local elections. The report recommends that Texas adopt a voter registration system modeled after Arizona's, requiring documentary proof of citizenshipfor state voter registration while allowing voters who register under the federal form to participate in federal elections, consistent with federal law.
"Only U.S. citizens should vote in our elections," said Chuck DeVore, Chief National Initiatives Officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and author of the report. "Documentary proof of citizenship and voter identification are essential safeguards to ensure that only eligible citizens participate in our elections. For state and local elections, Texas should strengthen these protections by creating a federal-only voter list."
"Every legally cast vote deserves equal weight. When non-citizens appear on voter rolls, it undermines confidence that our elections are reserved for eligible U.S. citizens. Protecting that confidence is essential to preserving trust in our democratic process," said Hannah Bruck, Campaign Director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
* * *
REPORT: https://www.texaspolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026-07-Safeguarding-Elections-Chuck-DeVore.pdf
***
Original text here: https://www.texaspolicy.com/press/tppf-releases-new-research-on-ensuring-only-citizens-vote
* * *
TPPF Releases New Research on Ensuring Only Citizens Vote
*
Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation released How to Ensure That Only Citizens Vote, a new research paper by Chief National Initiatives Officer Chuck DeVore outlining how Texas can strengthen election integrity by ensuring that only eligible U.S. citizens vote in state and local elections.
The report recommends that Texas adopt a voter registration system modeled after Arizona's, requiring documentary proof of citizenship ... Show Full Article AUSTIN, Texas, July 21 (TNSrpt) -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release: * * * TPPF Releases New Research on Ensuring Only Citizens Vote * Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation released How to Ensure That Only Citizens Vote, a new research paper by Chief National Initiatives Officer Chuck DeVore outlining how Texas can strengthen election integrity by ensuring that only eligible U.S. citizens vote in state and local elections. The report recommends that Texas adopt a voter registration system modeled after Arizona's, requiring documentary proof of citizenshipfor state voter registration while allowing voters who register under the federal form to participate in federal elections, consistent with federal law.
"Only U.S. citizens should vote in our elections," said Chuck DeVore, Chief National Initiatives Officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and author of the report. "Documentary proof of citizenship and voter identification are essential safeguards to ensure that only eligible citizens participate in our elections. For state and local elections, Texas should strengthen these protections by creating a federal-only voter list."
"Every legally cast vote deserves equal weight. When non-citizens appear on voter rolls, it undermines confidence that our elections are reserved for eligible U.S. citizens. Protecting that confidence is essential to preserving trust in our democratic process," said Hannah Bruck, Campaign Director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
* * *
REPORT: https://www.texaspolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026-07-Safeguarding-Elections-Chuck-DeVore.pdf
***
Original text here: https://www.texaspolicy.com/press/tppf-releases-new-research-on-ensuring-only-citizens-vote
TPPF Backs Rep. Chip Roy's Permanent Trump Secure Border Act
AUSTIN, Texas, July 21 -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release:
* * *
TPPF Backs Rep. Chip Roy's Permanent Trump Secure Border Act
*
AUSTIN, Texas - Ahead of today's House Judiciary Committee markup, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) applauds Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21) for his leadership on the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act ( H.R. 9773 ). The legislation would codify key border security policies implemented under President Trump, including measures to end catch-and-release by strengthening asylum and parole standards, mandating detention, and provide additional ... Show Full Article AUSTIN, Texas, July 21 -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release: * * * TPPF Backs Rep. Chip Roy's Permanent Trump Secure Border Act * AUSTIN, Texas - Ahead of today's House Judiciary Committee markup, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) applauds Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21) for his leadership on the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act ( H.R. 9773 ). The legislation would codify key border security policies implemented under President Trump, including measures to end catch-and-release by strengthening asylum and parole standards, mandating detention, and provide additionaltools to secure the southern border.
H.R. 9773 includes a number of border enforcement provisions that are consistent with those contained with H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023.
