Our Founder Arthur Rupe was a member of the McKeesport High School debate team in 1934, and this was a deeply formative experience for him, fostering a lifelong habit of critical thinking. He viewed debate as a vital practice in a constitutional republic. By following the clash of the best arguments for both sides of a disputed question, democratic citizens are able to deliberate in an informed way about which public policies best secure the general welfare. In particular, rigorous debate allows citizens to see through the rhetoric and deceptions of agenda-driven opinion-shapers and so, understand more clearly their true interest.
The Foundation therefore dedicates a portion of its resources to supporting debate as a public practice within American society. The Foundation prioritizes structured debates on current matters of genuine public controversy featuring expert advocates as debaters and a sizeable live, in-person audience. Ideally, such debates are also captured on video for a large on-line viewership.
Past grant recipients have included the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, the Federalist Society, the Steamboat Institute, the Institute for Humane Studies, Reason Foundation, and the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. The Foundation has also funded a documentary about the state of high school debate in America.