WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation yesterday announced a special round of the 2025 Innovation Prizes, awarding $250,000 to five projects joining Heritage in celebrating America’s 250th anniversary next year. The winners have developed projects that elevate America’s founding principles and foster a deep love of country by building civic awareness, inspiring patriotism, and educating about America’s founding principles.
Dr. Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action for America, commended the winners:
“At this pivotal moment in American history, on the cusp of our 250th anniversary, the conservative movement is not just celebrating our founding—we're reclaiming our future.
“The winners of this special round of Innovation Prizes are builders of that future. We’re proud to recognize five projects that have joined Heritage in reviving our founding principles. Together, we can reignite the flame of patriotism that gave life to our great country—and remind Americans that we are standing at the sunrise of a new Golden Age, rooted once more in the permanent things: faith, family, work, sovereignty, and sacrifice.”
Winners of the Innovation Prizes include Cana Academy, the Emergent Order Foundation, the Herzog Foundation, Sophia Institute, and Dr. Matthew Mehan of Hillsdale College for his book, "The American Family's Book of Fables".
John Papola, founder and CEO of the Emergent Order Foundation, commented on receiving a prize:
"We are deeply honored by this award and the impact we hope to have together with The Heritage Foundation. As we approach the 250th birthday of our country, it's never been more important to rescue our culture's understanding of our founding principles. They've been under sustained assault for far too long."
The special round of Innovation Prizes was awarded in response to a survey of registered voters who proved to have a lack of knowledge of and appreciation for our nation’s history. The awards will empower these organizations to educate Americans on history and government and develop a deep patriotism for their country.
Darrell Jones, president of the Herzog Foundation, added:
"We’re honored to be a recipient of an America’s 250th Innovation Prize from The Heritage Foundation. At the Herzog Foundation, we believe there’s no better way to celebrate our nation’s birthday than by taking the values that built America—faith, freedom, and family—on the road. The Freedom Tour is all about bringing communities together, reminding us of what we share, and inspiring the next generation to carry the torch. We’re grateful for this recognition and can’t wait to get started.”
The Innovation Prizes are intended to spark creative disruption within the conservative movement. The award winners’ projects include creating 250 short documentaries, resources for teachers, celebrations, and fables incorporating the text of the Declaration of Independence and featuring American wildlife, geography, and folklore.
To read more about the recipients and their projects, click here.