"A secure border cannot depend on temporary policies that change from one administration to the next," said Greg Sindelar, Chief Executive Officer of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. "The Permanent Trump Secure Border Act would establish lasting border reforms, strengthen national security, and ensure that future administrations have the resources needed to keep Americans safe."
"As a former Border Patrol agent, I saw firsthand how catch and release, weak asylum standards, and inconsistent enforcement of border policies undermine agents in the field and create openings for cartels and smugglers," said Ammon Blair, Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. "This critical legislation would help close loopholes, strengthen enforcement, and give the men and women on the border the clear authority to do their job."
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is grateful to Rep. Chip Roy and the lawmakers who continue to champion policies that strengthen our country's security and uphold our nation's sovereignty.
About the Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute, whose mission is to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the nation by educating and affecting policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach.
***
Original text here: https://www.texaspolicy.com/press/tppf-backs-rep-chip-roys-permanent-trump-secure-border-act
* * *
TPPF Backs Rep. Chip Roy's Permanent Trump Secure Border Act
*
AUSTIN, Texas - Ahead of today's House Judiciary Committee markup, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) applauds Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21) for his leadership on the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act ( H.R. 9773 ). The legislation would codify key border security policies implemented under President Trump, including measures to end catch-and-release by strengthening asylum and parole standards, mandating detention, and provide additional ... Show Full Article AUSTIN, Texas, July 21 -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release: * * * TPPF Backs Rep. Chip Roy's Permanent Trump Secure Border Act * AUSTIN, Texas - Ahead of today's House Judiciary Committee markup, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) applauds Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21) for his leadership on the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act ( H.R. 9773 ). The legislation would codify key border security policies implemented under President Trump, including measures to end catch-and-release by strengthening asylum and parole standards, mandating detention, and provide additionaltools to secure the southern border.
H.R. 9773 includes a number of border enforcement provisions that are consistent with those contained with H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023.
"A secure border cannot depend on temporary policies that change from one administration to the next," said Greg Sindelar, Chief Executive Officer of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. "The Permanent Trump Secure Border Act would establish lasting border reforms, strengthen national security, and ensure that future administrations have the resources needed to keep Americans safe."
"As a former Border Patrol agent, I saw firsthand how catch and release, weak asylum standards, and inconsistent enforcement of border policies undermine agents in the field and create openings for cartels and smugglers," said Ammon Blair, Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. "This critical legislation would help close loopholes, strengthen enforcement, and give the men and women on the border the clear authority to do their job."
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is grateful to Rep. Chip Roy and the lawmakers who continue to champion policies that strengthen our country's security and uphold our nation's sovereignty.
About the Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute, whose mission is to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the nation by educating and affecting policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach.
***
Original text here: https://www.texaspolicy.com/press/tppf-backs-rep-chip-roys-permanent-trump-secure-border-act
Getty Caps Off $4.85M Initiative to Protect Buildings Designed by Black Architects
LOS ANGELES, California, July 21 -- The J. Paul Getty Trust posted the following news release:
* * *
Getty Caps Off $4.85M Initiative to Protect Buildings Designed by Black Architects
*
The Getty Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund announced today five Conserving Black Modernism grants as part of the culminating round of funding for this initiative dedicated to preserving significant works of architecture by Black architects and designers.
Initially launched in 2022 as a two-year initiative, Getty expanded Conserving ... Show Full Article LOS ANGELES, California, July 21 -- The J. Paul Getty Trust posted the following news release: * * * Getty Caps Off $4.85M Initiative to Protect Buildings Designed by Black Architects * The Getty Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund announced today five Conserving Black Modernism grants as part of the culminating round of funding for this initiative dedicated to preserving significant works of architecture by Black architects and designers. Initially launched in 2022 as a two-year initiative, Getty expanded ConservingBlack Modernism to support a total of 26 historic modern sites, including buildings that once faced uncertain futures and possible demolition.
This year's grants will preserve unique and culturally significant sites in five different states. From a major urban park and transit route that bridges historically Black neighborhoods in Boston to the first Black-owned, designed and operated shopping center in Milwaukee, Getty funding will support preservation plans for sites and strengthen the skillset of professionals who care for them. Grants also foster community engagement and elevate public awareness of the trailblazing Black architects and designers who contributed to the modernist architecture movement.
