Foundations
Here's a look at documents from U.S. foundations
Featured Stories
TPPF Applauds New Texas DOGE Effort to Reduce Regulations, Improve Transparency
AUSTIN, Texas, May 15 -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release:
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TPPF Applauds New Texas DOGE Effort to Reduce Regulations, Improve Transparency
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AUSTIN- Today, the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office (TREO) released its initial findings and recommendations to cut unnecessary red tape at state agencies. TREO was established by SB 14 from the 89 th Texas Legislature to spearhead the effort to cut red tape, streamline government, and ensure regulations serve Texans, not bureaucracies. SB 14 also reins in the administrative state by reforming how agencies create
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AUSTIN, Texas, May 15 -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release:
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TPPF Applauds New Texas DOGE Effort to Reduce Regulations, Improve Transparency
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AUSTIN- Today, the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office (TREO) released its initial findings and recommendations to cut unnecessary red tape at state agencies. TREO was established by SB 14 from the 89 th Texas Legislature to spearhead the effort to cut red tape, streamline government, and ensure regulations serve Texans, not bureaucracies. SB 14 also reins in the administrative state by reforming how agencies createrules and telling Texans in plain English how to navigate them.
"TREO's achievements are Texas' gains. In only a short time, this innovative new division within the Governor's office has examined 10 different agencies and identified nearly $125 million in potential savings. One can only imagine how much Texas taxpayers will save in time, money, and opportunity once all state agencies have come under review," said Taxpayer Protection Project Campaign Director Jose Melendez.
"TREO's potential is truly exciting, especially considering that the real burden of government isn't found in the state capitol. It's in our school boards, our city halls, and our county commissioner courts, where regulations amass, taxes ever-increase, and mandates pile up with little oversight. That may very well be the next frontier," said Taxpayer Protect Project Policy Director James Quintero.
TREO's early results suggest that it is poised to make a significant contribution to Texas' limited government framework, once fully established. This is a very promising development.
Looking ahead, the 90 th Legislature should consider expanding TREO's mission to include state fiscal matters as well as local government affairs. Now more than ever, Texans have an opportunity to identify waste, fraud, and abuse in state-local government-and we should not miss the moment!
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Original text here: https://www.texaspolicy.com/press/tppf-applauds-new-texas-doge-effort-to-reduce-regulations-improve-transparency
Southeastern Legal Foundation Asks SCOTUS to Take Up Case to Expose and Stop Secret Surveys of Minor Students in Kentucky
ROSWELL, Georgia, May 15 -- The Southeastern Legal Foundation issued the following news release on May 14, 2026:
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Southeastern Legal Foundation asks SCOTUS to take up case to expose and stop secret surveys of minor students in Kentucky
Today, the Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF), a national nonprofit of top attorneys that regularly defend constitutional rights, filed a cert petition to the U.S. Supreme Court asking the Court to hear the case of Stovall v. Jefferson County Board of Education, which argues public schools should not be allowed to give secret surveys to minor school students
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ROSWELL, Georgia, May 15 -- The Southeastern Legal Foundation issued the following news release on May 14, 2026:
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Southeastern Legal Foundation asks SCOTUS to take up case to expose and stop secret surveys of minor students in Kentucky
Today, the Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF), a national nonprofit of top attorneys that regularly defend constitutional rights, filed a cert petition to the U.S. Supreme Court asking the Court to hear the case of Stovall v. Jefferson County Board of Education, which argues public schools should not be allowed to give secret surveys to minor school studentsand then block parents from obtaining copies.
SLF first filed the lawsuit on behalf of Miranda Stovall, a Kentucky parent who requested access to secret school surveys being given to her child in public school. The school denied Stovall's request for a copy of the survey and claimed that "copyright laws" prevented the school from sharing it with parents or taxpayers because they could be sued by the education curriculum company that writes the surveys.
The content of the Kentucky public school surveys in this case were non-academic and pertained to emotional issues, which Stovall believes would usually be something left to parents. She was not comfortable with the school giving emotional questions to her child and then concealing them from her and the public.
