Pathways to A Brighter Future

Recent years have presented extraordinarily difficult challenges to our health, our economy, our democracy and our fiscal outlook. Through the resiliency of our citizens and the strength of our nation, we have risen to meet these challenges.

At the same time, critical threats remain. As we look out over the decades ahead, we have much more to do to strengthen the fiscal, economic and democratic foundations of the United States, and ensure a brighter future for the next generation.

Our national debt is $36 trillion and rising unsustainably, fueled by growing interest costs that diminish our ability to invest in other priorities. Our healthcare system is — by far — the most inefficient in the world, undermining our health, our economy and our federal and state budgets. And our democracy, while strong, faces increased polarization and gridlock that harms the functioning of the policymaking process that is essential for effective, representative government.

To help meet this moment, in 2023, we launched Peterson Philanthropies, a network of nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations engaging in mission-driven work, which includes:

• The Peter G. Peterson Foundation, founded in 2008 to raise awareness and accelerate action on America’s long-term fiscal challenges to improve our economic future.
• The Peterson Center on Healthcare, founded in 2014 to make affordable healthcare a reality for all Americans by finding, validating and scaling solutions that deliver better health outcomes at lower cost. In 2023, the Center launched the Peterson Health Technology Institute, which provides independent evaluations of innovative healthcare solutions to drive the adoption of high value technologies.
• Peterson Solutions Fund, founded in 2022 as a 501(c)(4) to support a range of policy advocacy activities to address the same key challenges and policy priorities that are the focus of our other organizations.

Through these entities, we work to educate and engage Americans in support of solutions to stabilize America’s fiscal outlook, improve the performance of our healthcare system, and strengthen the pillars of our democracy. Our nonpartisan, substantive approach looks over the long term, to enrich the national conversation, enabling collaborative, common ground policymaking that supports economic growth and broad-based prosperity.

It’s no secret that these challenges are complex, deeply engrained, and politically divisive. We aren’t under the illusion that they will be solved overnight — but we know they are indeed solvable.

By expanding our efforts and bringing the organizations under one banner, we are furthering my father’s philanthropic vision, reflecting his deep love for this country and enduring commitment to leaving a better world for our children and grandchildren.

I invite you to read on, to learn more about the initiatives we’ve undertaken recently, and to see where we’re going next. We all have a stake in the future we leave to the next generation of Americans.