Grantees include Central City Plaza in Milwaukee, designed by Wisconsin's first licensed Black architect Alonzo Robinson Jr.; Martin Luther King Jr. Humanities Center at Texas Southern University, designed by Texas' first licensed Black architect John Saunders Chase Jr.; Nashville's Park-Johnson Hall at Fisk University, designed by Moses McKissack III and his firm, McKissack & McKissack; components of Boston's Southwest Corridor, designed by Black-led architecture firm Stull & Lee; and St. Mark AME Zion Church in Indiana, designed by Wendell Campbell.
"Conserving Black Modernism has helped communities in nearly every region of the U.S. protect the work of Black architects and has helped broaden the very definition of modernist architecture," said Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation. "Teaming up with the National Trust over the past five years has allowed us to take actionable steps to preserve underrepresented sites that embody Black excellence in design, activism and resilience."
Conserving Black Modernism is part of National Trust's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, the largest preservation campaign to support the longevity of African American sites. Today, the Action Fund also announced funding for a total of 27 sites representing Black history across the U.S., which includes the five sites supported by Getty funding. Since its founding in 2017, the Action Fund has raised more than $200 million and supported over 400 preservation projects dedicated to protecting Black heritage nationwide.
"Getty's grants have supported our larger effort with the Action Fund to invest in communities that are preserving the full American story-from the struggles for freedom and civil rights to the achievements of Black educators, architects, entrepreneurs, faith leaders, and culture bearers," said Brent Leggs, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and founder of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. "By supporting local stewards and communities, we are helping ensure these stories endure for generations to come."
Since 2022, Conserving Black Modernism grants have supported a diverse array of building types across 17 states and D.C., including academic, spiritual, residential, civic, cultural and commercial sites of historic importance. Notable past grantees include the Spanish Rancho- and Japanese-influenced Carson City Hall designed by the oldest Black American architectural firm in Los Angeles; Ira Aldridge Theater in Washington D.C. named after the first Black actor to play leading roles in Shakespeare plays and an award-winning swimming pool and pool house in Wichita, Kansas, designed by Charles McAfee and recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Conserving Black Modernism grants for 2026:
Central City Plaza
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Completed in 1973, Central City Plaza was designed by Wisconsin's first licensed Black architect Alonzo Robinson Jr. and is the first Black-owned, designed and operated shopping center in Milwaukee. The complex is one of few examples of the New Formalist style in Milwaukee, consisting of three separate buildings with arched porticos, fluted concrete panels and arcaded storefronts. The Salvation Army leased and acquired title to one of the structures, a former motel, in 1983 and utilizes the space for humanitarian work, including 24/7 emergency housing, meals and services. Getty funding will support a historic structures report and related studies will guide the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the site, expanding its shelter and support services.
Martin Luther King Jr. Humanities Center, Texas Southern University
Houston, Texas
Designed by John Saunders Chase Jr. and completed in 1969, the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanities Center is the long-standing home of Texas Southern University's School of Communications. Chase, Jr. was the first licensed Black architect in Texas, a founding member of the National Organization of Minority Architects and the first African American to serve on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The building was constructed in 1969 and dedicated shortly after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It features a distinctive cylindrical form with extended wings, which are thought to symbolize Dr. King's legacy and enduring influence. Getty funding will support a historic structures report documenting the building's historical significance, existing conditions and preservation priorities.
Park-Johnson Hall at Fisk University
Nashville, Tennessee
Park-Johnson Hall, located in the Fisk University Historic District and built in 1954, is a three-story brick and glass modernist building, housing classrooms, a lecture hall and offices designed by Moses McKissack III and his firm, McKissack & McKissack, the oldest Black-owned architecture firm in the U.S. Getty funding will support a comprehensive conservation and management plan for the site, including documentation that situates the building within the broader portfolio of McKissack & McKissack's architectural contributions to Fisk University's campus.
