2012-05-14T08:51:47-05:00 2011-12-31 SHAW MUMFORD & CO PC 1564 SOUTH 500 WEST SUITE 201 BOUNTIFUL UT 840107400 990 2011-01-01 870199245 UTAH FOUNDATION UTAH 8013551400 10 WEST BROADWAY SUITE 307 ROOM/SUITE 307 SALT LAKE CITY UT 841012002 STEPHEN J KROES 8013551400 2012-05-08 true JUSTIN R SHAW CPA CFE 8012943155 2012-05-14 2011 2016-02-24 21:20:13Z STEPHEN J KROES 10 WEST BROADWAY SUITE 307 SALT LAKE CITY UT 841012075 297991 false X HTTP://WWW.UTAHFOUNDATION.ORG/ X 1945 UT TO PROMOTE A THRIVING ECONOMY, A WELL-PREPARED WORK FORCE, AND A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE FOR UTAHNS BY PERFORMING THOROUGH, WELL-SUPPORTED RESEARCH THAT HELPS POLICY MAKERS, BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND CITIZENS BETTER UNDERSTAND COMPLEX ISSUES AND PROVIDING PRACTICAL, WELL-REASONED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY CHANGE. 37 37 4 0 250915 256345 106032 40555 535 409 272 682 357754 297991 0 0 260224 220012 0 17376 97765 63574 357989 283586 -235 14405 100913 121997 5667 12346 95246 109651 X TO PROMOTE A THRIVING ECONOMY, A WELL-PREPARED WORK FORCE, AND A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE FOR UTAHNS BY PERFORMING THOROUGH, WELL-SUPPORTED RESEARCH THAT HELPS POLICY MAKERS, BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND CITIZENS BETTER UNDERSTAND COMPLEX ISSUES AND PROVIDING PRACTICAL, WELL-REASONED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY CHANGE. false false 231694 28275 1. TAX BURDEN UPDATE UTAH FOUNDATION UPDATED ITS REPORT ON UTAH'S TAX AND FEE BURDEN AND HOW IT COMPARES TO OTHER STATES. THIS REPORT EXAMINED UTAH'S TAX BURDEN USING COMPREHENSIVE FIGURES ON STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCES FROM THE CENSUS BUREAU. THE DATA SHOWED UTAH'S TAX BURDEN REMAINED FAIRLY STABLE BETWEEN 1993 AND 2008, ALTHOUGH THE BURDEN PER 1,000 OF PERSONAL INCOME FELL BY ABOUT SIX DOLLARS FROM 2007 TO 2008. THE REPORT ALSO ESTIMATED UTAH'S DEMAND FOR THE STATE'S SIX-LARGEST GOVERNMENT-FUNDED SERVICES, REVEALING THAT UTAH'S DEMAND FOR K-12 AND HIGHER EDUCATION SERVICES IS WELL ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) THE FACT THAT THE LARGEST PORTION OF UTAH'S STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES IS FOR EDUCATION-RELATED SERVICES-SERVICES UTAH HAS THE HIGHEST DEMAND FOR IN THE COUNTRY-PUTS UTAH'S COMPARATIVELY HIGH TAX BURDEN IN PERSPECTIVE. 2. EDUCATION FUNDING EFFORT UPDATE UTAH FOUNDATION HAS PUBLISHED SEVERAL REPORTS ON UTAH'S FUNDING EFFORT IN THE PAST, EVEN COINING THE TERM "UTAH'S EDUCATION PARADOX," REFERRING TO THE FACT THAT THOUGH OUR PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE WAS CONSISTENTLY THE LOWEST IN THE COUNTRY, UTAH SPENT A HIGH PROPORTION OF PERSONAL INCOME ON K-12 PUBLIC EDUCATION. HOWEVER, THE PORTION OF PERSONAL INCOME SPENT ON EDUCATION HAS BEEN DECLINING OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, AND UTAH'S RANKING HAS FALLEN FROM AMONG THE LEADERS IN EDUCATION FUNDING EFFORT TO RIGHT ABOUT THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. THIS REPORT FOUND THAT UTAH'S FUNDING EFFORT REBOUNDED IN 2008 AS A SIZABLE BUDGET SURPLUS WAS INVESTED IN K-12 EDUCATION. THE SUBSEQUENT RECESSION REDUCED THE FUNDING EFFORT, BUT UTAH'S RANKING HELD STEADY AS OTHER STATES ALSO REDUCED FUNDING. IN ADDITION, UTAH'S FUNDING EFFORT HAS FALLEN MOST AT THE STATE LEVEL, WITH A MODERATE DECLINE IN LOCAL TAX EFFORT. FEDERAL FUNDING HAS BEEN FAIRLY STABLE, EXCEPT FOR A RECENT BUMP FROM THE FEDERAL STIMULUS LEGISLATION. 