OUR STORY
The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) was founded in 2011 by President and CEO Tarren Bragdon. After focusing solely on reforms in Florida for the first year, Bragdon realized that the problems facing Floridians were the same problems facing Americans across the country. Bragdon changed FGA’s strategy to promoting solutions that work in as many states as possible–a change that proved successful. FGA quickly grew into a powerhouse for policy wins in the areas of welfare, unemployment, workforce, election integrity, and health care. Today, FGA employs more than 45 marketing, research, and outreach experts with more than 50 on-the-ground liaisons in 31 states, and partners with more than 450 policymakers across the country.
Because of our work, Americans nationwide are pursuing new opportunities. The single mother is finally finding flexible work to meet her unique schedule. The individual trapped in generational poverty is trading in government checks for paychecks, modeling success for his children. The recent high school graduate is enrolling in a new apprenticeship program instead of taking out tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt for a degree he won’t use. The voter who stayed home during the last election is preparing to show up to the ballot box, confident that his voice will be heard with new election integrity measures in place.
Much has changed in the decade since FGA’s founding, but one fact remains consistent:
FGA advances policies that improve lives.
OUR IMPACT
FGA has grown exponentially since its founding in 2011. That’s because we experiment, improve our methods, and adapt to the ever-changing political landscape. For example, in the past, we provided just a few solutions to policymakers based on our top priorities. Now, we give lawmakers a menu featuring more than 150 reforms and partner with them to create new ideas and comprehensive reform agendas. As a result, we continue to expand our impact and increase the return on our donors’ investment. To date, we have achieved more than 780 state-based wins and 27 major federal victories.
HOW WE DO IT
It is not enough to talk about reform or produce research papers discussing the need for change. We create good policy, educate lawmakers, and, in conjunction with our partner 501(c)(4), get our reforms passed into law. That is why we only declare victory when both 1) our solutions are enacted through legislative or executive action, and 2) we are directly involved.
How does FGA choose what solutions to work on?
Our “secret sauce” consists of three ingredients:
How do we partner with policymakers to get ideas across the finish line?
Our team works with policymakers before the start of legislation, provides expertise and testimony when our solutions are being considered, and ensures our policy champions have the tools they need to pass our reforms.
Our Team
Board of Trustees
At FGA, we don’t just talk about changing policy—we make it happen.
By partnering with FGA through a gift, you can create more policy change that returns America to a country where entrepreneurship thrives, personal responsibility is rewarded, and paychecks replace welfare checks.