Click here to download a PDF of our annual report.

Message from the Executive Director

As we reflect on a year of accomplishments and look forward to another year of advocating for technology’s role in promoting human flourishing, I’m pleased to remark on the state of the Foundation.

FAI – one year ago known as Lincoln Network – stands for technology, talent, and ideas that support a better, freer, and more abundant future. Our Research team advances the policies to realize that future, the Labs team develops technology and partnerships to solve the nation’s challenges, and our Network team convenes the technologists, wonks, and thinkers aiming for a more perfect union between tech and the American republic.

Our policy team, bolstered by the addition of Senior Economist Samuel Hammond, took a leading role in shaping the future of AI, countering China’s strategic challenge, and strengthening Congress’s capacity. We were honored to have our scholars testify before Congress six times over the year. Through our commentary and media efforts, our scholars have played a central role in the ongoing conversations and debates around effective altruism and techno-optimism.

Thanks to the efforts of our Labs team, Schoolahoop, our school-finder app, enjoyed a breakout year. We expanded to West Virginia (and are poised to add Missouri and Iowa soon), saw 2000+% user growth, helped more than 500,000 children to brighten their educational futures, and added new features including a bilingual option and new boots-on-the-ground partnerships, among other improvements.

Finally, our Network team kicked off 2023 with a bang with Realignment Live, a day-long conference in Washington, D.C. featuring some of the smartest minds from across the political spectrum. We completed our third cohort of the Policy Hackers fellowship, which teaches tech professionals about the theory and practice of public policy. We hosted panels and salon dinners covering China’s digital threat, AI’s civilizational impact, Web3’s implications for national security, and more in San Francisco, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Dallas.

Looking forward, we’re excited to welcome you to San Francisco on September 4 and 5, 2024, for the return of our REBOOT programming and a very special 10th anniversary celebration. We will continue advocating for tech’s role in ensuring a bright American future, and look forward to working with policymakers and technologists of all political stripes to make it happen.

This report details our pursuit of our mission in 2023 and our roadmap for even more success in the new year. None of this work would be possible without the generosity of our steadfast supporters throughout the country. We are extraordinarily grateful for their contributions. If you are inspired to join their ranks, please reach out to us.

On behalf of all of us at the Foundation for American Innovation, I look forward to working with you to shape the future of technology and American society.

Sincerely,

Zach Graves
Executive Director