3. REPORT ON THE FEDERAL DEFICIT DURING THE FEDERAL BUDGET CRISIS THIS SUMMER, MANY CONCERNED CITIZENS HAD IMPORTANT QUESTIONS REGARDING THE FEDERAL DEFICIT AND DEBT AND WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HAD CONTRIBUTED TO ITS GROWTH AND WHAT PROJECTIONS SHOW ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE DEFICIT. UTAH FOUNDATION PROVIDED A REPORT THAT ANSWERED THESE QUESTIONS AND FOUND THAT THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY, THE U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS OFTEN OPERATED UNDER A DEFICIT, AND HAS ALWAYS HELD A FEDERAL DEBT. FROM 1971 TO 1997, THE U.S. CONSISTENTLY OPERATED UNDER A DEFICIT, FLUCTUATING FROM 22 BILLION TO 221 BILLION. BETWEEN 1998 AND 2001, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RAN SURPLUSES, EVEN REACHING 236 BILLION IN 2000. SINCE THEN, A DEFICIT HAS BEEN INCURRED EACH YEAR, REACHING AS HIGH AS 1.4 TRILLION IN 2009, OR 10% OF THE NATION'S GDP. THE INCREASE IN DEFICIT PENDING WAS CAUSED BY BOTH INCREASED OUTLAYS AND DECREASED RECEIPTS, WITH THE TWO BIGGEST CONTRIBUTORS BEING THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AND THE BUSH TAX CUTS. 4. TEACHER COMPENSATION SIMPLY COMPARING AVERAGE TEACHER SALARIES FOR ALL FULL-TIME TEACHERS ACROSS STATES CAN PROVIDE A MISLEADING PICTURE OF THE FINANCIAL INCENTIVES TEACHERS FACE FOR WORKING IN DIFFERENT STATES. MOST TEACHING SALARIES ARE BASED UPON A SALARY SCHEDULE THAT PAYS ACCORDING TO EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION. IN THIS REPORT, UTAH FOUNDATION COMPARED SALARIES FOR TEACHERS WITH SIMILAR LEVELS OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE, TO REDUCE THE VARIATION IN SALARY LEVELS DUE TO DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES. THE REPORT FOUND THAT UTAH TEACHERS PLACE NEAR THE MIDDLE OF THE MOUNTAIN STATES FOR MOST CATEGORIES OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE. LIKE MOST STATES, UTAH HAS INCREASED BEGINNING TEACHER SALARIES IN THE LAST DECADE MORE SIGNIFICANTLY THAN SALARIES FOR VETERAN TEACHERS WITH ADVANCED DEGREES. HOWEVER, THESE INCREASES HAVE LAGGED BEHIND NATIONAL TRENDS AND MOST OTHER MOUNTAIN STATES. RECENTLY, STEVE KROES PRESENTED THE FINDINGS OF THIS REPORT AT THE INVITATION OF THE LEGISLATURE'S EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE. IT WAS WELL RECEIVED, AND THE COMMITTEE ASKED FOR SOME FOLLOW-UP DATA. 5. MEASURING QUALITY OF LIFE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN UTAH, UTAH FOUNDATION COLLABORATED WITH INTERMOUNTAIN HEALTHCARE TO CREATE THE UTAH FOUNDATION QUALITY OF LIFE INDEX, A MEASURE THAT WILL BE UPDATED EVERY TWO YEARS TO TRACK HOW QUALITY OF LIFE CHANGES AND THE REASONS FOR THOSE CHANGES. THE QUALITY OF LIFE INDEX WAS CREATED BY SURVEYING UTAHNS ABOUT 20 FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE COMMUNITY QUALITY OF LIFE. QUALITY SCORES WERE CALCULATED FOR EACH FACTOR AND AN OVERALL INDEX, WITH A POSSIBLE 100 POINTS. USING THIS METHODOLOGY, THE FIRST BIENNIAL UTAH FOUNDATION QUALITY OF LIFE INDEX STANDS AT 77.2 FOR 2011. ON OCTOBER 12TH, WE HELD A BREAKFAST DISCUSSION ON QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES, WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY ABOUT 100 PEOPLE, GENERATED THOUGHTFUL DIALOGUE, AND GARNERED ADDITIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION FOR THE RESEARCH. 