Tarren Bragdon
President and Chief Executive Officer- 239.244.8808 Ext. 100
I greatly value the ability to provide for my wife and children and want more Americans to experience the freedom that work brings. I founded FGA to pursue good policy solutions that will free millions from government dependency and open the doors for them to chase their own American Dream.
About Tarren
Tarren Bragdon built FGA to enact public policies that create big opportunities for millions.
He’s passionate about that because of his background and his experience as a father of four, stewarding the America that his kids and future grandkids will inherit, just like his parents did for him.
At 20, Tarren was elected to the Maine House of Representatives—the youngest legislator in state history. He served two terms from 1996 to 2000, helping to implement welfare reform in Maine while serving on the Health and Human Services Committee. His district had the largest public housing development north of Boston, so he saw up close what work and opportunity meant as people left dependency and experienced earned success.
That early policy experience built a passion for free market reforms. He worked at and then led the Maine Heritage Policy Center from 2003 through 2011.
In spring 2011, he moved his family to Florida and launched the Foundation for Government Accountability with $50,000 in seed money and a plan to shape policy solely in Florida. FGA soon expanded to a multi-state model just a year later.
Recognizing the need to impact policy not only in the states but also in Washington, D.C., FGA built a federal affairs team in 2016, and the organization raised $5 million between the c3 and c4 that year. There’s been no slowing down: Less than a decade later, the organization raised more than $22 million annually and has achieved 1,427 state policy wins and 206 federal reform wins. Eleven of FGA’s former staff have worked or are working in the Trump administration.
FGA operates on a model that achieves policy victories first in the states, then leverages that success and experience to implement nationwide policy reforms at the federal level.
Entrepreneurship is foundational for Tarren. He started his first business at 26 and helped found 7-Figure Fundraising with his brother Trevor to help non-profit professionals raise millions. Together, they’ve trained more than 1,000 non-profit leaders across more than 15 countries on how to raise millions to change the world.
He founded and currently serves as Board Chair of Better Together, a faith-based non-profit supporting families in crisis and connecting them to work.
He also founded and chairs the board of Southwest Florida CEO, inspiring and equipping young entrepreneurs in his local community.
He has testified before numerous U.S. House and Senate committees as well as in several state legislatures and has been featured in numerous outlets from the Wall Street Journal to National Public Television. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and master’s in business.
Faith, family, freedom, free markets, and the power of work are what drive him. He and his wife Anna live in Southwest Florida.
Tarren speaks nationally on topics related to public policy, entrepreneurship, and the dignity of work.
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.