Utah Foundation

Top Utah Foundation Findings of 2021

Written by: Shawn Teigen

The Utah Foundation had a prolific 2021. (Read all about it in our Annual Report, here.) At its December meeting, the Utah Foundation Board of Trustees determined our top 10 findings in 2021 – or top 12 findings given the three-way tie for 10th place. 1. From 2010 to 2021, an inflation-adjusted mortgage payment with 10% down on a median-priced Utah home increased by $469 from $1,131 to $1,600. Over time, the cost of lower-priced … Continued

Op-ed: Civility still exists. In politics, we need it now more than ever

Written by: Peter Reichard

Voters can choose to march to the drum of political tribalism, or to build on a foundation of truth.   At the old Hotel Utah, 75 years ago this fall, a group of business and civic leaders gathered to form a new organization. They came from various professional and political backgrounds. But they were united by a vision to create an organization that would serve as an independent voice to help Utah address its problems. … Continued

Op-Ed: How will the coronavirus change us?

Written by: Peter Reichard

The reactions to coronavirus range from prudence to panic, and there’s reasonable debate about which reaction fits where. But regardless of your view, and leaving aside the economic issues, the virus will probably change the way we live and operate. To begin with, the crisis is exposing businesses, government agencies and vast swaths of the population to new ways of working. Utah Foundation, with support from UCAIR, has undertaken a study of telecommuting in 2020. The sudden shift to telecommuting … Continued

The leaves are falling. What about taxes?

Written by: Peter Reichard

Autumn is not the season we usually associate with discussions of state tax policy. But with comprehensive tax reform failing to blossom last spring at the close of the general session, state legislators are working to bring reform to fruition before winter sets in. The push for reform comes at a time of prosperity for Utah – but also a time when structural challenges are becoming increasingly apparent. As Utah Foundation revealed in its 2018 … Continued

Utah’s Quality of Life – Video

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Utah Foundation occasionally surveys Utahns in an effort to understand how they feel about both their community and their personal quality of life. This video describes why Utah’s community quality of life is declining, and shows how quality of life is affected by demographic factors. This is all described in further detail in our report Utah Foundation Quality of Life Survey: Measuring Utahns’ Perceptions of their Communities, Personal Lives.  

Rio Tinto to be Honored with Utah Foundation’s Civic Cornerstone Award

Written by: Dan Bammes

Rio Tinto to be Honored with Utah Foundation’s Civic Cornerstone Award Annual Luncheon Features Professor Robert Putnam as Keynote Speaker   Rio Tinto will be honored with the Civic Cornerstone Award at Utah Foundation’s 2019 Annual Luncheon on May 21st at the Little America Hotel. Utah Foundation’s supporters include companies and organizations that serve as true champions of the civic community. Through the Civic Cornerstone Award, Utah Foundation seeks to recognize these supporters’ remarkable contributions … Continued

Utah Foundation’s Top Research Findings of 2018

Written by: Dan Bammes

  Utah Foundation published research reports on a broad range of public policy issues in 2018, each with significant findings that will influence political discussion and decisions for years to come. At the end of the year, we asked our Board of Trustees, a diverse group representing a broad range of business and community leaders, to rank the findings they felt were most important. Here’s what they determined, along with links to each of the … Continued

Utah Thrives: Utah’s State Budget and Board Chair Elizabeth Hitch

Written by: Dan Bammes

The most important job for Utah’s state legislature as it prepares to go into its general session is to pass a balanced state budget. The governor provides legislators with a budget outline in December, and the day it was released, Utah Foundation hosted a breakfast with special guests Kristen Cox, the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, along with Phil Dean, the office’s Budget Director and Chief Economist. We’ll hear some … Continued

Utah Foundation names new board leadership

Written by: Dan Bammes

At its Board of Trustees meeting December 6, Utah Foundation announced the following new officers: Elizabeth Hitch, Associate Commissioner for Academic Affairs in the Utah System of Higher Education, is the new chair. Dr. Hitch previously served as vice chair and replaces outgoing chair Brent Jensen, vice president of HDR Engineering. Chad Westover, CEO of University of Utah Health Plans, is the new vice chair. Dan Eldredge, General Manager of Intermountain Power Agency, is the … Continued

Utah Thrives: 2018 Election and Utah Politics

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah has just completed a remarkable midterm election, with high levels of voter participation. Some hotly contested candidate races and strong interest in several ballot initiatives helped to drive that high turnout. We’ll hear from Justin Lee, the elections chief in the office of Utah’s lieutenant governor. Brigham Young University’s Adam Brown, Associate Professor of Political Science, was the featured speaker at Utah Foundation’s annual luncheon in October. We’ll hear his thoughts on what makes … Continued