Southwest Corridor
Boston, Massachusetts
The Southwest Corridor Project, including the Metro Boston Transit Authority (MBTA)'s Ruggles Station, was built on land initially cleared for the 1-95 Southwest Expressway. After community activism cancelled the highway's construction in 1969, Black-led architecture firm Stull & Lee, Inc. led the planning for the extension of MBTA's Orange Line and a 52-acre park along its route. The Southwest Corridor Project prioritized community participation and included recreational facilities, community gardens and paths connecting to other Boston park systems. Ruggles Station opened in 1987 with an iconic barrel vault with sunburst windows and cast-in-place concrete featuring art by local artists. Getty funding will support a historical documentation study of significant Stull and Lee projects along the Southwest Corridor through archival research, photography, 3D modeling and engagement with architect M. David Lee to preserve knowledge about their design and cultural history.
St. Mark AME Zion Church
East Chicago, Indiana
Completed in 1973, St. Mark AME Zion Church was designed to evoke interlocked praying hands with a multi-planed triangular roof and ribbon windows. Designed by Wendell Campbell, a co-founder and the first president of the National Organization of Minority Architects, the church is an example of modernist and neo-expressionist religious architecture. Getty funding will support a conservation management plan to document existing conditions, establish preservation priorities and guide the future rehabilitation of the site.
Conserving Black Modernism is one of several efforts by Getty to broaden awareness of and preserve Black cultural heritage, including initiatives like African American Historic Places Los Angeles, Black Visual Arts Archives, African American Art History Initiative and its joint acquisition of the archive of Paul R. Williams, one of the best-known 20th-century Black architects in the U.S.
***
Original text here: https://www.getty.edu/news/getty-initiative-conserving-black-modernism
* * *
Getty Caps Off $4.85M Initiative to Protect Buildings Designed by Black Architects
*
The Getty Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund announced today five Conserving Black Modernism grants as part of the culminating round of funding for this initiative dedicated to preserving significant works of architecture by Black architects and designers.
Initially launched in 2022 as a two-year initiative, Getty expanded Conserving ... Show Full Article LOS ANGELES, California, July 21 -- The J. Paul Getty Trust posted the following news release: * * * Getty Caps Off $4.85M Initiative to Protect Buildings Designed by Black Architects * The Getty Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund announced today five Conserving Black Modernism grants as part of the culminating round of funding for this initiative dedicated to preserving significant works of architecture by Black architects and designers. Initially launched in 2022 as a two-year initiative, Getty expanded ConservingBlack Modernism to support a total of 26 historic modern sites, including buildings that once faced uncertain futures and possible demolition.
This year's grants will preserve unique and culturally significant sites in five different states. From a major urban park and transit route that bridges historically Black neighborhoods in Boston to the first Black-owned, designed and operated shopping center in Milwaukee, Getty funding will support preservation plans for sites and strengthen the skillset of professionals who care for them. Grants also foster community engagement and elevate public awareness of the trailblazing Black architects and designers who contributed to the modernist architecture movement.
Grantees include Central City Plaza in Milwaukee, designed by Wisconsin's first licensed Black architect Alonzo Robinson Jr.; Martin Luther King Jr. Humanities Center at Texas Southern University, designed by Texas' first licensed Black architect John Saunders Chase Jr.; Nashville's Park-Johnson Hall at Fisk University, designed by Moses McKissack III and his firm, McKissack & McKissack; components of Boston's Southwest Corridor, designed by Black-led architecture firm Stull & Lee; and St. Mark AME Zion Church in Indiana, designed by Wendell Campbell.
"Conserving Black Modernism has helped communities in nearly every region of the U.S. protect the work of Black architects and has helped broaden the very definition of modernist architecture," said Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation. "Teaming up with the National Trust over the past five years has allowed us to take actionable steps to preserve underrepresented sites that embody Black excellence in design, activism and resilience."
Conserving Black Modernism is part of National Trust's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, the largest preservation campaign to support the longevity of African American sites. Today, the Action Fund also announced funding for a total of 27 sites representing Black history across the U.S., which includes the five sites supported by Getty funding. Since its founding in 2017, the Action Fund has raised more than $200 million and supported over 400 preservation projects dedicated to protecting Black heritage nationwide.
