The Yorktown Foundation for Public Policy is a right-leaning think tank that advocates for personal responsibility, free markets, and limited government in Virginia. The Yorktown Foundation aims to influence public opinion and legislation through its research to generate prosperity, opportunity, and harmony in Virginia. ¹

Activities

The Yorktown Foundation claims that liberty is the best way to help Virginians thrive and prosper. It further claims that Virginians will flourish in an environment where they are free to make their own decisions, in a system based on the principles of limited government, free markets, and personal responsibility. ²

The Yorktown Foundation claims that Virginia can influence federal public policy since Washington, D.C. is intertwined with the northern Virginia region. The Yorktown Foundation advocates for policy that would create a more prosperous and free America. ³

The Yorktown Foundation advocates for teaching every Virginia student the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia to build a strong sense of state identity. The Yorktown Foundation calls Virginia the “Cradle of Liberty” and supports teaching students about statesmen like former Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and their roles in creating the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution along with the events at Surrender Field in Yorktown, where major combat in the American Revolutionary War came to an end. The Yorktown Foundation also claims that history and civics are not taught clearly and objectively, and advocates for teaching even the sometimes difficult history of Virginia to everyone. ⁴

The Yorktown Foundation claims that Virginia students have suffered due to the large amount of control state government has over education. The Yorktown Foundation advocates for educational choice models that allow parents to choose the education that is right for their children, and where students are best served by teaching staff and faculty. ⁵ The Yorktown Foundation claims that school choice may settle the debate on whether or not school boards, which are influenced by teachers’ unions, should be running schools, as school choice would move education away from the traditional model based on students’ zip codes. ⁶

The Yorktown Foundation also supports microschools, claiming that they make education highly individualized through innovation and without the unnecessary burden of licensure and regulation. The Yorktown Foundation also calls microschools traditionally American, in that they are formed by citizens who are organizing groups and systems to fit their specific needs. ⁷

Financials

As of 2023, the Yorktown Foundation for Public Policy had not yet filed any tax returns. ⁸

The Yorktown Foundation for Public Policy is funded by undisclosed donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. ⁹

Board of Directors

Todd Hester is the president and founder of the Yorktown Foundation for Public Policy and a Presbyterian minister. Hester has formerly held leadership roles in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (PCUSA). ¹⁰

Michael Lucci is a senior fellow at the Cicero Institute and a senior policy advisor at the State Policy Network. Lucci formerly worked as vice president of state projects at Tax Foundation and vice president of policy at Illinois Policy Institute. ¹¹

Christopher Renner is the treasurer of the board of the Yorktown Foundation and controller at DonorsTrust. ¹²

1. “About Us.” Yorktown Foundation. Accessed June 29, 2023. https://www.yorktownpolicy.org/about-us/.
2. “About Us.” Yorktown Foundation. Accessed June 29, 2023. https://www.yorktownpolicy.org/about-us/.
3. “About Us.” Yorktown Foundation. Accessed June 29, 2023. https://www.yorktownpolicy.org/about-us/.
4. “About Us.” Yorktown Foundation. Accessed June 29, 2023. https://www.yorktownpolicy.org/about-us/.
5. “About Us.” Yorktown Foundation. Accessed June 29, 2023. https://www.yorktownpolicy.org/about-us/.
6. “Should School Boards Run Schools?” Yorktown Foundation, May 12, 2023. Accessed July 1, 2023. https://www.yorktownpolicy.org/uncategorized/should-school-boards-run-schools/.
7. “Microschools Are Innovative–And Very Traditionally American.” Yorktown Foundation, May 12, 2023. Accessed January 31, 2023. https://www.yorktownpolicy.org/education/microschools-are-innovative-and-very-traditionally-american/.
8. “Yorktown Foundation for Public Policy.” Guidestar. Accessed June 29, 2023. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/87-3300059.
9. “Donate.” Yorktown Foundation. Accessed June 29, 2023. https://www.yorktownpolicy.org/donate/.
10. “About Us.” Yorktown Foundation. Accessed June 29, 2023. https://www.yorktownpolicy.org/about-us/.
11.  “About Us.” Yorktown Foundation. Accessed June 29, 2023. https://www.yorktownpolicy.org/about-us/.
12.  “About Us.” Yorktown Foundation. Accessed June 29, 2023. https://www.yorktownpolicy.org/about-us/.