Stories

Cancel culture began on college campuses and quickly spread to social media platforms. Now it is increasingly pervasive across corporate America. And the climate of fear and self-censorship it creates limits people’s ability to collaborate, innovate, and build inclusive, productive workplaces.  What’s ‘Cancel Culture’? Really.  Cancel culture is a term that many different people use […]

The Tennessee state motto is “America at its best,” and among America’s best qualities are the innovation and entrepreneurism that fuel our economy.   The Beacon Center of Tennessee, a grantee of Stand Together Trust, wants to make good on its state motto by increasing the ability of innovators and entrepreneurs to thrive in their state. […]

In recent years, Americans’ view of the “the impact immigrants have on the country remains largely positive” — with “a majority (62%) say[ing] immigrants strengthen the country because of their hard work and talents.”  The immigration process in the United States is seen as “fairly difficult” and in need of reform. Yet, immigration policy has […]

The internet has changed media — everyone knows this. Gaining attention in the media today requires more than being an expert on a relevant topic. Rising journalists and media voices today must also know how to package their work so that their messages are visible in a vast online media world driven by clicks, shares, […]

In 2004, Milton Friedman, economist and Nobel Laureate wrote, “A far more effective and equitable way for government to finance education is to finance students, not the schools.” It very likely was the first time an education leader proposed the idea of funding students, not schools.  In recent years, however, the transformation of education in […]

When tackling America’s greatest problems, some watch and worry, and others do something about it.    Josh Archambault and Scott Darnell are the people who do. With funding from Stand Together Trust, co-founders of Reformers Academy, Archambault, and Darnell, are leveraging their decades of experience in policy to train up the next generation of policy, […]

March 20, 2023, marked twenty years since the United States invaded Iraq as part of the War on Terror. The conflict was deadly and costly — most especially because of the loss of countless lives, the displacement of millions of Iraqi citizens, and destruction of critical infrastructure, like quality health care and clean water, to […]

When Maria Elena Thomas’ grandchildren were removed from the care of their mother, she didn’t like the thought of them entering foster care. So Thomas and her husband scrambled to take the children in, the New York Times reports. Accepting responsibility for the children was easy, but that responsibility came with significant costs. “The couple […]

How far would you go to ensure your child gets the best education?   Veronica Vargas lived in her Hyundai in a Walmart parking lot so that her sons could attend a top-rated public school. Kelley Williams-Bolar went to prison when a private investigator hired by the school district discovered she was using her dad’s address […]

There has been growing anxiety among Americans in recent years regarding the safety of their communities. Crime rose during the pandemic, and already-overwhelmed law enforcement and criminal justice institutions have become backlogged and overburdened with too many cases to process effectively.  It is past time to make communities safer by implementing innovative, evidence-based approaches to […]