"Getty's grants have supported our larger effort with the Action Fund to invest in communities that are preserving the full American story-from the struggles for freedom and civil rights to the achievements of Black educators, architects, entrepreneurs, faith leaders, and culture bearers," said Brent Leggs, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and founder of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. "By supporting local stewards and communities, we are helping ensure these stories endure for generations to come."
Since 2022, Conserving Black Modernism grants have supported a diverse array of building types across 17 states and D.C., including academic, spiritual, residential, civic, cultural and commercial sites of historic importance. Notable past grantees include the Spanish Rancho- and Japanese-influenced Carson City Hall designed by the oldest Black American architectural firm in Los Angeles; Ira Aldridge Theater in Washington D.C. named after the first Black actor to play leading roles in Shakespeare plays and an award-winning swimming pool and pool house in Wichita, Kansas, designed by Charles McAfee and recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Conserving Black Modernism grants for 2026:
Central City Plaza
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Completed in 1973, Central City Plaza was designed by Wisconsin's first licensed Black architect Alonzo Robinson Jr. and is the first Black-owned, designed and operated shopping center in Milwaukee. The complex is one of few examples of the New Formalist style in Milwaukee, consisting of three separate buildings with arched porticos, fluted concrete panels and arcaded storefronts. The Salvation Army leased and acquired title to one of the structures, a former motel, in 1983 and utilizes the space for humanitarian work, including 24/7 emergency housing, meals and services. Getty funding will support a historic structures report and related studies will guide the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the site, expanding its shelter and support services.
Martin Luther King Jr. Humanities Center, Texas Southern University
Houston, Texas
Designed by John Saunders Chase Jr. and completed in 1969, the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanities Center is the long-standing home of Texas Southern University's School of Communications. Chase, Jr. was the first licensed Black architect in Texas, a founding member of the National Organization of Minority Architects and the first African American to serve on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The building was constructed in 1969 and dedicated shortly after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It features a distinctive cylindrical form with extended wings, which are thought to symbolize Dr. King's legacy and enduring influence. Getty funding will support a historic structures report documenting the building's historical significance, existing conditions and preservation priorities.
Park-Johnson Hall at Fisk University
Nashville, Tennessee
Park-Johnson Hall, located in the Fisk University Historic District and built in 1954, is a three-story brick and glass modernist building, housing classrooms, a lecture hall and offices designed by Moses McKissack III and his firm, McKissack & McKissack, the oldest Black-owned architecture firm in the U.S. Getty funding will support a comprehensive conservation and management plan for the site, including documentation that situates the building within the broader portfolio of McKissack & McKissack's architectural contributions to Fisk University's campus.
Southwest Corridor
Boston, Massachusetts
The Southwest Corridor Project, including the Metro Boston Transit Authority (MBTA)'s Ruggles Station, was built on land initially cleared for the 1-95 Southwest Expressway. After community activism cancelled the highway's construction in 1969, Black-led architecture firm Stull & Lee, Inc. led the planning for the extension of MBTA's Orange Line and a 52-acre park along its route. The Southwest Corridor Project prioritized community participation and included recreational facilities, community gardens and paths connecting to other Boston park systems. Ruggles Station opened in 1987 with an iconic barrel vault with sunburst windows and cast-in-place concrete featuring art by local artists. Getty funding will support a historical documentation study of significant Stull and Lee projects along the Southwest Corridor through archival research, photography, 3D modeling and engagement with architect M. David Lee to preserve knowledge about their design and cultural history.
St. Mark AME Zion Church
East Chicago, Indiana
Completed in 1973, St. Mark AME Zion Church was designed to evoke interlocked praying hands with a multi-planed triangular roof and ribbon windows. Designed by Wendell Campbell, a co-founder and the first president of the National Organization of Minority Architects, the church is an example of modernist and neo-expressionist religious architecture. Getty funding will support a conservation management plan to document existing conditions, establish preservation priorities and guide the future rehabilitation of the site.
