Pew Charitable Trusts Establishes New Nonprofit Research Org. to Help Inform Public, Policy Makers on Key Issues, Trends 4/27/2004
From: Garth Neuffer of the Pew Charitable Trusts, 215-575-4818, gneuffer@pewtrusts.org PHILADELPHIA, Pa., April 27 -- As part of its long-term commitment to informing the public with credible, timely research, The Pew Charitable Trusts announced today it is establishing a new nonprofit subsidiary to house all of the major information projects it supports -- one of the first initiatives by the Trusts to make use of the increased flexibility afforded by its change to a public charity on January 1, 2004. The new subsidiary -- to be named The Pew Research Center (PRC) -- will be based in Washington, D.C. and bring together seven Trusts-supported information projects that are leading sources of independent, nonpartisan research, polling and news on important issues and trends. The projects are: -- PEW RESEARCH CENTER FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE PRESS - led by Andrew Kohut -- PROJECT FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM (expected to join PRC in 2006) - led by Tom Rosenstiel -- STATELINE.ORG - led by Ed Fouhy and Gene Gibbons -- PEW INTERNET & AMERICAN LIFE PROJECT - led by Lee Rainie -- PEW FORUM ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE - led by Luis Lugo -- PEW HISPANIC CENTER - led by Roberto Suro -- PEW GLOBAL ATTITUDES PROJECT - led by Andrew Kohut "Credible, reliable information is the life blood on which democracies run, and it is increasingly important in America and our world today," said Rebecca Rimel, president and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts. "One of the primary missions of the Trusts is to inform the public on key issues and trends. For the past decade, these information projects have produced independent, nonpartisan research on a range of important topics- the impact of the Internet, how the world views us, religion and public life, the Latino experience, the changing news media and more. Bringing all of this experience and credibility together is an excellent example of how we can use our new public charity status to serve the public interest." The new PRC, which was approved by the Trusts' board on March 16, will become operational on July 1. The existing information projects, now dispersed in offices around Washington, D.C., are expected to move into a common office space beginning in December 2004. Andrew Kohut, director of The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, will serve as president of the new PRC. Paul Taylor, a long-time journalist and currently assistant director, Information Initiatives, for the Trusts, will be the PRC's executive vice president. They will be joined by the directors of the seven information projects, who will continue to manage each initiative and preserve their distinctive research agendas and identities. "The American public's judgments on the big questions of the day serve our country well. We are dedicated to recording and reporting them as objectively and fully as possible," said Kohut. "The new PRC will bring together some of the best experts on the trends that are changing America. Think of it as both a news resource and a think tank-a 'fact tank' that provides timely, reliable information to help policy makers, business and other leaders better understand the public's point of view, and help the public better understand the issues and trends that affect their lives." NEW PRC BUILDS ON STRONG RECORD OF RESEARCH The new PRC will be the first subsidiary established by the Trusts, which gained the flexibility to create such an entity when it changed its legal status in January from operating as a private foundation to a public charity. The Trusts made the change to public charity status-which was approved by the IRS, the courts and the Pennsylvania Attorney General-to enhance both its effectiveness and efficiency in serving the public interest, help it partner with a broader range of organizations and contributors on important initiatives, and save funds to invest in issues that matter most to the public. As part of the change, the Trusts also reorganized its program areas into three portfolios-Information, Policy and Civic Life- each with distinct and separate missions. As a nonprofit subsidiary of the Trusts, the new PRC will enhance the quality and broaden the reach of the Trusts' Information portfolio, creating new opportunities among the seven information projects to collaborate with one another and more nimbly address new research areas. The new subsidiary will also enable the Trusts to reduce administrative costs associated with making grants for the seven information projects to multiple organizations which currently host the initiatives. The new PRC will build on the credibility and experience of each of its information initiatives, which have demonstrated their ability to sense emerging newsworthy trends, disseminate information on a wide range of international, national and state- based issues, convene policy leaders to discuss timely topics, and maintain a strict commitment to independent, nonpartisan information and research. The new PRC will also have its own governing board, which will oversee day-to-day operations, including setting policies and approving budgets. "The Trusts were very fortunate to have Andy bring his well- established polling operation into our orbit in 1995," said Don Kimelman, director, Information Initiatives, for the Trusts. "Since then, we have seeded other projects that have branched out into new issue areas and-under the leadership of some of our nation's top journalists and scholars-have become among the Trusts' most valued and cited resources, by audiences inside the Beltway, in statehouses and beyond. They have helped to inform the public debate on a wide range of important and cutting edge issues. The time has come to both preserve and