Get Involved
A Message From President & CEO Dave Walker
The Peterson Foundation is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the nature and urgency of several key challenges threatening America's future, and to accelerating action on them.
Please take action now, so together we can keep America safe, stable, and prosperous.
The State of the Union's Finances: A Citizen's Guide
This Citizen's Guide is intended to provide a clear and concise summary of where our nation stands financially and where it is headed fiscally. You will find a description of what's at stake, a proposed path forward, and a series of actions you can take. We encourage you to download this guide and take the first step toward ensuring that our collective future is better than our past.
Fiscal Responsibility Summit
On February 23, Dave Walker and Pete Peterson took part in President Obama's Fiscal Responsibility Summit in Washington, DC.
Write a letter to the editor of the Washington Post in support of the Fiscal Responsibility Summit, or sign our petition thanking President Obama for organizing the event.
Tip of the Iceberg
Our new ad campaign explains our current federal burden—now up to $56.4 trillion, or $483,000 per U.S. household—and calls on Congress to make bipartisan efforts to address the nation's deteriorating financial condition.
Take Action
New York Times Petition
PGPF has published a two-page letter in Sunday's New York Times calling for fiscal leadership from the presidential candidates, and for willingness among the American people to not punish the candidates for being honest about our nation's financial condition. A bipartisan group of prominent Americans - young, old, and somewhere in between - have signed the letter, and PGPF invites you to sign it, too.
Sample Letter to the Editor
We encourage to write your local newspaper and tell them to devote more coverage to the condition of the federal government's finances. We've provided sample language here.
Sample Letter to Elected Officials
It is important that Congress hears from you. Encourage your elected officials to read the "State of the Union's Finances." We've provided sample language to use when writing to your congressmen.
Sample Op-Ed
Do you feel strongly that something needs to be done about the federal government's finances but you need help articulating your views for an op-ed? We've provided some samples to help you get started!
Helpful Resources
- American Enterprise Institute
- The Brookings Institution
- CATO Institute
- Center for American Progress
- Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
- Choose to Save
- Citizens Against Government Waste
- The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
- The Concord Coalition
- The Heritage Foundation
- National Academy of Public Administration
- National Academy of Social Insurance
- Progressive Policy Institute
- Public Agenda
- The Tax Policy Center
- The Urban Institute