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FFRF Co-Hosts Secular Gathering on Capitol Hill
MADISON, Wisconsin, July 23 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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FFRF co-hosts secular gathering on Capitol Hill
Members of Congress, national secular leaders and advocates joined together in a Capitol Hill reception room Tuesday evening for the third annual Congressional Reason Reception.
The reception celebrated the Congressional Freethought Caucus, reason, constitutional democracy and the growing visibility of nonreligious Americans in public life. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, American Humanist Association and the Secular Coalition for
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MADISON, Wisconsin, July 23 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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FFRF co-hosts secular gathering on Capitol Hill
Members of Congress, national secular leaders and advocates joined together in a Capitol Hill reception room Tuesday evening for the third annual Congressional Reason Reception.
The reception celebrated the Congressional Freethought Caucus, reason, constitutional democracy and the growing visibility of nonreligious Americans in public life. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, American Humanist Association and the Secular Coalition forAmerica hosted an evening filled with wit and humor, with leaders of the secular movement and keynote speaker Mary L. Trump.
The reception has served as a celebration of reason and joy in public life, a secular alternative to the dour and sanctimonious National Prayer Breakfast as debates over Christian nationalism, religious exemptions and the separation of church and state continue to shape national politics. Organizers said the event demonstrates that Americans who value secular government are increasingly organized and visible on Capitol Hill. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., co-chair of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, has quipped that it is "a boozy alternative to the National Prayer Breakfast."
"Our country was founded on freedom of religion and church-state separation. No wannabe king or theocratic sycophant hellbent on controlling people through religious extremism will change that," says Huffman. "Folks from all walks of faith -- or none at all -- came together to celebrate something far more American: a government run by reason, freedom of conscience and the Constitution. That's what the Reason Reception is all about. No matter how hard Christian nationalists fight to overturn democracy and force their extremism on the American people, we will be here defending church-state separation and our fundamental rights."
"Every year, some of the most reasonable people I know assemble to highlight the essential role that reason plays in protecting democracy, liberty, progress and justice for all," says Freethought Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. "The Congressional Reason Reception celebrates and revives the spirit of Tom Paine and Ben Franklin and our Enlightenment Constitution, which cast off centuries of religious fanaticism and dogma, Holy Crusades, witch trials, Inquisitions and theocratic rule to usher in a new era of self-government, reason and democracy. Congratulations to our honorees, Katherine Stewart and Alison Gill, who are doing fine work to champion reason and common sense in our own time."
"All you need to do is read the Declaration of Independence to understand that our Founders did not want and did not intend for this to be a religious country," says Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore. "And now, when you look at what is happening with this administration and with Republican MAGA colleagues, they want this to be a white Christian nation. It is not -- and we will not let that happen. With your voices here and across the country, we will stop that from happening. We want the next generation to know that this is a country where you are free to believe in religion or free to not believe in religion."
"When I first came into Congress eight years ago, someone told me that religion is what politicians talk about when they don't want to talk about ethics," says Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill. "And there is a deep truth there. I think the inverse of that is equally true, that if you talk about ethics, people think you're talking about their religion. And I think there's a power there. There's an ability there. What I think you challenge us to do, and what we have to challenge ourselves to do, is to speak about ethics and morality in a way that doesn't fall back on those religious texts."
"Trump has learned that to say 'God' or 'gun' gets you votes," says Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn. "And as I said in committee today, he is totally irreligious and doesn't have any idea of Matthew. Being in legislatures and congresses has taught me a lot about religion because so many people use it. ... Trump knows nothing about it. He is so obviously areligious. He really should be here with us, the other heathens. But he uses God to get votes, which is a corruption of God. And all about Christian nationalism is a corruption of Christian."
Mary Trump, the keynote speaker, remarks: "We've been on a very dark path for a very long time. So we need to do a better job of explaining to people why allowing religion and government to become intertwined is fatal to the American experiment on the one hand and detrimental to the pursuit of our freedoms on the other. We have the benefit, those of us in this room, of reason, of perspective. A lot of people who have made the choices they've made and voted the way they have voted don't have those luxuries. So we, from the benefit of where we stand, need to extend these people grace because that way I truly believe we can make common cause with people who in the grand scheme of things have suffered as much from their choices as others have. And I think that's the way forward."