SLF argues that the concealment of the surveys from Stovall is a violation of federal copyright law and her constitutional rights, which allow copies to be reproduced for fair use like public discussion. Schools and curriculum companies will stop at nothing to keep these surveys from parents - it is wrong and must stop. Parents should always be able to access and speak out against surveys and other invasive school curriculum if they deem them inappropriate. And when schools stonewall them, parents should be able to turn to our federal courts to make things right.
SLF lawyers are asking the Supreme Court to hear the case to bring full transparency between public schools and parents of minor students, which would shed light on the practice of keeping parents in the dark about secret surveys.
SLF President Kim Hermann said, "There's no other way to put it, Miranda was stonewalled and kept away from emotional well-being questions presented to her own child. It is a complete and total outrage and every parent in America should be horrified that instances like this are happening across the country because it sends one message: public schools are in charge of your kids, not parents.
It is essential that the Court hears this case because a message to all school systems needs to be heard: schools have no right to play parent. These surveys are invasive because as soon as schools claim copyright, they could be questioning kids on anything they want, keeping parents in the dark. We need the Court's help to put an immediate halt to 'secret surveys' and hold schools accountable when it comes to being transparent with families, taxpayers, and the public."
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Original text here: https://slfliberty.org/southeastern-legal-foundation-asks-scotus-to-take-up-case-to-expose-and-stop-secret-surveys-of-minor-students-in-kentucky/
Health Foundation: NHS Meets Headline Waiting Times Target But Falls Short on Other Key Measures
LONDON, England, May 15 (TNSrep) -- The Health Foundation issued the following news release:
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NHS meets headline waiting times target but falls short on other key measures
The NHS has met its headline interim target of 65% of elective care waits within 18 weeks but has fallen short on four other key targets, according to new analysis (https://www.health.org.uk/reports-and-analysis/analysis/progress-but-is-it-enough-what-the-latest-nhs-waiting-times-mean-for) from the Health Foundation.
Drawing on the latest NHS monthly performance data, the analysis looks at progress made against NHS England's
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LONDON, England, May 15 (TNSrep) -- The Health Foundation issued the following news release:
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NHS meets headline waiting times target but falls short on other key measures
The NHS has met its headline interim target of 65% of elective care waits within 18 weeks but has fallen short on four other key targets, according to new analysis (https://www.health.org.uk/reports-and-analysis/analysis/progress-but-is-it-enough-what-the-latest-nhs-waiting-times-mean-for) from the Health Foundation.
Drawing on the latest NHS monthly performance data, the analysis looks at progress made against NHS England'sfive key elective care targets set for March 2026. While the findings show significant progress in some areas, notably their leading target, they highlight that reaching the government's headline waiting list pledge by the end of the parliament remains very challenging.
Against the five key targets, the analysis finds that:
1. 65% of elective care waits within 18 weeks nationally
Met: Significant progress, with a rapid acceleration from January to March (an increase of 3.8 percentage points, compared with less than 1 percentage point in the same period last year).
2. 5 percentage point improvement and 60% of elective care waits within 18 weeks at each trust
Miss: More than 4 in 10 acute trusts in England did not meet both parts, with nine trusts meeting neither. More positively, performance variation across trusts has narrowed since March 2025.
3. Less than 1% of waits longer than 52 weeks
Near miss: Long waits (1.3%) are at their lowest since June 2020 and have decreased significantly from 8.8% in March 2021, but numbers remain well above pre-pandemic levels.
4. 80% of waits from an urgent referral to a cancer diagnosis outcome within 28 days
Near miss: Although the target has just been missed, this measure is affected by short-term changes, so it should be interpreted cautiously when assessing trends. Annual comparisons indicate no improvement in performance, down from 76.4% in 2024/25 to 76.3% in 2025/26.
