August 7, 2009

Utah Foundation has won a national award from the Governmental Research Association (GRA), a national organization of individuals and groups studying state and local public policy issues. Utah Foundation received the state-level Most Effective Education award at the annual GRA policy conference in Washington, D.C. for our 2008 Utah Priorities Project.

This prestigious award is given to only one organization for state-level policy work each year and recognizes research designed to educate the public and officials about important public policy issues, enabling more informed public discourse and decision making.

The Utah Priorities Project is an ambitious effort to set the policy agenda during gubernatorial elections. The project begins with a Dan Jones survey early in the year to determine the top 10 issues of concern to voters. Utah Foundation then performs research on those issues, publishing reports and briefs designed to elevate and inform the political dialogue on those issues. The Foundation works with partners, including the Hinckley Institute of Politics, to stage informative forums and candidate debates on the issues. The project also includes a special website (www.utahpriorities.net) to present the research findings and to gather candidate statements on their efforts to address the priority issues.

It is a distinct honor to have Utah Foundation’s work recognized with this national award.