Mission, Vision & Principles
Mission
We equip Americans to advance principled public policy that promotes the constitutional values of faith, family and freedom.
Vision
Utah is recognized as the best state in the nation for successfully applying America’s founding principles to the policy challenges of the day. And that reputation is supported by Sutherland Institute as the premier institutional voice – “making sound ideas broadly popular” – in Utah and beyond.
What We Do
Sutherland’s data-driven and research-based approach to policy drives the public events, publications, op-eds and multimedia content, including podcasts and short videos, that we produce to inform and persuade citizens. Through relationships with news media, policymakers, thought leaders and community influencers, we expand the reach of our content far beyond our direct network to move hearts and minds toward founding principles and constitutional values.
What We Believe
Times of great conflict call for an urgent recommitment to the principles that preserve freedom, so that – in the words of Abraham Lincoln – “This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.”
America’s current political landscape is indeed in a time of great conflict. To that end, Sutherland offers a guide for principled citizens, urging a recommitment to and renewed application of time-tested principles for “a new birth of freedom” to flourish in our nation.
Defending America’s Founding
We affirm the ideals enshrined in America’s founding documents – the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution – as the bedrock of American governance, enterprise and liberty. Political and policy debates are elevated when imbued with greater fidelity to the American constitutional order in law, policy and culture.
Strengthening Our Civic Institutions
The core institutions of civil society – including families, communities of faith, and the free enterprise system – are indispensable to fostering a functional culture that equips citizens for the rigors of self-government. The erosion or politicization of our civic institutions is a threat to the American Experiment – and is best combated by restoring those institutions to their proper role.
Preserving Utah as America’s Last Great Hope
Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox said in his 2022 State of the State address that “if America is the last great hope of the world, then Utah is the last great hope of America.” We agree.
Utah is the best-equipped state in the nation to keep America’s founding ideals and foundational institutions strong. We will maintain Utah’s example and share successes with principled leaders throughout the nation.
Promoting the Values of Faith, Family and Freedom
We believe public policy and political culture most effectively follow the aspirational ideals of the American founding when aligned with three guiding values:
FAITH
The freedom to worship and live one’s faith has been a core principle from the founding – and America’s legacy of religious freedom must be preserved.
We promote the constitutional significance of this right, paired with the individual and societal good that comes from the strong presence of people, organizations and communities of faith in our state and nation.
FAMILY
We recognize the family as the most fundamental of civic institutions and the foundation of a free and prosperous society.
The relationship between parents and their children is vital, with parents chiefly responsible for directing the care and education of children to lead flourishing lives.
The role of stable, healthy family environments – including the impact of married two-parent households – is upstream of many policy and societal challenges.
We prioritize reforms that help strengthen the family institution itself.
FREEDOM
We believe in upholding the constitutional limits on government power. We respect the inherent dignity of each citizen as fully deserving of the protections of individual liberty and equality before the law, regardless of immutable characteristics.
The American Dream rests on the belief that hard work and commitment can yield a better life. We affirm the vitality of American free enterprise as the greatest engine of prosperity in the history of humanity – coupled with efforts to push opportunity to Americans striving to escape poverty – as central to that dream.
We uphold the importance of the free exchange of ideas through open and respectful expression, and we defend representation achieved through free and fair elections.
Many call such time-tested principles “conservatism.” Others invoke terms like “classical liberalism,” “traditionalism,” or even simply “Americanism.” What matters more than the label we use is the fidelity to these principles we demonstrate. We ask you to join us in this mission.