Conserving Black Modernism is one of several efforts by Getty to broaden awareness of and preserve Black cultural heritage, including initiatives like African American Historic Places Los Angeles, Black Visual Arts Archives, African American Art History Initiative and its joint acquisition of the archive of Paul R. Williams, one of the best-known 20th-century Black architects in the U.S.
***
Original text here: https://www.getty.edu/news/getty-initiative-conserving-black-modernism
Applications Open for ABC Initiative Implementation Grants to Help Families Access Child Savings Opportunities
WASHINGTON, July 21 [Category: Economics] -- Prosperity Now (formerly the Corporation for Enterprise Development) posted the following news release:
* * *
Applications Open for ABC Initiative Implementation Grants to Help Families Access Child Savings Opportunities
*
New grant opportunity from Prosperity Now, with support from Citi Foundation, will support nonprofit VITA providers in helping families understand available child savings opportunities, navigate their options, and take informed next steps at tax time.
Washington, D.C. - Every child deserves the opportunity to begin adulthood ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, July 21 [Category: Economics] -- Prosperity Now (formerly the Corporation for Enterprise Development) posted the following news release: * * * Applications Open for ABC Initiative Implementation Grants to Help Families Access Child Savings Opportunities * New grant opportunity from Prosperity Now, with support from Citi Foundation, will support nonprofit VITA providers in helping families understand available child savings opportunities, navigate their options, and take informed next steps at tax time. Washington, D.C. - Every child deserves the opportunity to begin adulthoodon strong financial footing. New child savings opportunities have the potential to help millions of families move closer to that goal. These opportunities only make a difference if families know about them and have trusted support to help them take action.
Today, Prosperity Now opened applications for the first implementation cohort of the ABC Initiative (Asset Building for Children. This national effort, with $5 million in funding from Citi Foundation, will help more families access existing and emerging child savings opportunities, with a focus on how the new Section 530A Accounts will reach the families that need them most.
Prosperity Now is launching the initiative's first phase by supporting trusted community organizations that help families understand available opportunities, navigate their options, and make informed decisions for their families. This Request for Proposals (RFP) will provide implementation grants to eligible nonprofit organizations operating IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs. Selected organizations will receive grants ranging from $25,000 to $150,000, along with training, technical assistance, implementation resources, peer learning opportunities, and evaluation support. Applications open July 20 and close August 7, 2026.
VITA providers are a practical starting point because they already help families navigate important financial decisions at tax time. Through this first implementation cohort, selected organizations will integrate child savings information, education, referrals, and navigation into VITA services, helping families learn about available child savings opportunities and understand how to take advantage of them.
"For many families, tax time is when financial decisions become real. A refund can help meet immediate needs, and it can also open the door to planning for a child's future," said Marisa Calderon, President and CEO of Prosperity Now. "VITA providers are trusted professionals already helping families navigate complex decisions at a critical point in time. Through the ABC Initiative, we are helping them bring clear, practical child savings guidance into that moment, so more families can understand their options and take action now that can help build better futures for their children."
By investing in these trusted community organizations, we are strengthening one of the country's most effective financial access networks and helping more children begin their financial journey with greater opportunity.
"We want to see families across the country have access to trusted information that will support them as they invest in their child's economic future," said Brandee McHale, Head of Community Investing and Development at Citi and President of the Citi Foundation. "With these proposed grants, Prosperity Now will support VITA providers to be a bridge between low-income families and child savings opportunities that create long-term financial resilience."
The ABC Initiative builds on Prosperity Now's recently released Next-Generation Savings Readiness Report, which found that organizations across the country are ready to help families access child savings opportunities but need additional support to successfully implement and sustain those efforts. This first implementation cohort will help move that readiness into action by supporting VITA providers with the tools, training, and guidance needed to connect families with child savings opportunities during the 2027 tax season.
For more than two decades, Prosperity Now has worked alongside national, state, and local partners to expand opportunities for children and families to build savings and long-term financial security. The ABC Initiative represents the next chapter of that work by strengthening the trusted community partnerships that help families navigate important financial decisions and save for their children's future.
