Annual Report 2018 III New America’s Reach BY THE NUMBERS New America is pioneering a new kind of think and action tank: a civic platform that connects a research institute, technology ANNUAL REPORT 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 2018 lab, solutions network, media hub and public forum. Our big, bold ideas for change have expanded our audience beyond the Beltway and around the world. Produced NEW AMERICA 88 research publications 7,022 attendees to Authored 172 events 707 434,747 articles total downloads and op-eds of the Better Life Lab podcast on Slate 311,780 Were cited viewers over twice by livestream, who U.S. Senators in engaged an average floor speeches of 8:44 minutes Were quoted in ... 1,780 ... articles by reporters NEW AMERICANS BROUGHT IN EVENTS EVENTS IN 2018 IN P U B L I C ENGAGEMENT V WORLD-CLASS OUR VI TechCongress founder Travis Moore 381 collected speeches, including talks at UNGA, SXSW, 1,500 West Point, the United Nations, and Code ANNUAL REPORT 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 2018 signatures from current and former Hill staff for America to end sexual harassment .. on Capitol Hill NEW AMERICA 8 congressional Won testimonies FELLOWS DELIVERED FELLOWS POLICY POLICY ENGAGEMENT 28 OUR AND STAFF awards (including one Emmy!) . .. Received 4 from Charity prestigious Navigator, America’s fellowships largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities Honorable Mention: ... We’re nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Politics and Government from Transparify, which Documentary, for provides ratings for Legion of Brothers transparency of think tanks globally NEW AMERICANS POSSIBLE HIGHEST THE RECEIVED AMERICA NEW IN 2018 IN PUBLIC RECOGNITION RECOGNITION PUBLIC L E A D E R S I N OF EXCELLENCE TRANSPARENCY RATINGS FROM INDEPENDENT ASSESSORS INDEPENDENT FROM RATINGS TRANSPARENCY VI TRANSPARENCY Contents NEW AMERICA 2 21 46 ANNUAL REPORT 2018 Letter from Chief Executive Thriving families, individuals, New America National Officer Anne-Marie Slaughter and communities with the Fellows, Class of 2019 time, stability, and opportunity to lead self-directed lives 4 27 48 Letter from Board Chair Equitable, accessible, New America Lenny Mendonca high-quality education, Board of Directors learning, and training over a lifetime 6 32 50 Our Visions + our people Equal representation Donors, Councils, in the spotlight in politics and participation and Corporate Circle in accountable governance OUR VISIONS 9 39 56 Universal access to digital A secure, prosperous Financial Summary technology and its benefits America that lives up to across all communities its values and commitments at home and abroad 14 44 58 A society that promotes Books and Mission Statement economic opportunity Documentaries for all 1 Letter from the CEO ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER When I stand on the sidewalk decorative columns outside Deborah documented in their in front of New America’s their windows like sculpture. 2018 best-selling book Our ANNUAL REPORT 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 2018 offices on 15th and H in And on the 10th floor we Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey Washington, D.C., just a block are treated to a wrap-around into the Heart of America, from the Treasury Department, terrace, which was added in towns and cities are coming I look up at the 1907 granite an earlier renovation of the together to reinvent themselves building and admire the building. Old and new together, economically and socially cornices and columns, the ripping out what is ugly or no as well. solidity and gravitas of a longer serves, but keeping the NEW AMERICA building meant to last for foundation and frame, while Renewal can also mean a new centuries. When I come out renewing old spaces to adapt commitment to old ideals. of the elevator on the 9th floor, them to present needs. Just as couples can renew their I similarly look down at the vows to enter a new phase colorful old floor tiles, up at the This same renewal is happening in their marriage, nations pressed tin ceiling, and across in the downtowns of so many can renew their ideals to enter to the old brick wall in our American towns: old movie a new phase in their history. conference room. But I also theaters turned into co-working We recommit ourselves take pleasure in a completely spaces, old banks turned into to equality, liberty, justice, renovated space, one that restaurants, old factories into democracy, and tolerance, looks more like a start-up tech incubators. The developers, knowing that even if we than a traditional Washington architects, and builders can never fully attain them, think tank, as open and cool preserve brick and stone walls, we can continually improve. and collaborative as we could wood banisters and masonry make it. moldings, lacy iron railings New America was founded and stained glass chandeliers. in 1999 as the New This is new America growing They replace what has not stood America Foundation, an out of old America. Indeed, the test of time. And as New organization dedicated to the offices on the 8th floor America’s founding board chair bold and visionary thinking have the Corinthian capitals and continuing board member from the “radical center” of the building’s exterior James Fallows and his wife in an age of transformative As New America enters our twentieth year, we are proud to catalyze and support American renewal, from local communities across the country, reinventing ourselves at home and in the world. 