build upon this important mission. Establishing the new PRC will help accomplish that." The Trusts' Information initiatives were originally launched in 1995 when Kohut's nationally-known polling organization, The Center for the People & the Press, became a Trusts'-supported project, coming from the Times-Mirror Corporation. The six other projects were conceived and launched by the Trusts and a variety of partners to help frame and strengthen democratic discourse on an array of important issues. Since then, the projects have produced hundreds of reports and surveys on a broad range of major national and international issues, which have been widely cited and referenced by the media, thought leaders and policy makers. THE PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS The Pew Charitable Trusts (www.pewtrusts.org) serve the public interest by providing information, policy solutions and support for civic life. Based in Philadelphia, with an office in Washington, D.C., the Trusts make investments to provide organizations and citizens with fact-based research and practical solutions for challenging issues. With approximately $4.1 billion in dedicated assets, in 2003 the Trusts committed more than $143 million to 151 nonprofit organizations. Attachments: Fact sheets with more detail on how the new PRC works, and on the individual information projects that will be part of the new PRC. --- FACT SHEET ON THE NEW PEW RESEARCH CENTER WHO: PRESIDENT: Andrew Kohut EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT: Paul Taylor MEMBER PROJECTS AND DIRECTORS: -- PEW RESEARCH CENTER FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE PRESS - led by Andrew Kohut -- PROJECT FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM (expected to join in 2006) - led by Tom Rosenstiel -- STATELINE.ORG - led by Ed Fouhy and Gene Gibbons -- PEW INTERNET & AMERICAN LIFE PROJECT - led by Lee Rainie -- PEW FORUM ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE - led by Luis Lugo -- PEW HISPANIC CENTER - led by Roberto Suro -- PEW GLOBAL ATTITUDES PROJECT - led by Andrew Kohut STAFF: In addition to staff for the above projects, the PRC will have new staff to direct administration, survey research, communications, human resources and provide staff support. BOARD: The subsidiary will have its own governing board which will oversee day-to-day operations, including setting policies and approving budgets. WHAT: As a nonprofit subsidiary of the Trusts, the new Pew Research Center will bring together some of the best experts on trends that are changing America and how the public views them. MISSION: -- To inform the public with independent, nonpartisan research, polling and news on important issues and trends of the day. -- Be a news resource and think tank-a 'fact tank' that provides timely, reliable information to help policy makers, business, civic and other leaders better understand the public's point of view, and help the public better understand the issues and trends that affect their lives. -- Build on the credibility and experience of each of its information projects, which have demonstrated their ability to sense emerging newsworthy trends, disseminate information on a wide range of international, national and state-based issues, convene policy leaders on timely topics, and maintain a strict commitment to independent, nonpartisan research. BUDGET: The PRC will have an annual budget for operations & staff of its information projects of approximately $15 million in 2004 and 2005, supported largely by grants directly from the Trusts. The PRC will also be able to attract supplemental funding from outside sources. WHY: The Pew Charitable Trusts established the new PRC as a sign of it long-term commitment to informing the public with credible, reliable research, polling and news. The move was enabled by the Trusts' new public charity status. The new PRC will enhance the quality and broaden the reach of the Trusts' Information portfolio by creating new opportunities among the projects to collaborate with one another and more nimbly address new research areas. The subsidiary will also enable the Trusts to reduce administrative costs associated with making grants for the seven information projects to multiple organizations who host the initiatives. WHEN: Approved by the Trusts' board on March 16, the new PRC will become operational July 1. The information projects will move into a common office space beginning in December 2004. WHERE: The new Pew Research Center will be based in Washington, D.C. --- FACT SHEET ON INFORMATION INITIATIVES IN THE NEW PEW RESEARCH CENTER The Pew Research Center will bring together under one umbrella the following initiatives supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Each project will continue to carry out its individual mission and focus. THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE PRESS Web: http://www.people-press.org Andrew Kohut, Director -- Formerly the Times-Mirror Center for the People & the Press, this is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. It is best known for regular national surveys that measure public attentiveness to major news stories, and for polling that charts trends in values and fundamental political and social attitudes. Its purpose is to serve as a forum for ideas on the media and public policy through public opinion research. In this role it serves as an information resource for political leaders, journalists, scholars, and public interest organizations. Since 1995, the Center has produced more than 200 timely reports and surveys, informing the national conversation on a range of issues. Recent surveys have covered such topics as the Iraq war, media consumption and public attitudes toward the press, affirmative action, religious attitudes and homosexuality, economic issues and the political landscape in 2004. THE PROJECT FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM