Our Impact
For more than 30 years, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation has existed to improve the lives of Georgians through work that expands freedom and opportunity.
Housing Affordability
When housing prices began skyrocketing in Georgia, the Foundation released a first-of-its-kind study detailing the cost of regulation on new single-family housing in 2022. That report was followed up by four additional reports examining the government’s role in the increased price of housing. The Foundation has presented the findings of these reports to thousands of Georgians, including home builders, realtors, lawmakers and other stakeholders. Because of this work, the Foundation received a national award from the State Policy Network in 2023.
Education Freedom
For more than 30 years, the Foundation has been a proponent of increased educational options for Georgia families. In 2024, Georgia adopted the state’s first education savings account program, which allows families to use their child’s education dollars on private school tuition and other educational expenses. The tax credit scholarship program, which provides scholarships for Georgia families to attend private schools, has grown by almost 50% over the past decade, while more than 60,000 students attend a charter school in Georgia. And through these changes, the Foundation remains the voice for innovative education options that allow parents to fully customize their child’s education.
Certificate of Need
The Foundation has been a leading voice on the need to repeal Georgia’s antiquated Certificate of Need laws for years, often providing legislative testimony and speaking at events throughout the state. In 2023, the Foundation released an in-depth report on how CON laws limit access to healthcare for Georgia’s most vulnerable, fail to protect rural hospitals from closure and increase costs for all consumers. The Foundation is also bringing Georgia’s CON laws – and their impact – to light through a series of short documentary-style videos in 2023. The first video, Monica’s story, has been viewed by more than 200,000 people across the state.
Tax reform
The Foundation has always supported lower, flatter and broader state income taxes to ensure economic competitiveness. Most recently, the Foundation’s work helped inspire the 2022 tax reforms that created a simple flat tax that will eventually be lowered to 4.99% from today’s top rate of 5.75%. Today, the Foundation continues to push efforts to accelerate and further reduce taxes.
Making it easier to work
To bolster the state’s reputation as the best state for doing business, the Foundation has long supported efforts to make it easier to work in Georgia. The Foundation has long championed right to work protections and in 2023, the Foundation supported efforts to recognize occupational licenses obtained in another state. This will allow new residents of Georgia to begin working without having to jump through unnecessary government hurdles.
Criminal justice reform
The Foundation has been a leader in the development of data-driven criminal justice reforms first passed in 2012 and thereafter. These reforms, which protect public safety while providing second chances by making it easier to work, became a national model, with more than 20 states and the federal government following our lead.
Transportation
In the early 2000s, the Foundation began promoting creative solutions to metro Atlanta’s traffic congestion. This includes variable toll lanes and Bus Rapid Transit, both of which have been adopted and become widely used in the Atlanta metro area.
Freedom Dinner
Each year, the Foundation welcomes prominent national voices to Georgia for the Georgia Freedom Dinner. Previous speakers have included Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Gov. Zell Miller, Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy, Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon and many more. You can watch all of the past dinners here.
Investigative journalism
In 2021, Georgia Public Policy Foundation launched an investigative journalism initiative to shine a light on the actions of our state and local governments and hold them accountable. These are often stories that no one else is telling. Since launching, this work has been viewed more than 500,000 times across all media platforms.