"The National Prayer Breakfast tells everyone who isn't the right kind of Christian that they don't quite count as Americans. We reject that," says Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. "This country belongs to all of us, believers and nonbelievers alike, and no one needs to bow their head to belong here."
"Thomas Paine called it 'the cause of America': the conviction that free minds, working together through reason, could govern themselves better than any king or church ever had," says Fish Stark, Executive Director of the American Humanist Association. "Last night's room, packed with members of Congress and humanists from across the country, was proof that cause is still alive. Now we take it to statehouses, school boards, and every corner of this country, and build the nation Paine imagined: one where reason and compassion govern together, and empathy is not a matter of faith, but of conscience."
Steven Emmert, executive director, The Secular Coalition for America, says, "This reception is called the Congressional Reason Reception and I think that's fitting not because reason belongs to secular Americans alone, but because reason belongs in public service."
The Congressional Reason Reception coincides with the growing strength of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, which now counts 37 members, and reflects a secular movement that continues to gain ground on Capitol Hill.
The evening also recognized recipients of the Age of Reason Award and Common Sense Award for their contributions to advancing secular government and freedom of conscience.
"I don't need to tell you that 250 years after Thomas Paine helped launch the American Revolution, our democracy is in crisis," says Katherine Stewart, recipient of the Age of Reason Award. "This is no time for the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot. This is the time to fight like hell for our country and our founding ideals of equality, pluralism, reason, justice, and the rule of law."
"We need courts that are fair, unbiased, and that will uphold the Constitution, and enforce our rights and protect our democracy -- not ignore it to salute their political or Christian Nationalist agenda," says Alison Gill, recipient of the Common Sense Award. "And the Congressional Freethought Caucus plays an especially important role in showing the harms caused by this Christian nationalist agenda and pushing back against it. So I truly want to thank you all for this award, and I hope that together we will keep making progress to reform the courts and restore our democracy."
Organizers said the growing attendance at the annual reception and the expanding Congressional Freethought Caucus reflect increasing recognition that Americans of every faith and none deserve equal representation in public life.
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Freedom From Religion Foundation:
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 about 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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The Secular Coalition for America:
The Secular Coalition is a group of diverse organizations representing atheists, agnostics, humanists, and other nonreligious Americans. The Secular Coalition for America is a dedicated lobbying organization within the Coalition, whose mission is to advocate for the equal rights of nonreligious Americans and defend the separation of religion and government.
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American Humanist Association:
The American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of humanism, which -- without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces -- encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
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Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-co-hosts-secular-gathering-on-capitol-hill/
[Category: Religion]
WLF Urges D.C. Circuit to Declare FINRA Order Unlawful
WASHINGTON, July 22 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The Washington Legal Foundation issued the following news release:
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WLF Urges D.C. Circuit to Declare FINRA Order Unlawful
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"Congress can't privatize the presidency."
-Zac Morgan, WLF Senior Litigation Counsel
Click here to read WLF's brief.
(Washington, DC)-Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) today urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to vacate a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) order upholding penalties imposed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
The case arises from the unique
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WASHINGTON, July 22 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The Washington Legal Foundation issued the following news release:
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WLF Urges D.C. Circuit to Declare FINRA Order Unlawful
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"Congress can't privatize the presidency."
-Zac Morgan, WLF Senior Litigation Counsel
Click here to read WLF's brief.
(Washington, DC)-Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) today urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to vacate a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) order upholding penalties imposed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
The case arises from the uniquestructure of FINRA, a national securities association empowered by Congress to enforce federal law. FINRA functions as an auxiliary arm of the SEC and applies its share of the securities laws to broker-dealers in the United States. Yet FINRA claims to be a nonprofit corporation domiciled in Delaware, immune from constitutional constraints (such as the Fifth and Seventh Amendments) and wholly independent of the Executive Branch (no presidential appointees staff it).
WLF's brief explains why that's wrong. As the Supreme Court just declared in Trump v. Slaughter, there's no constitutionally acceptable pocket of independent executive power outside the singular historical exception of independent central banking. But FINRA, formed in 2007, has no similar ancient pedigree and no hall pass from the normal constitutional course. As WLF argues, if FINRA is allowed to escape the normal rule, it would provide a dangerous blueprint for Congress to privatize core presidential functions by delivering them to sham nonprofits unencumbered by the Bill of Rights.
