National Foundation for American Policy

National Foundation for American Policy
Name	National Foundation for American Policy
Formation	1985
Type	Nonprofit research organization
Headquarters	Arlington, Virginia
Leader title	President
Leader name	Steve Yale-Loehr
Area served	United States

National Foundation for American Policy The National Foundation for American Policy is a United States-based nonprofit research organization that analyzes immigration, innovation, and trade issues as they affect technological competitiveness, higher education, and workforce development. Founded in the mid-1980s, the organization produces policy studies, testifies before congressional committees, and briefs federal agencies, think tanks, and academic institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of California, Berkeley. Its work frequently addresses intersections with legislation and institutions including the Immigration and Nationality Act, the H-1B visa program, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, and the U.S. Congress.

History

Established in 1985 during the tenure of the Reagan administration, the foundation emerged amid debates over immigration reform, technology transfer, and trade policy that also involved actors like the Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor, and the Office of Technology Assessment. Early studies engaged developments from the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 to changes in patent law adjudicated by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Over subsequent decades the foundation responded to major events including the post-9/11 revisions to visa policy under the Patriot Act era, the passage of the America COMPETES Act, and debates surrounding H-1B allocations during the tech boom and bust cycles linked to firms such as Microsoft, Intel, and Google.

Mission and Activities

The foundation’s mission centers on informing policymakers, judges, and corporate leaders about migration of talent, research collaboration, and regulatory barriers affecting entities like Apple Inc., Amazon, IBM, and public research laboratories such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. Activities include convening panels with representatives from universities such as Columbia University and Princeton University, providing expert testimony to committees of the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and preparing analyses used by executive branch offices including the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Policy Research and Publications

Research outputs cover visa policy, talent retention, international students, and innovation metrics, often citing data from sources like the National Science Foundation, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and reports by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Publications have addressed topics such as the impact of the H-1B visa program on technology firms, the role of international students from countries including India, China, and South Korea in STEM pipelines, and the consequences of administrative rulemaking by agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security. The organization’s papers and briefs have been cited in litigation before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, appellate decisions, and administrative record submissions to the Federal Register.

Leadership and Organization

Leadership has included presidents, scholars, and practitioners with affiliations to institutions such as Cornell Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, and law firms that practice immigration and corporate law. The board and advisory panels have included former officials from the United States Department of State, the Department of Commerce, and academics who have held appointments at Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University. Staff collaborate with former congressional aides from offices of figures like Senator Edward Kennedy, Representative Lamar Smith, and policy experts who have published in outlets such as the Brookings Institution and the Hoover Institution.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources combine charitable foundations, corporate contributions, and grants from philanthropic entities that support research on labor mobility and innovation, often intersecting with organizations such as the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and industry trade associations including the Information Technology Industry Council and the National Venture Capital Association. Partnerships have been formed with university research centers, legal clinics at institutions like University of Chicago Law School, and policy networks linked to think tanks such as the Migration Policy Institute and the Cato Institute, while maintaining an independent research agenda.

Impact and Criticism

The foundation’s analyses have influenced congressional deliberations over visa caps, informed administrative rulemaking at agencies like the Department of Labor, and been relied upon by corporations and universities advocating policy changes. Critics from advocates associated with groups like Fair Immigration Reform Movement and commentators in publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post have argued that some positions favor employers in technology sectors, while others praise its empirical contributions to debates over innovation policy and international talent flows. Litigation records and amicus briefs have at times cited the foundation’s work in disputes involving the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Category:Think tanks based in the United States Category:Immigration to the United States