June marks 18 months since Founding Forward was formed through the merger of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and The Union League Legacy Foundation, two long-standing leaders in civic education. In this last year and a half, a lot has been accomplished. Read below for details, plus highlights of recent events, upcoming speaker programs, and more.
18 months of progress
When you look at what Founding Forward has accomplished, it is hard to believe it has only been 18 months. These achievements demonstrate our ongoing forward progress as we pursue an ambitious seven-year strategic plan to dramatically expand our national reach. The plan outlines growth that will enable us to reach millions of teachers, students, and community members each year. We unveiled the plan in February, and already:
- Enrollment in our teacher professional development seminars is on track to more than double from 314 teachers in 2024 to more than 650 in 2025. The impact is even more significant when you consider the number of students these teachers will reach across their careers!
- New student programs will be piloted this summer, including a high school Debate & Leadership Institute and a middle school Summer Day Camp. And, we have also expanded the number of student programs we offer on our Valley Forge campus.
- Capital improvements continue to enhance Founding Forward’s 75-acre Valley Forge campus, with even bigger plans coming to fully realize the potential of this gorgeous space to support our civic education mission.
- We increased the number and breadth of speaker programs with scholars, experts and thought leaders discussing current events, the Constitution, American history, and other interesting and timely topics.
- We are building the professional team necessary to support our strategic growth goals. Since January of 2024, we have added five new positions already – and there’s more to come. We invite you to meet the current Founding Forward team.
Follow our progress at www.foundingfoward.org and via social media (@foundingforward).
It has been a busy Spring at Founding Forward:
More than $500,000 in scholarships were awarded to 11 college-bound students through the 2025 Union League Scholarship and Abele Scholarship programs. These remarkable young men and women are sure to continue to impress us through their college careers. Congratulations to these outstanding students and welcome to the Founding Forward community!
We held our first speaker program, Library Hour: The Legacy of JFK, on our Valley Forge campus. Author and historian Dr. Stephen Knott discussed the lasting impact of John F. Kennedy on the American presidency and the nation. You can watch the recording of this and other speaker programs on our YouTube channel.
The rain could not keep the kind and generous Pennsylvania State High Twelve Association volunteers away as they returned to our Valley Forge campus to plant flowers near our George Washington in Prayer statue.
Summer nights…learn from these short, one-hour educational speaker programs!
- June 2: Public Affairs: Examining Trump’s Policies: Foreign Affairs, panel discussion of the new administration’s foreign policy agenda with John Yoo, Professor of Law at the University of California Berkeley, and former senior advisor to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute.
- June 10: Civil War Round Table: The Union League and the Civil War, during the Civil War, the Union League was founded to unite Philadelphia around Lincoln, his policies, the Union, and abolition. Join Jim Mundy, Historian Emeritus of Founding Forward, for a discussion on this vitally historic moment.
- June 18: Liberty Series: Hate Speech and the First Amendment, join Dr. Joseph Fornieri, Professor of Political Science at RIT, as he explores the Supreme Court’s evolving interpretation of controversial cases. The Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board has approved this symposium for a Substantive CLE credit. This credit will be provided by the Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy at Villanova University. Attendees seeking CLE credit must attend in person and complete additional forms at the event to qualify for the credit.
- June 30: Liberty Series: The Constitution: America’s Bedrock, Constitutional scholar Yuval Levin looks at the Constitution’s exceptional power to facilitate constructive disagreement and forge unity.
- July 8: Public Affairs: Argentina’s Economic Rebirth, Sallie James, former Cato Institute Trade Policy analyst, interviews Agustín Etchebarnem, former economic advisor to President Milie on how Argentina recovered from an economic crisis and triple digit inflation.
- July 30: Library Hour: Love of Country Leads: Medal of Honor recipient Ryan Pitts, Sergeant Ryan M. Pitts shares his story on how he was awarded his Medal of Honor for heroism during the war in Afghanistan war.
There is still time to make your student’s summer one to remember!
Some openings remain for high school students to attend the Spirit of America and Service Learning in Public Policy programs, or for middle schoolers to be part of our inaugural Founding Forward Summer Day Camp. Also, look for information on our fall programs, coming soon.
Teachers, it’s your turn!
After nine months in the classroom, it is time to recharge and refresh your perspectives. There are still limited openings in our inspirational professional development seminars this summer. Enjoy an environment where teachers are celebrated, while being educated. Apply for your spot before they fill up!
ICYMI: Perspectives Matter
According to a survey conducted by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, 70% of Americans fail a basic civics test – and they are registered voters. Additionally, most cannot name the three branches of government, the legislative, executive and judicial and the powers each can legally exercise.
Founding Forward President John Meko and The Bill of Rights Institute President and CEO David Bobb, joined Perspectives Matter host Jim Falk to discuss these issues. We invite you to watch or listen to the conversation.
Help us reach more by supporting our work before the fiscal year ends on June 30!
Monday, June 30 is the end of Founding Forward’s fiscal year. By making your tax-deductible donation to Founding Forward, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, you will help ensure we have a solid base on which to start our new year. Your generosity enables us to confidently plan our programming and activities for the year ahead and to put energy toward achieving the growth targets in our strategic plan.
Thank you for your continued support of our mission and work!