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Original text here: https://www.wlf.org/2026/07/22/communicating/wlf-urges-d-c-circuit-to-declare-finra-order-unlawful/
Rockefeller Foundation Commits $4 Million to America's Working Lands and Rural Prosperity in Partnership With Alder Point
NEW YORK, July 22 -- The Rockefeller Foundation posted the following news release on July 21, 2026:
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Rockefeller Foundation Commits $4 Million to America's Working Lands and Rural Prosperity in Partnership With Alder Point
* With $4 million commitment from The Rockefeller Foundation, Alder Point Capital Management will bring more undermanaged land under responsible stewardship, partnering with local farmers, foresters, and operators to improve soil, water, and forest health while building stronger rural economies.
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The Rockefeller Foundation today announced a $4 million commitment to
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NEW YORK, July 22 -- The Rockefeller Foundation posted the following news release on July 21, 2026:
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Rockefeller Foundation Commits $4 Million to America's Working Lands and Rural Prosperity in Partnership With Alder Point
* With $4 million commitment from The Rockefeller Foundation, Alder Point Capital Management will bring more undermanaged land under responsible stewardship, partnering with local farmers, foresters, and operators to improve soil, water, and forest health while building stronger rural economies.
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The Rockefeller Foundation today announced a $4 million commitment toAlder Point Capital Management (Alder Point), which facilitates investments in climate-resilient U.S. farmland and timberland, aiming to generate measurable benefits for climate, biodiversity, and rural communities. Alder Point seeks to acquire high-quality, undermanaged properties and partners with local farmers, foresters, and operators to restore soil, water, and forest health. These land management improvements strengthen rural property value, environmental performance, and local economies.
"Land stewards are the backbone of rural communities," said Ghita Benabderrazik, Managing Director of Innovative Finance at The Rockefeller Foundation. "The Rockefeller Foundation values Alder Point's focus on working lands as a driver of rural opportunity and prosperity. Commitments aligned with local priorities can strengthen their capacity for sustainable regenerative land stewardship, fostering more resilient, resource-based economies for the long term."
The Rockefeller Foundation has long supported better land stewardship as an underleveraged opportunity for rural America. This $4 million investment reflects that legacy and continues that work, providing Alder Point with long-term, mission-aligned capital to strengthen climate, nature, water, and economic outcomes for rural communities. It also advances the Foundation's new Big Bet on Good Jobs for America, which aims to enable job creation and lift up distressed communities nationwide, recognizing that well-managed land creates lasting economic opportunity for the farmers, foresters, and rural workers who depend on it.
U.S. farmland and timberland sit at the center of many rural economies, shaping employment, local business activity, and long term community stability. Yet decades of extractive land management, underinvestment, and mounting climate stress have left many working landscapes less productive and more vulnerable to environmental and economic shocks. Addressing that requires a different approach to management on the ground: cover-cropping and rotational grazing on farms, selective harvest and replanting in forests, and investments in water systems and operational efficiency -- changes that improve both the land's productivity and the livelihoods of the people working it.
"The ecological and economic case for this work is the same," said Jessamine Fitzpatrick, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Alder Point Capital Management. "When soils and watersheds are healthier, working lands are more productive and communities are more resilient. The Rockefeller Foundation's commitment allows us to deepen this work across our portfolio and track outcomes that matter to investors and communities alike."
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About The Rockefeller Foundation
Investing $30 billion over the last 113 years to promote the well-being of humanity, The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on unlikely partnerships and innovative solutions that deliver measurable results for people in the United States and around the world. We leverage scientific breakthroughs, artificial intelligence, and new technologies to make big bets across energy, food, health, and finance. For more information, follow us on LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation, X @RockefellerFdn, Instagram @rockefellerfdn, and YouTube @rockefellerfound, and sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe.
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About Alder Point Capital Management
Alder Point Capital Management is a real assets manager investing in U.S. farmland and timberland. We acquire working lands in carefully selected regions and partner with local operators to manage them responsibly -- improving soil health, water systems, and forest function while strengthening the rural economies that depend on them. Learn more at alderpoint.com or LinkedIn @alder-point-capital-management.