Eligible nonprofit organizations operating IRS-sponsored VITA programs can learn more and apply HERE.
***
Original text here: https://www.prosperitynow.org/news-and-insights/applications-open-for-abc-initiative-implementation-grants-to-help-families-access-child-savings-opportunities
* * *
Applications Open for ABC Initiative Implementation Grants to Help Families Access Child Savings Opportunities
*
New grant opportunity from Prosperity Now, with support from Citi Foundation, will support nonprofit VITA providers in helping families understand available child savings opportunities, navigate their options, and take informed next steps at tax time.
Washington, D.C. - Every child deserves the opportunity to begin adulthood ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, July 21 [Category: Economics] -- Prosperity Now (formerly the Corporation for Enterprise Development) posted the following news release: * * * Applications Open for ABC Initiative Implementation Grants to Help Families Access Child Savings Opportunities * New grant opportunity from Prosperity Now, with support from Citi Foundation, will support nonprofit VITA providers in helping families understand available child savings opportunities, navigate their options, and take informed next steps at tax time. Washington, D.C. - Every child deserves the opportunity to begin adulthoodon strong financial footing. New child savings opportunities have the potential to help millions of families move closer to that goal. These opportunities only make a difference if families know about them and have trusted support to help them take action.
Today, Prosperity Now opened applications for the first implementation cohort of the ABC Initiative (Asset Building for Children. This national effort, with $5 million in funding from Citi Foundation, will help more families access existing and emerging child savings opportunities, with a focus on how the new Section 530A Accounts will reach the families that need them most.
Prosperity Now is launching the initiative's first phase by supporting trusted community organizations that help families understand available opportunities, navigate their options, and make informed decisions for their families. This Request for Proposals (RFP) will provide implementation grants to eligible nonprofit organizations operating IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs. Selected organizations will receive grants ranging from $25,000 to $150,000, along with training, technical assistance, implementation resources, peer learning opportunities, and evaluation support. Applications open July 20 and close August 7, 2026.
VITA providers are a practical starting point because they already help families navigate important financial decisions at tax time. Through this first implementation cohort, selected organizations will integrate child savings information, education, referrals, and navigation into VITA services, helping families learn about available child savings opportunities and understand how to take advantage of them.
"For many families, tax time is when financial decisions become real. A refund can help meet immediate needs, and it can also open the door to planning for a child's future," said Marisa Calderon, President and CEO of Prosperity Now. "VITA providers are trusted professionals already helping families navigate complex decisions at a critical point in time. Through the ABC Initiative, we are helping them bring clear, practical child savings guidance into that moment, so more families can understand their options and take action now that can help build better futures for their children."
By investing in these trusted community organizations, we are strengthening one of the country's most effective financial access networks and helping more children begin their financial journey with greater opportunity.
"We want to see families across the country have access to trusted information that will support them as they invest in their child's economic future," said Brandee McHale, Head of Community Investing and Development at Citi and President of the Citi Foundation. "With these proposed grants, Prosperity Now will support VITA providers to be a bridge between low-income families and child savings opportunities that create long-term financial resilience."
The ABC Initiative builds on Prosperity Now's recently released Next-Generation Savings Readiness Report, which found that organizations across the country are ready to help families access child savings opportunities but need additional support to successfully implement and sustain those efforts. This first implementation cohort will help move that readiness into action by supporting VITA providers with the tools, training, and guidance needed to connect families with child savings opportunities during the 2027 tax season.
For more than two decades, Prosperity Now has worked alongside national, state, and local partners to expand opportunities for children and families to build savings and long-term financial security. The ABC Initiative represents the next chapter of that work by strengthening the trusted community partnerships that help families navigate important financial decisions and save for their children's future.
Eligible nonprofit organizations operating IRS-sponsored VITA programs can learn more and apply HERE.
***
Original text here: https://www.prosperitynow.org/news-and-insights/applications-open-for-abc-initiative-implementation-grants-to-help-families-access-child-savings-opportunities