History
The Commonwealth Foundation had its origins at a meeting in Hershey, Pennsylvania in June 1987 when T. William Boxx and the late Alex G. McKenna were introduced to Don Eberly. Alex and William had been discussing for some time the possibility of launching a state-based think tank for Pennsylvania.
The Commonwealth Foundation was incorporated on September 14, 1987. The term "Commonwealth" was included in the name because it symbolized the intent to represent the common good and reflected the official status of the state. "Public Policy Alternatives" was included to express the foundation's intent to provide an alternative policy agenda to that chosen by the Pennsylvania legislature.
At the first organization meeting, Alex McKenna expressed his vision for the Commonwealth Foundation. He stated that it was "to be an independent public policy organization not associated with any special interest...should act as policy entrepreneurs willing to take on the hard issues...produce scholarly and professional research from the perspective of enhancing economic growth, individual opportunity and political accountability... look to free market private sector solutions...."
Read more about this topic: Commonwealth Foundation For Public Policy Alternatives
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