5. 75% of waits from an urgent referral to a first cancer treatment within 62 days
Miss: Performance remained well below the 75% goal. However, comparing 2025/26 with 2024/25 shows a small improvement in performance, from 68.5% in 2024/25 to 69.4% in 2025/26.
Freya Tracey, Senior Data Analyst at the Health Foundation, said:
'The NHS has made encouraging progress against very stretching elective care targets, but maintaining this progress over the long term will be challenging. Recent short-term measures to increase activity, including 'sprints' often delivered as additional evening and weekend clinics, have contributed to the significant gains made but raise questions about how sustainably the NHS can operate at this pace.
'Over the long term, it is going to take a huge, sustained effort -- backed by sustained investment, targeted support and productivity improvements -- to meet the government's longer-term target by the end of the parliament.'
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Original text here: https://www.health.org.uk/press-office/press-releases/nhs-meets-headline-waiting-times-target-but-falls-short-on-other-key-measures
Health Foundation: Health Bill Hands Power to Ministers, But Misses the Biggest Health Challenges
LONDON, England, May 15 -- The Health Foundation issued the following statement by Director of Policy and Research Hugh Alderwick on the introduction of the Health Bill:
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Health Bill hands power to ministers, but misses the biggest health challenges
Responding to the introduction of the Health Bill, Hugh Alderwick, Director of Policy and Research at the Health Foundation, said:
'The Health Bill includes welcome ambitions to join up health and care records to improve patient care, but hands too much power to ministers over the day-to-day running of the NHS and risks weakening the voice
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LONDON, England, May 15 -- The Health Foundation issued the following statement by Director of Policy and Research Hugh Alderwick on the introduction of the Health Bill:
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Health Bill hands power to ministers, but misses the biggest health challenges
Responding to the introduction of the Health Bill, Hugh Alderwick, Director of Policy and Research at the Health Foundation, said:
'The Health Bill includes welcome ambitions to join up health and care records to improve patient care, but hands too much power to ministers over the day-to-day running of the NHS and risks weakening the voiceof patients.
'At the heart of the bill are measures to scrap NHS England and hand broad powers to ministers to intervene in how the NHS operates. Accountability will always rise upwards to politicians in a tax-funded system like the NHS, and ministers are rightly in charge of setting direction and policy. But more independence and safeguards - for instance, over how local NHS leaders are appointed - are needed to avoid excessive politicisation in future.
'Changes to the local management of the NHS in the bill might help simplify the system, but risk undermining the partnership work that's needed to improve heath and care. For example, the decision to remove mandatory local authority representatives from NHS integrated care boards could weaken the links between the NHS, social care and public health at a more local level. Time and energy will also be wasted as local bodies manage the reorganisation.
'The abolition of Healthwatch looks set to diminish rather than strengthen the voice of patients and the public in the health service. A stronger replacement than currently on offer will be needed - combining institutional independence with sufficient resources and reach to gather local views and influence national decisions.
'The government's ambition to join up health and social care records to improve patient care is an unambiguously good thing. But whether plans for a new single patient record can avoid the fate of past national NHS IT programmes is yet to be seen. Major questions remain about how the plans will tackle existing fragmentation of electronic patient record systems, how the data will be governed and the resources available to effectively implement it. Trust from patients, staff and the public will be essential for the plans to have any chance of succeeding.
'Standing back, the bill is the latest example of successive governments focusing on the NHS over the broader health of the nation. As our recent analysis of healthy life expectancy showed, the UK's health is declining, resulting in significant economic costs as well as substantial human toll. A cross-government strategy for rebuilding the UK's health and reducing inequalities is desperately needed. The bill should be used as an opportunity to address this.'
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Original text here: https://www.health.org.uk/press-office/press-releases/health-bill-hands-power-to-ministers-but-misses-the-biggest-health-challenges
FFRF Warns About Trump Counterterrorism Strategy Targeting Secular Americans
MADISON, Wisconsin, May 15 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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FFRF warns about Trump counterterrorism strategy targeting secular Americans
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is expressing its concern over the deeply authoritarian and unconstitutional language contained in the Trump administration's newly released 2026 United States Counterterrorism Strategy.
