Blog

#9 Finding from 2025: Commissioner’s Office as Think Tank

Written by: Shawn Teigen

The Finding Of the 14 research reports released in 2025, there were a lot of key findings. The Utah Foundation’s Board of Directors selected the top 10. In 9th place: “The Commissioner’s Office should be the key think tank for Utah Legislators and the Utah State of Higher Education Board.” The Details Post-secondary education governance looks different in every state. In our state, the Utah Board of Higher Education oversees 16 disparate institutions. The idea … Continued

#10 Finding from 2025: Significant Social Capital Decline

Written by: Shawn Teigen

The Finding Of the 14 research reports released in 2025, there were a lot of key findings. The Utah Foundation’s Board of Directors selected the top 10. In 10th place: “Utah’s Social Capital Index score stands at 82 out of 100, which is a continuing downward slide from 2013, when Utah stood at 96. This compares to the United States, which stands at 44.” The Details Utah’s Social Capital Index score stands at 82 out of … Continued

Utah Thrives: Social Capital Wrap-up

Written by: Dan Bammes

What has all this study and conversation about social capital meant as the Utah Foundation has looked at it from multiple angles? Social capital – defined as the value of relationships in families and the larger community – is an extremely valuable asset, every bit as important as money in the bank for the places and people that have it. Utah Foundation staff looked back on the series of reports about social capital, talking about … Continued

Utah Foundation News

Written by: Shawn Teigen

At the last Board of Trustees meeting of 2025, we said goodbye to Kelly Mendenhall. He is a longtime supporter and Trustee. He’s served in several officerial positions, most recently as the Board Chair. Kelly is the third chair in a row to serve only one year before taking on new and exciting positions out of state. He is staying with Enbridge Energy, but moving to Toronto. In addition, we welcomed a new set of … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | Social Mobility in Utah

Written by: Dan Bammes

Over the past year, the Utah Foundation has published a series of reports looking at social capital in Utah – the idea, as expressed by Harvard Professor Robert Putnam, that our connections between individuals and the broader community improve not only our own well-being but that of the places we live and the nation as a whole. One key aspect of that is social mobility – improving each family’s station in life.  As the report … Continued

Significant Statistic | Millard County and Utah Data Centers

Written by: Staff

Utah’s Emerging AI Infrastructure: The Millard County Data Center Utah’s economic landscape continues to evolve as a new project in Millard County draws attention from policymakers and industry observers. Joule Capital Partners, in partnership with Caterpillar Inc., has proposed building a high-performance computing and artificial intelligence (AI) data center campus on roughly 4,000 acres near the Intermountain Power Project.[1] The facility could eventually reach up to 4 gigawatts of power capacity, positioning it among the … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | Aging in Utah, Aging in Place

Written by: Dan Bammes

As we age, all of us will need a safe place to live and a means of transportation to meet our basic needs and avoid the social isolation that can make life difficult for older Americans. Utah Foundation supporter HNTB recently sponsored a community conversation on the idea of “aging in place.”   In this edition of Utah Thrives, we explore ways to address issues both big and small that will help set the agenda … Continued

Significant Statistic | Voter Turnout in Utah

Written by: Christopher Collard

Utah Voter Turnout Historically, Utah has been a state with low voter turnout. That began to change in 2014 with the adoption of mail-in voting. You can see from the graph above that turnout usually follows a cyclical pattern. Presidential election years see an average turnout of 60% from 2008 to 2024. Non-presidential elections see an average turnout of 44% from 2006 to 2022. Municipal Elections and Utah County Municipal elections (those that happen in … Continued

Op-ed: Why social capital and community life are essential to Utah

Written by: Shawn Teigen

I’m not a fan of affirmations. I don’t have a poster on my wall that inspires me to succeed, nor do I have a calendar on my desk with daily inspirational quotes. In fact, one could argue that my personality is more in line with “Team Building: Sometimes, the most important lesson you can learn is that you’re not a very good team.“ Nonetheless, I’m completely taken in by the idea of social capital — … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | Social Capital and Community Life

Written by: Dan Bammes

There’s good news and bad news in the newest report in the Utah Foundation’s social capital series. The good news is that Utah far outdistances every other state in several key metrics of community life. The bad news is that Utah’s community life index score has fallen by over 40% since 2013. In this podcast, Dan Bammes talks with Utah Foundation staff and board members Ben Brown and Mary Catherine Perry.