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Original text here: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/news/rockefeller-foundation-commits-4m-americas-working-lands-rural-prosperity-partnership-alder-point/
New FCC Licensing Framework Will Streamline Satellite and Earth Station Deployment, Says ITIF
WASHINGTON, July 22 [Category: Computer Technology]-- The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation posted the following news release:
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New FCC Licensing Framework Will Streamline Satellite and Earth Station Deployment, Says ITIF
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Following the FCC's vote to modernize its satellite and earth station licensing rules at its July 22 Open Meeting, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) released the following statement from Policy Analyst Ellis Scherer:
"The FCC has taken a good first step toward streamlining satellite and earth satation deployment. The new rules
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WASHINGTON, July 22 [Category: Computer Technology]-- The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation posted the following news release:
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New FCC Licensing Framework Will Streamline Satellite and Earth Station Deployment, Says ITIF
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Following the FCC's vote to modernize its satellite and earth station licensing rules at its July 22 Open Meeting, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) released the following statement from Policy Analyst Ellis Scherer:
"The FCC has taken a good first step toward streamlining satellite and earth satation deployment. The new rulesstandardize the Commission's license review process, making it more predictable and easier to navigate. The new framework should reduce unnecessary delays and help U.S. companies deploy space infrastructure more efficiently.
The FCC should build on this new licensing framework by continuing to refine its rules to improve the process over time. Additional changes that can be made to reduce regulatory friction and ensure timely approvals will help the U.S. space industry grow and prosper."
Contact: Austin Slater, press@itif.org
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Original text here: https://itif.org/publications/publications/2026/07/22/new-fcc-licensing-framework-will-streamline-satellite-and-earth-station-deployment-says-itif/
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:
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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
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NORTH HOLLYWOOD, California, July 22 -- The International Myeloma Foundation issued the following news:
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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.
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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.
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Original text here: https://www.myeloma.org/news-events/multiple-myeloma-news/ciacc-cancer-drug-parity-act-reintroduction
GCF and Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation Announce Strategic Partnership and New Leadership to Expand Student Scholarship Access
CINCINNATI, July 22 -- The Greater Cincinnati Foundation issued the following news:
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GCF and Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation announce strategic partnership and new leadership to expand student scholarship access
Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) and Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation (CSF) have entered into a strategic partnership designed to strengthen scholarship opportunities across the region, delivering greater impact to students, donors and the community.
Both organizations have long demonstrated a commitment to investing in the region and fostering trusted relationships with
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CINCINNATI, July 22 -- The Greater Cincinnati Foundation issued the following news:
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GCF and Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation announce strategic partnership and new leadership to expand student scholarship access
Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) and Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation (CSF) have entered into a strategic partnership designed to strengthen scholarship opportunities across the region, delivering greater impact to students, donors and the community.
Both organizations have long demonstrated a commitment to investing in the region and fostering trusted relationships withdonors. After years of working closely together to manage and deliver scholarships of all shapes and sizes, GCF and CSF are bringing these shared services under one roof as CSF becomes a supporting organization of GCF.
"Every student deserves the opportunity to pursue their passions and build a bright future for themselves," said Matthew Randazzo, president and CEO at GCF. "This partnership will enhance access to scholarship dollars for students by streamlining back-office efforts and freeing up more resources for direct student support."
"By taking a unified approach to scholarship philanthropy in our region, we're building on the unique strengths of both organizations to deliver transformative outcomes and ensure CSF's legacy continues," said Jack Miner, board chair, CSF.
As part of this next chapter, CSF also welcomes new leadership. Adison E. Nelson, currently Senior Director of Community Investments at GCF, will become CSF's next president & CEO. She succeeds Randy J. Ulses, who held the role on an interim basis for the last year.
Nelson brings nearly two decades of experience advancing community impact and organizational performance across Greater Cincinnati. At GCF, she led high impact grantmaking and partnership strategies, connecting resources to community priorities. Known for her collaborative leadership style, Nelson has built strong cross-sector partnerships to deliver measurable results for the region.