2 NEW AMERICA technological change. We also continued our initiative that will support But renewal was part of our experiments with doing, with the success of efforts in states DNA from the beginning. pioneering new ways of solving and cities to expand access As two of our co-founders, public problems that fall under to high-quality apprenticeship Ted Halstead and Michael the heading of “thinking plus.” opportunities for high school- Lind, wrote in 2001, Thinking plus technology age youth. Still another is “America will be reinvented creation and adoption, leading bringing business, education, ANNUAL REPORT 2018 again,” driven by the forces to our efforts to create an union, civic, and public leaders of “technological and ecosystem for public interest together in Indianapolis, economic progress, along technology and technologists Phoenix, and Detroit to talk with demographic change.” that mirrors the ecosystem about—and, more importantly, for public interest law and plan for—the future of work In 2017 we adopted a new lawyers. In 2018, we welcomed in their towns, based on mission statement committing the creation of The Commons, tailored research predicting ourselves to American renewal a public interest tech newsletter the likely impact of automation by continuing the question that was listed as one of the top and AI on their economies. to realize our nation’s highest 10 influencers for innovation Yet another is building out ideals in an age of rapid in government. a civic architecture in Chicago, technological and social serving as a connector and change. A grand vision! But We also saw the beginnings community concierge in not an abstract one. We also of the University Network for ever wider circles radiating adopted six broad goals that Public Interest Technology to outward from Indianapolis, aggregate and distill the work grow the pipeline of computer and supporting social of our many programs and scientists, engineers, designers, entrepreneurs in California. initiatives and define our vision data scientists, ethicists, of what a renewed America and others who want to spend Turn the page to find out more can look like. all or part of their careers on all these initiatives. And developing, applying, or join us this year as we celebrate In 2018, as this report illustrates, regulating technology in the our 20th anniversary with we continued conducting public interest. We announced as many of you and in as many and publishing world-class the network in January 2019 ways as possible. Welcome and research and writing, in with the Ford and Hewlett meet Tyra Mariani, formerly books, blogs, reports, articles, Foundations: it includes our Executive Vice President, op-eds, films, and even virtual vitally important national as she now takes the reins reality. We are knitting together universities such as Stanford, as President and COO, working a big vision of what this Harvard, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, closely with me every day. country could look like, a vision CUNY, Florida International Take your place alongside us of sweeping reform of our University, Howard, Miami- in our ever-growing community democracy: an educational Dade Community College, of partners, collaborators, and system from cradle to career, and Arizona State University. fellow-travelers on the journey our lives better at work of American renewal, at home and at home, access to and Another example of our doing and in the world. We have never protection from technology, is building: building networks needed it more. an economic and social and coalitions, like the foundation, and our national Partnership to Advance Youth and resource security informed Apprenticeship (PAYA), a multi- Anne-Marie Slaughter by accurate data. year, collaborative, national Chief Executive Officer 3 Letter from the Board Chair LENNY MENDONCA What a difference a year a state I love. It also happens to be the fifth-largest economy ANNUAL REPORT 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 2018 makes. What a difference in the world, making it a great place to test and scale big ideas. 20 years make! Twenty years ago, the founders of New America were also A year ago, I wrote this note happening in communities worried about the country, worried this country was across the country. We have but confident that they could NEW AMERICA entering a new Gilded Age, brought together communities find bold, bright ideas from but confident that New to discuss the future of work.