This update marks the first anniversary of Inclusive Abundance! Since launching in September 2023, we have been thrilled to see the Abundance framing of policy issues become increasingly prominent in the news, in state capitals, and in Washington, DC.
We want to say thank you to everyone reading this for your contributions to making Abundance, well… abundant. From a series of networking events in Washington, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, to our Federal Capacity Workshop, to our first-ever Abundance 2024 Conference, we have been inspired by the insightful and impactful work done by this amazing community.
Thank you for sharing your ideas, feedback, and generosity. We’re excited to continue on this journey with all of you, including everyone at our partner institutions.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming. Here’s the latest on what we are doing, thinking, reading, and hearing:
What we are doing
- Abundance 2024 Conference
- This first-of-its-kind event will showcase the incredible talent and ideas that animate the Abundance movement.
- We are expecting a packed room of policy experts, congressional and agency staff from both parties, press, philanthropists, and other business leaders.
- We are grateful to our co-hosts and sponsors for making this dream a reality.
- You can see what some of our panelists are saying about the conference at the bottom of this update, and find the full agenda here.
- Sponsored the FAI Reboot 2024 Conference in San Francisco
- Derek spoke on a panel about declining birth rates, and how Abundance policies can help give people financial freedom to make very personal choices about having children without worrying as much about financial hardship.
- Also on the panel was Abundance Innovator Sam Hammond, who previously worked with Derek on expanding the Child Tax Credit and wrote the Conservative Case for a Child Allowance.
What we are thinking
- Third Way released modeling showing strong evidence in support of the bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024
- After we discussed the Manchin-Barrasso bill in our last update, our partners at Third Way released a detailed analysis demonstrating substantial net emissions benefits.
The emission reduction of transmission provisions in “Manchin-Barrasso” far outweigh the minor increases associated with its oil & gas provisions
- While we expect much of the debate on the bill to center on climate impacts, this analysis still doesn’t provide a full picture of the bill’s benefits, which include new jobs, reduced energy prices, and increased grid resilience.
- In other permitting reform news, Senators Todd Young (R-Indiana) and Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) celebrated as their Building Chips in America Act headed to the President’s desk to become law. As Sen. Young said in a statement:
“By preventing unnecessary delays in the construction of microchip manufacturing facilities, this bill will help maximize our efforts to bring this industry back to America.”
What we are reading
It's an exciting time for the Abundance movement as these ideas continue to gain traction with leading thinkers and writers.
- Casey Cep writes a beautiful piece on the “Sammies” in the New Yorker, an annual event hosted by the Partnership for Public Service:
It’s the closest thing to a democratic revival you’ll find, a patriotic telethon where, instead of asking for more of your money, they just show you all the wonderful things that they’ve already done with it. Consider Amira Boland, who won the Sammy for Management Excellence… As Boland put it, “For people to believe in democracy, they must see their basic day-to-day needs and functions being met by their government.”
Photograph by Lexey Swall for The New Yorker (featuring a conversation between two Derek Ks)
- Journalists are looking at how Abundance is showing up in the election.
- Heather Long writes in the Washington Post about Abundance messaging from the Harris campaign.
- This SF Standard article discussed YIMBYism’s growing national profile:
“Addressing only the demand side of the housing equation is not enough,” said Derek Kaufman, CEO of the Inclusive Abundance Initiative, a national nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for expanded economic opportunities for all. “Focusing on increasing supply is key.”
“The fact that there is momentum for cutting red tape and offering federal support for new housing is an important first step,” Kaufman said.
- The Hoover Institution released a report with bipartisan recommendations on Revitalizing the House:
At a time of heightened concern about the strength of our democracy, we cannot ignore the poor health of Congress… To revitalize the House and reinvigorate our democracy, our bipartisan task force recommends these reforms to House rules and procedures, both to re-empower individual members and committees in lawmaking and to facilitate participation in a democratic, deliberative process.
What we are hearing
- Derek spoke about Abundance with Debbie Cox Bultan on the NewDEAL podcast — check it out here!
Here's why some of our Abundance Innovators are excited about the upcoming conference:
This update is a product of the Inclusive Abundance Initiative, a 501(c)3, in partnership with Inclusive Abundance Action, our affiliated 501(c)4.