Her career also includes leading a $13.25 million community investment strategy at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and founding key diversity and inclusion initiatives at the University of Cincinnati's Carl H. Lindner College of Business, strengthening pathways for student success. As Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Lindner, Nelson led efforts to attract, retain and graduate historically underrepresented students, expanding scholarship access and deepening partnerships with corporate and community stakeholders.
"Adison's experience in community impact and her passion for expanding opportunity make her the right leader to carry CSF's mission forward," said Randazzo. "Her leadership will further strengthen this partnership and ensure students and donors alike benefit from a more connected and effective scholarship ecosystem."
"CSF has a long history of opening doors for students. Now together with GCF, we have the opportunity to strengthen scholarship access, deepen relationships with donors, and deliver even greater impact for the community," said Nelson.
As we head into the new school year, 548 students are preparing for class thanks to a newly awarded or renewed scholarship from CSF. In total, the organization awarded nearly $1.8 million in scholarship dollars for 2026-27.
GCF and CSF are united in their goal to build a strong pipeline for scholarship funding, making scholarships more accessible for students from all backgrounds while engaging and stewarding donors whose generosity makes this work possible. The infrastructure created through this collaboration ensures a future where more students can access the education they need to succeed.
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Original text here: https://www.gcfdn.org/blog/gcf-and-cincinnati-scholarship-foundation-announce-strategic-partnership-and-new-leadership-to-expand-student-scholarship-access/
Foundation for Economic Education Posts Commentary: How Capitalism Gave Consumers an Exit
DETROIT, Michigan, July 22 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary by Stefan Bartl, host of the Economic Podcast for Gen Z:
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Diamonds in the Lab
How capitalism gave consumers an exit.
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From De Beers's 1940s slogan "A Diamond Is Forever," to "Every Kiss Begins with Kay" and "He Went to Jared," the diamond industry had already done its most important work before anyone chose a ring. It had written the rules of romance: what love looked like, what it cost, and what it said about someone who spent less. Those rules were not ancient traditions. The industry
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DETROIT, Michigan, July 22 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary by Stefan Bartl, host of the Economic Podcast for Gen Z:
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Diamonds in the Lab
How capitalism gave consumers an exit.
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From De Beers's 1940s slogan "A Diamond Is Forever," to "Every Kiss Begins with Kay" and "He Went to Jared," the diamond industry had already done its most important work before anyone chose a ring. It had written the rules of romance: what love looked like, what it cost, and what it said about someone who spent less. Those rules were not ancient traditions. The industrymanufactured not diamonds, but desire. Even in popular culture, Rihanna gave us the song "Diamonds." The more interesting economic story, however, is not the diamonds in the sky, but the diamonds in the lab. Desire has not gone anywhere. For the first time, it has a better offer.
Whether in the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire or the British Imperial State Crown, these jewels did not merely decorate rulers. They performed authority, with every gem communicating prestige. This symbol of power eventually moved from palace to household. Diamonds became not just about monarchy, but also about romance, marriage, and status. This transformation was no accident.
Entering the Kimberley diamond fields in the 1870s, Cecil Rhodes quickly learned that the real power was not merely in finding diamonds, but in controlling their supply. Rhodes established De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited in 1888. By the 1890s, De Beers controlled an estimated 90% of the diamond market, leveraging the Diamond Syndicate in the British Isles to maintain dominance. From mines to merchants, De Beers commanded a monopoly. Yet fearful of competition, Rhodes reportedly warned shareholders that the company's "only risk is the sudden discovery of new mines, which human nature will work recklessly to the detriment of us all." His fear was not that diamonds would become too rare, but that they would become too common.
The diamond market's legacy was built on supply-chain domination, business consolidation, and the careful prevention of abundance.
The combination of enormous value, artificial scarcity, and weak political institutions created lucrative illicit markets. In the post-Cold War era, blood diamonds financed some of Africa's deadliest civil wars. In 2007, Amnesty International reported that "3.7 million people have died in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, and Sierra Leone in conflicts fuelled by diamonds." At their peak, these diamonds may have represented as much as 15% of global diamond trade, while some estimates place the true figure closer to 20%.
The international response was the Kimberley Process, launched in 2003 to certify rough diamonds as conflict-free: "By enforcing rigorous certification protocols and compliance assessments, the KP ensures that all participating countries maintain high standards that keep conflict diamonds out of the international market." These formalities failed to reach the reality of the diamond fields.
