Core issues Peterson philanthropies
Peterson Philanthropies brings together the nonprofit, nonpartisan work of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, the Peterson Center on Healthcare and Peterson Solutions Fund, engaging in a range of initiatives to strengthen the economic and democratic foundations of the United States, and build a brighter future for the next generation.
core issue
Fiscal Sustainability and Economic Growth
America is on an unsustainable fiscal path that threatens our economy, places a growing burden on future generations and undermines our leadership role in the world. Rapidly rising debt will restrain opportunities for Americans to build a prosperous future. If our long-term fiscal challenges remain unaddressed, our future economy will be diminished as confidence suffers, interest costs crowd out key investments in our future, and we risk higher inflation and loss of confidence in the dollar.
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To a Brighter Future
Stabilizing U.S. debt through policy solutions.
We work with leading policy experts, elected officials, and the public to build the support needed to put America on a sustainable fiscal path. We educate and engage citizens and policymakers from a variety of perspectives through grantmaking, partnerships and research, with a significant focus on the next generation. Explore our impact summaries to learn more about how we are supporting new pathways to fiscal sustainability and economic growth.
core issue
High-Performance Healthcare
Healthcare spending is 17 percent of the U.S. economy — $4.3 trillion — and continues to rise. Despite our massive spending on healthcare — more than twice the average of other wealthy countries — the United States consistently has worse health outcomes than other wealthy countries. This poor performance places a burden on families, businesses and federal and state budgets, which means fewer resources for everything else. We must seek ways to deliver higher quality care at a lower cost.
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To a Brighter Future
Improving quality and lowering the cost of healthcare.
We work to make higher-quality, more affordable healthcare a reality for all Americans. We collaborate with stakeholders across the healthcare industry, engage in strategic grantmaking, embrace innovative partnerships, and support needed research. Explore our impact summaries to learn how our work strengthens America’s health data infrastructure, informs and improves healthcare purchasing, and fosters innovative solutions that reduce costs and make care delivery more affordable and effective.
core issue
Effective Democracy
Increasing polarization, reduced trust in elections, and growing levels of misinformation erode the national conversation and threaten the essential exchange of ideas that is required for a democracy.
A healthy, functioning democracy supports effective and collaborative policymaking, which is essential to making progress on our nation’s fiscal and economic challenges.
We are committed to strengthening our democracy through work in three key areas: ensuring nonpartisan, trustworthy election administration systems; encouraging informed, fact-based discourse; and fostering a culture of effective policymaking.
Understanding the Challenge
Trusted Elections
Secure, transparent, accurate, and convenient elections represent the cornerstone of our democracy. Increasing technological, financial, and political pressures have contributed to declining trust in election processes and outcomes. Elections are decentralized and fragmented, governed by different policies across each of the states and administered by more than 10,000 local election offices, creating barriers to sharing evidence-based best practices and collaborating to address common challenges.
Informed Civil Discourse
A shared understanding and appreciation of facts is necessary for our leaders and our society to successfully debate and address complex challenges. Trends in the media landscape, including increasing disagreements about objective evidence, a blurring of the line between fact and opinion and declining trust in media and other institutions, are eroding public understanding and the quality of informed discourse that is critical for a functioning democracy.
Collaborative Policymaking
Developing pragmatic, common sense policy, especially in periods of divided government, depends on our leaders engaging in constructive and productive dialogue across political divides. Particularly in times of divided government, cross-party problem solving, collaborative approaches and effective institutions are essential for progress on major issues impacting the nation.
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To a Brighter Future
Supporting a healthy democratic process.
We engage in a range of nonpartisan efforts to support an effective democracy in the United States. Explore our impact summaries to learn how our grants and projects support secure, accurate and transparent election administration, improved access to unbiased, fact-based information, and more constructive, productive policymaking, all of which are critical to implementing the common sense solutions that are necessary to secure America’s future prosperity for the next generation.