The document pinpoints secular political groups, transgender advocacy and anti-fascist political activism as potential terrorists while promising aggressive government action against organizations
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MADISON, Wisconsin, May 15 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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FFRF warns about Trump counterterrorism strategy targeting secular Americans
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is expressing its concern over the deeply authoritarian and unconstitutional language contained in the Trump administration's newly released 2026 United States Counterterrorism Strategy.
The document pinpoints secular political groups, transgender advocacy and anti-fascist political activism as potential terrorists while promising aggressive government action against organizationsdeemed "anti-American" or "radically pro-transgender."
FFRF, a national state/church watchdog whose membership is largely nonreligious, is concerned about the single but prominent reference to "violent secular political groups," which appears to stigmatize nonreligious Americans. The document does not define "secular," a term that can apply to anything that is not specifically religious and doesn't necessarily refer to nonreligious individuals or groups.
"We know of no current 'violent secular political groups,' so it is chilling to see the administration connect violence with peaceful and educational secular advocacy," points out FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "The federal government has no business treating secularism, political dissent or support for LGBTQ+ rights as inherently suspect ideologies requiring surveillance and 'neutralization.'"
FFRF emphasizes that secular Americans are not enemies of the state. Nonreligious Americans make up nearly one-third of the country, and younger generations are increasingly secular. Our secular Constitution explicitly guarantees freedom of conscience.
Perhaps in its most disturbing passages, the strategy states that "our national CT [counterterrorism] activities will also prioritize the rapid identification and neutralization of violent secular political groups whose ideology is anti-American, radically pro-transgender, and anarchist." The White House document goes on to promise that the administration will "map them at home, identify their membership, map their ties to international organizations like Antifa, and use law enforcement tools to cripple them operationally before they can maim or kill the innocent." This kind of language and rhetoric, which is associated with authoritarian governments, dangerously conflates protected political viewpoints and secular advocacy with terrorism and extremism.
The document portrays conservatives and Christians in the United States and worldwide as uniquely persecuted while depicting progressive political movements as looming internal threats. It specifically references "the politically motivated killings of Christians and conservatives" and cites the assassination of Charlie Kirk by "a radical who espoused extreme transgender ideologies."
FFRF also condemns the document's ominous embrace of extrajudicial-style rhetoric from President Trump himself, who declares in the document's foreword: "If you hurt Americans, or are planning to hurt Americans, 'We Will Find You and We Will Kill You.'"
Americans should be deeply disturbed by a counterterrorism strategy that combines militarized rhetoric with ideological targeting. Counterterrorism powers are dangerous tools, which, as history shows, can be used to target marginalized groups, dissidents and political opponents.
The document has already drawn widespread criticism from national security experts and former officials, who have described it as incoherent, amateurish and politically motivated rather than a serious strategic framework.
The administration's criticism of "anti-American" ideology could be used to justify expanded surveillance, investigations or suppression of lawful advocacy groups and political organizations. Congress, civil liberties groups and the public should closely scrutinize the administration's use of counterterrorism authorities to ensure that national security powers are not weaponized against secular Americans, LGBTQ+ advocates or political dissenters.
FFRF will continue to defend the Constitution's foundational principles of freedom of conscience, secular government and protections for unpopular speech and minority viewpoints.
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The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With more than 41,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
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Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-warns-about-trump-counterterrorism-strategy-targeting-secular-americans/
[Category: Religion]
FFRF Insists That Ark. Sheriff's Office Halt Inmate Baptisms
MADISON, Wisconsin, May 15 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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FFRF insists that Ark. sheriff's office halt inmate baptisms
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is urging the Drew County (Ark.) Sheriff's Office to immediately stop encouraging or coercing inmates to undergo baptisms.