Web: http://www.journalism.org Tom Rosenstiel, Director -- The Project was created to articulate and promote core principles to elevate standards of journalism at a time when those standards have come under pressure from economic and technological forces. The Project recently released a landmark "State of the Media" report in 2004, featuring a comprehensive review of media ownership and economics, public attitudes and usage, content analysis of leading news organizations, and survey of the profession's leaders (in partnership with the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.) The Project is expected to join the PRC in 2006, at which point Trusts' funding will solely support an enhanced research component of the initiative. STATELINE.ORG Web: http://www.stateline.org Ed Fouhy, Executive Editor and Gene Gibbons, Managing Editor -- Stateline.org is a unique online news source that reports each weekday on state government, tracking and analyzing policy trends in the 50 states. Its Web site offers free access to staff-generated news stories and research, links to hundreds of daily newspaper articles and other sources of nonpartisan information, and provides statistical data for state-by-state comparisons. In an era of declining news media presence in statehouses, Stateline.org helps fill the coverage gap. It is used by journalists, policy makers and engaged citizens. The project helped establish the Association of Capital Reporters & Editors in 1999, and sponsors periodic conferences to educate statehouse reporters on government policy developments and reporting techniques. Stateline.org publishes the annual "State of the States" report, a 60-page compendium of state policy highlights, and will retain its editorial independence as part of the new PRC. THE PEW INTERNET & AMERICAN LIFE PROJECT Web: http://www.pewinternet.org Lee Rainie, Director -- The Pew Internet Project creates original, high-quality research that explores the impact of the Internet on children, families, communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic/political life. The Project aims to be an authoritative source for timely information on the Internet's growth and societal impact. It has produced more than 65 reports on how Americans use the Internet and on-line activities, focusing on such topics as health care, educational activities, workplace experiences, interactions with the political system, relationships with family and friends and religious and spiritual life. The Project's report on spam for the first time documented that spam was degrading the online experience of significant numbers of email users and was widely quoted in legislative and press coverage of Congress' recent 'Can the Spam' Act. THE PEW FORUM ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE Web: http://www.pewforum.org Luis Lugo, Director -- The Pew Forum seeks to promote a deeper understanding of issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs. The Forum pursues its mission by delivering timely, objective information to federal government officials, Washington-based journalists, policy analysts and leaders of national advocacy organizations. The Forum functions as a clearinghouse by gathering and disseminating objective information through polls and reports, and provides a neutral venue-through its various issue roundtables and rapid response events-for discussions of important issues regarding religion and politics. Forum events have engaged policy leaders and the media through discussion of topics such as religion and welfare reform, the religious divide between the U.S. and Europe, gay marriage, the ethics of genetic engineering, the constitutionality of the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, and others. The Forum publishes an annual poll report, "American Views of Religion, Politics and Public Policy," produced jointly with the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. THE PEW HISPANIC CENTER Web: http://www.pewhispanic.org Roberto Suro, Director -- The Center's mission is to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and chronicle Latinos' growing impact on the nation. The Center conducts and commissions studies on a range of topics, including its annual "National Survey of Latinos," a nationwide survey conducted with the Kaiser Family Foundation that explores Latino attitudes, beliefs, values and experiences, and measures them against long-term trend lines. With timely distribution of information to policy makers, business leaders, academics and the media, the Center strives to inform debate on issues critical to the nation's future. Among its 30-plus reports have been a series of ground-breaking studies on the billions of dollars in remittances Latino immigrants send annually to their families in their native countries; a study of the high rate of attrition among Latino college students; reports on the Latino labor market; and a study of Latino attitudes toward the war in Iraq, the economy and the 2004 election. THE PEW GLOBAL ATTITUDES PROJECT Web: http://www.people-press.org/pgap Andrew Kohut, Director -- Since it began in 2001, The Pew Global Attitudes Project has conducted a series of worldwide public opinion surveys of a total of nearly 75,000 people among 50 populations (49 countries plus the Palestinian Authority). The Project encompasses an array of subjects, from people's assessments of their own lives to their views on the current state of the world and important issues of the day. The Project released "What the World Thinks in 2002," an unprecedented survey that examined the views of 38,000 people in 44 nations on their lives, countries, the world and America. "Views of a Changing World" was released in 2003 and polled 66,000 people in 49 countries and the Palestinian Authority on globalization, democratization, modernization and, in countries with significant Muslim populations, the role of Islam in public policy. |