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Organization · Evidence-based referenceReviewed November 4, 2026

The Heritage Foundation

Conservative public-policy think tank established in 1973

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Additional archive dossier fields

Type
Conservative public-policy nonprofit / think tank
Current president
Kevin D. Roberts
Core role in this project
Policy development, coalition building and presidential-transition preparation

Related reading from the archive dossier

Archive profile record

Conservative public-policy institution founded in 1973 that built a durable model for turning movement ideas into administration-ready policy, including the Mandate for Leadership series and, decades later, Project 2025.

Why this entry is in the archive: One of the clearest examples of policy infrastructure built outside government and prepared for use inside government.

Additional archived dossier material

Origins & history

The Heritage Foundation emerged in the early 1970s as part of a broader effort to build permanent conservative policy infrastructure in Washington. Paul Weyrich and Edwin Feulner were central founders; Joseph Coors was an important early donor.

Heritage’s 1980 Mandate for Leadership was prepared for the Reagan transition and became a model for producing detailed, administration-ready recommendations before a president took office.

In 2022 Heritage launched the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, later known as Project 2025, combining policy recommendations with personnel recruitment, training and transition planning.

What it does

Publishes policy research and recommendations across domestic, economic, legal, national-security and cultural issues.

Builds coalitions with allied organizations and maintains networks of policy specialists.

Has repeatedly invested in transition planning designed to make conservative administrations capable of acting quickly after taking office.

Leadership & institutional continuity

Edwin Feulner helped build Heritage into a major conservative policy institution and served on Ronald Reagan’s 1980 transition executive committee.

Jim DeMint served as Heritage president from 2013 to 2017 before founding the Conservative Partnership Institute.

Kevin D. Roberts has served as Heritage president since 2021 and also leads Heritage Action.

Why it matters

Heritage is one of the clearest examples on this site of ideas being converted into reusable governing capacity. Its significance is not that every Republican administration follows Heritage recommendations, but that detailed policy work, personnel networks and transition planning can exist before an election is decided.

Evidence limits

A Heritage recommendation does not prove that a later administration action originated at Heritage.

Coalition membership does not mean every partner agrees with every Heritage position.

A personnel connection to Heritage does not establish Heritage control over an official after that person enters government.

Overview

Founded in 1973, the Heritage Foundation helped develop a model of publicly published policy programs, expert networks and policy preparation intended to influence conservative administrations.

Founding and movement infrastructure

Heritage's own historical timeline traces the institution to 1973. It identifies the Resource Bank developed under Edwin Feulner during the late 1970s as a network of policy experts and partner organizations.[1][2]

Mandate for Leadership

The Mandate for Leadership series became a major way to publish administration-ready conservative policy recommendations during the Reagan transition and in later cycles. The specific recommendations and presidential responses varied over time.[1][3]

Leadership and later projects

Former senator Jim DeMint served as Heritage's president from 2013 to 2017. Years later, Heritage published a new Mandate for Leadership volume associated with Project 2025.[4][3]

Evidence limits

Writing a policy blueprint and publishing recommendations demonstrate advocacy and preparation. Government adoption must be established for each policy or personnel decision, rather than assumed from institutional overlap.[3]

Timeline

  1. Heritage founded. [1]
  2. Edwin Feulner becomes president and develops Resource Bank. [1]
  3. Early Mandate for Leadership linked to Reagan transition. [1][3]
  4. Jim DeMint serves as president. [4]
  5. New Mandate volume associated with Project 2025 released. [3]
  6. Institution-building accelerates

    Heritage is founded; ALEC also dates its founding to 1973, reflecting the growth of permanent policy infrastructure.

    Paul Weyrich · Edwin Feulner · Joseph Coors · American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)

  7. From movement to transition

    Heritage’s Mandate for Leadership is delivered to the Reagan transition; Feulner serves on the transition executive committee.

    Ronald Reagan · Edwin Feulner

  8. Heritage adds an advocacy arm

    The Heritage Foundation creates Heritage Action for America to combine policy research with lobbying and grassroots pressure.

    Heritage Action for America

  9. Project 2025 launches

    Heritage launches the 2025 Presidential Transition Project to combine policy recommendations with vetted and trained personnel.

    Project 2025 · Paul Dans

Documented connections

Open an entry to learn more. Each relationship below identifies exactly what its supporting record establishes.

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Additional archive relationship receipts

Related reading

View the original research archive profile →

Sources & original records

These links identify primary records, institutional accounts and independently reported findings. Source classifications describe the document's origin, not an automatic guarantee that its claims are true.

  1. Heritage Foundation — Historical timelineOrganization's historical account
  2. Heritage Foundation — Edwin Feulner timelineOrganization's historical account
  3. Heritage — Mandate for Leadership seriesPublished policy program
  4. CPI — Jim DeMint biographyOrganizational biography
  5. Heritage — institutional timeline
  6. Heritage — Kevin Roberts biography
  7. Heritage — Project 2025 launch

Evidence rule: Being linked to a person or organization does not establish criminal conduct, common command, financial control or shared intent. Claims of that kind require specific proof.