FFRF was recently informed that the Drew County Sheriff's Office has been baptizing Drew County Detention Facility inmates. A March 12 post from the sheriff's official Facebook page reads:
I am very proud of these 13 men and women (many I have known for years and even
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MADISON, Wisconsin, May 15 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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FFRF insists that Ark. sheriff's office halt inmate baptisms
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is urging the Drew County (Ark.) Sheriff's Office to immediately stop encouraging or coercing inmates to undergo baptisms.
FFRF was recently informed that the Drew County Sheriff's Office has been baptizing Drew County Detention Facility inmates. A March 12 post from the sheriff's official Facebook page reads:
I am very proud of these 13 men and women (many I have known for years and evenwatched grow up) who made that public profession today at Pauline Baptist Church. While the Devil tried to do his best to ruin the day we would not allow that to happen. He made cuffs not want to come off and he even tried locking the rear doors on the transport van where detainees couldn't get out to be baptized but we made sure to help fulfill God's plan and we got them there.
I want to thank all of those who come and witness to these men and women and to our staff for making it work!
God is at work,
Sheriff Tim Nichols
FFRF is demanding that the Sheriff's Office cease the practice of coercing inmates to participate in religious exercises.
"By organizing, hosting and promoting inmate baptisms and celebrating inmates' conversions to Christianity on its official social media, the Sheriff's Office is unconstitutionally favoring religion over nonreligion, and Christianity over all other faiths," FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence writes to Sheriff Tim Nichols.
A county detention facility is an inherently coercive environment and inmates and detainees are literally a captive audience. When the Sheriff's Office entangles itself with religion and makes it clear that it's encouraging inmates to convert to Christianity, inmates will no doubt feel pressured to convert and participate in religious activities to be seen as cooperative and well behaved. Inmates and detainees who are aware of the Sheriff's Office's promotion of Christianity will not genuinely feel free to refuse to participate in its religious activities. This practice is constitutionally impermissible. And the Sheriff's Office's promotion of religious activity needlessly marginalizes the 38 percent of Americans who are non-Christians, including the nearly one in three adult Americans who are religiously unaffiliated.
"It is egregious and unacceptable that a sheriff would arrange Christian baptisms for inmates, using sheriff's department transportation, time and staff to take them from the prison to the sheriff's church of choice," FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says. "The sheriff may not involve himself or the Sheriff's Office in the conversion of inmates, or use official communication channels to post his personal beliefs in God, not to mention 'the Devil.' We expect this to stop immediately."
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The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with over 41,000 members and several chapters across the country, including hundreds of members and a chapter in Arkansas. Its purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
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Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-insists-that-ark-sheriffs-office-halt-inmate-baptisms/
[Category: Religion]
AFC's Ryan White CAB Support Group Helps People Living With HIV Come Together in a Safe Space
CHICAGO, Illinois, May 15 -- The AIDS Foundation of Chicago issued the following news:
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AFC's Ryan White CAB Support Group helps people living with HIV come together in a safe space
AIDS Foundation Chicago's (AFC's) Ryan White Community Advisory Board (CAB) has met at the foundation's offices every other month since 2010. The CAB does everything from evaluating case management policies and procedures to collaborating with AFC staff to strengthen agency site visit practices, among other things. Toward the end of 2024, they decided to invest in another aspect to help HIV-positive clients:
... Show Full Article
CHICAGO, Illinois, May 15 -- The AIDS Foundation of Chicago issued the following news:
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AFC's Ryan White CAB Support Group helps people living with HIV come together in a safe space
AIDS Foundation Chicago's (AFC's) Ryan White Community Advisory Board (CAB) has met at the foundation's offices every other month since 2010. The CAB does everything from evaluating case management policies and procedures to collaborating with AFC staff to strengthen agency site visit practices, among other things. Toward the end of 2024, they decided to invest in another aspect to help HIV-positive clients:a support group.
CAB Chair Bryan said, "We had noticed in the community where people brought other categories to this CAB--connection in that psychosocial support among people living with HIV." Then the process of creating the support group developed: "We brainstormed a little bit, and we thought about how we could try to fuel that gap. And we were lucky enough to have AFC, who's [supported] this group and people living with HIV for many, many years."