Devastating evidence of this failure was the 2008 slaughter of roughly 200 people by Zimbabwe's government in the Marange diamond fields. Remarkably, those diamonds were still Kimberley Process-certified because the system was designed to police rebel groups, not governments acting as warlords. Human Rights Watch recounts the experience of one child laborer: "Every day, I would carry ore and only rest for short periods... We always started work very early in the morning before eight and finished when it was dark after six. All I want now is to go back to school."
More recently, the US Department of Labor's 2024 TVPRA List shows that the broader problem has not disappeared. Diamonds from several African countries remain listed as goods produced with both child labor and forced labor. The KP may certify a narrow category of "conflict-free" diamonds, but the labor evidence shows a thriving black market. The International Labour Organization reports that this illegal mining contributes to 20% of the global diamond supply.
Political economist Albert O. Hirschman argued in Exit, Voice, and Loyalty that people respond to declining institutions in two ways: they can use voice, attempting reform from within, or exit, leaving for an alternative. The Kimberley Process represented voice. It tried to make the diamond supply chain cleaner through meetings, definitions, and certificates. Its limitations left consumers searching for an exit.
Exit requires something more than dissatisfaction. It requires somewhere else to go.
Joseph Schumpeter explained where those alternatives come from. Through creative destruction, entrepreneurs continually replace old arrangements with new ones. Lab-grown diamonds did not reform the incumbent institution. They reduced consumers' dependence upon it.
Lab-grown diamonds have existed in industrial applications since the 1950s, but they reached consumers in meaningful quantities in the 2010s. The Federal Trade Commission's 2018 Jewelry Guides acknowledged that lab-grown diamonds have "essentially the same optical, physical, and chemical properties as mined diamonds," while still requiring sellers to disclose that they are not mined stones.
For the consumer standing in a jewelry store, it is the same stone. Everything behind it has changed.
A lab-grown diamond does not require a rebel mine, a smuggling route, or a questionable certificate from an international body. It is produced through technology, capital, energy, and scientific knowledge. According to Fortune Business Insights, "The global lab-grown diamond market size was valued at USD 29.46 billion in 2025. The market is projected to grow from USD 33.54 billion in 2026 to USD 91.85 billion by 2034." Each lab-grown diamond purchased is one less purchase supporting a supply chain historically associated with conflict and child labor.
Consumers have driven this shift. According to The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study, 61% of engagement rings purchased in 2025 featured lab-grown center stones, a 239% increase since 2020. Buyers spent less, received larger stones, and increasingly cited ethical sourcing as part of their decision. Consumers are not merely expressing moral concern--they are putting their money where their mouth is. Economists call this revealed preference.
This is capitalism solving a moral problem through innovation. Rather than asking consumers to become experts in African mining, international certification, or export law, entrepreneurs built an alternative. Markets changed the moral choices available to millions of ordinary people.
Diamonds may glisten, but they are not unique in capitalism's moral market.
When petroleum replaced whale oil in the 19th century, consumers became less dependent on whales for illumination. Synthetic ivory competes directly with poached ivory, reducing demand for elephant tusks. Streaming services accomplished more to reduce digital piracy than years of litigation by making legal entertainment easier than illegal downloading.
This is creative destruction viewed through a moral lens. Markets rarely solve ethical problems by making existing industries virtuous. More often, they solve them by making those industries less relevant. Lab-grown diamonds are not just a better deal--they are another demonstration of one of capitalism's least appreciated strengths: to expand the range of ethical choices available to ordinary people.
De Beers once taught the world that a diamond is forever. Lab-grown diamonds taught consumers something even more valuable: no monopoly is beyond competition. By creating better alternatives, markets made participation in exploitative supply chains increasingly unnecessary. Perhaps that is capitalism's greatest moral contribution: not that it forces people to do the right thing, but that it makes doing the right thing easier.
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Stefan Bartl is an economist, writer, and host of the Economic Podcast for Gen Z. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Duquesne University, a postgraduate diploma from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, and a master's degree in economics from the University of Barcelona.
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Original text here: https://fee.org/articles/diamonds-in-the-lab/