CAB member Carmen added that the creation of a support group was necessary: "It's a safe place where you can come and be free and disclose, and it's confidential. People can express themselves. Also, if we all have a similarity, we don't focus on the differences." Other CAB members acknowledged obstacles with support groups--such as finding or employing the transportation to attend group meetings in the first place. Zoom has (in most cases) eliminated the need for group members to attend in-person, though some prefer personal contact.
Based on the success of early support-group meetings, members are thrilled--and would like the events to accomplish more.
Several people at a recent meeting indicated that they would like the CAB support groups to expand significantly, with multiple groups not only in the city but throughout the suburbs. In addition, CAB member Louis mentioned hosting a forum--an idea that led several others to offer suggestions, including making the gathering a peer-led event, which would decrease costs, increase relatability and allow for networking, among other benefits.
'This is my family'
And what has the support group (and those groups, in general) meant to the CAB members?
Louis commented about how he has led other support groups, including at Open Door Health Center in Aurora. He added, "I did a men's support group with another fellow; it was a men's only group. We didn't have food or gift cards, but everybody showed up every week because everybody wanted to talk. I think [a support group is] a great way to educate people and a great way to get rid of some of the falsehoods that people have out there about HIV. You become more knowledgeable, more self-sufficient.
"You begin to feel more positive about yourself--and I think that's the biggest part of it, for me," Louis said.
Carmen added, "Supporters are very important to me. When I was first diagnosed, I was still working, so I had never been to [a support group]. And I started going and I felt more comfortable. I have facilitated some support groups in my house. And then you just learn a lot [of things]. I saw this girl on TikTok saying. 'You can catch HIV sitting on the toilet.' I wanted to [check her]."
Group member Dee Dee stated, "Support groups are very empowering. When I was diagnosed, I knew it in my heart. I was positive because I was a street worker. I was using drugs. And people were [dropping] like flies." However, despite many obstacles (such as legal troubles), Dee Dee's life has turned around, with her adding that despite thinking that no one would want her, she has found love.
B.B., who was diagnosed in 2024, said that support groups "are needed. At first, I didn't know a thing. Everything's just so different, and there was a lot of information being given to me. My therapist at the time said, 'You've got to come with us to our group.' And it was like a weight was lifted off of me. I felt like I wasn't alone."
Carmen echoed what B.B. said, especially about the feeling of togetherness: "I walked into a support group, and my life began to change. I started talking and they just gave me hugs. ... I gained so much knowledge and I made so many connections. This is my family."
Bryan agreed that support groups are about "community connection and fellowship," adding that his friendship with Louis has significantly deepened since their initial meeting a group meeting years ago. "I wouldn't be where I am here today without that meeting," Bryan said.
Lee saw a different purpose in the CAB support group, having acknowledged the inclusivity of the group but adding that "there were no support groups for folks who are assigned or designated female birth and who are also trans." After saying that they had been put in groups that really didn't fulfill their needs, Lee said that the CAB group has become a "platform of advocacy" for them.
And Joe said that support groups helped him "find his way," as he has acquired high-school and college degrees, learned to be resilient and is involved in other support groups, including one at Cook County Jail.
Longtime group organizer and AFC Sr. Manager of Intake & Referral Angela Jordan said, "It's understood that everyone attending the support groups are all dealing with the same health issue. AFC staff are not present in these groups; that allows them to speak freely. It allows for a level of comfortability for attendees to be open and honest."
When it comes to the CAB support group, it has proven that people are more alike than they are different. Despite the members' diverse backgrounds and needs, these individuals have shown up for each other and themselves to create a safe space, acquire knowledge, and achieve togetherness.
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Original text here: https://www.aidschicago.org/afcs-ryan-white-cab-support-group-helps-people-living-with-hiv-come-together-in-a-safe-space/