6. UTAH'S DELEGATE SYSTEM THE OUSTING OF SENATOR BENNETT FROM THE STATE CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTED THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PARTY DELEGATES AND THE POPULATION AT-LARGE. IT ALSO HAS MADE THE CONVENTION THE CENTER OF DEBATE AND POSSIBLE REFORM OVER THE LAST YEAR. THIS MADE OUR REPORT ON UTAH'S SYSTEM OF NOMINATING CANDIDATES EXTREMELY TIMELY. THIS REPORT INCLUDED A SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF UTAH'S CANDIDATE SELECTION SYSTEMS, COMPARED OUR SYSTEM TO OTHER STATES, AND MODELED HOW DIFFERENT SYSTEMS COULD GIVE MORE POWER TO VOTERS, AND PERHAPS EVEN CHANGE OUTCOMES. WE FOUND THAT UTAH IS ONE OF ONLY SEVEN STATES THAT STILL USES A CONVENTION, AND THE ONLY ONE THAT ALLOWS POLITICAL PARTIES TO PRECLUDE A PRIMARY ELECTION FOR MAJOR OFFICES IF CANDIDATES RECEIVE ENOUGH DELEGATE VOTES. IF UTAH'S CONVENTION SYSTEM ALLOWED ALL CANDIDATES WHO RECEIVE AT LEAST 20% OF DELEGATE VOTES TO PROCEED TO THE PRIMARY ELECTION, AT LEAST FIVE MORE PRIMARY ELECTIONS WOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE SINCE 2002. IN ADDITION, FOUR PRIMARIES WOULD HAVE HAD MORE THAN TWO CANDIDATES. WE ARE HOLDING A LUNCHEON ON THIS TOPIC ON DECEMBER 16TH, WITH PRESENTERS INCLUDING THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC STATE CHAIRS AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE HINCKLEY INSTITUTE OF POLITICS. CURRENT PROJECTS: 7. ENERGY INITIATIVE EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE BOARD DECIDED THAT UTAH FOUNDATION WOULD CONDUCT RESEARCH ON THE ECONOMICS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY. UTAH FOUNDATION WILL ANALYZE THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY BY ASSESSING THE FINANCIAL COSTS OF BUILDING THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS, ASSESSING WHAT BENEFITS COULD BE RECEIVED VIA FEDERAL SUBSIDIES, THE COSTS OF TRANSPORTING THE ENERGY, THE COSTS OF CHANGING OR UPDATING THE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE, THE INTERMITTENT AVAILABILITY OF RENEWABLE ENERGY, THE EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND UTAH'S WILDERNESS, AND THE POTENTIAL REDUCTION IN CONSUMPTION OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY. UTAH FOUNDATION WILL ALSO PERFORM A LITERATURE REVIEW TO UNDERSTAND WHAT TYPES OF RENEWABLE PROJECTS AND ENERGY ARE USED IN OTHER STATES, AND WHAT THE COSTS AND BENEFITS HAVE BEEN. THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN UNDERWAY SINCE MID-SUMMER, AND OUR FORMER STAFF RESEARCHER, DAVID NEWELL IS CONDUCTING THE RESEARCH ON CONTRACT. DAVID HAS FINISHED A FIRST DRAFT OF THE REPORT, WHICH HAS BEEN REVIEWED BY SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND AN OUTSIDE READER IN THE RENEWABLE ENERGY INDUSTRY. HE IS CURRENTLY REVISING THE DRAFT AND INCORPORATING THEIR FEEDBACK. 8. EVALUATION OF RAISING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS LAST YEAR, OUR STUDY ON SCHOOL TESTING RESULTS REVEALED THAT UTAH IS UNDERPERFORMING COMPARED TO STATES WITH SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHICS. A BYU EDUCATION PROFESSOR AND PHD STUDENT HAVE VOLUNTEERED THEIR TIME TO RESEARCH POLICIES THESE PEER STATES HAVE IMPLEMENTED TO IMPROVE STUDENT PERFORMANCE. STATISTICS HAVE BEEN GATHERED, AND A QUESTIONNAIRE IS NOW BEING DEVELOPED, ALONG WITH A LIST OF TARGETED EDUCATION OFFICIALS IN THOSE STATES, TO COMPILE DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR EDUCATION SYSTEMS. THIS PROJECT IS PROCEEDING SLOWER THAN WE ANTICIPATED, AND WE NOW EXPECT TO PUBLISH EARLY IN 2012. 231694 true true false false false false false false false false true false false false false false true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true 2 0 4 true false false false false false true true false false false false X 37 37 false false false false false false false true true false false true false false false true false false UT X X STEPHEN J KROES 8013551400 10 W BROADWAY STE 307 SALT LAKE CITY UT 841012075 LORRY PITCHER 1.00 X 0 0 0 MICHAEL ALLEGRA 1.00 X 0 0 0 BRYSON GARBETT 1.00 X 0 0 0 THOMAS RICH 1.00 X 0 0 0 TIM SHEEHAN 1.00 X 0 0 0 GARY CORNIA 1.00 X 0 0 0 JAMES HEWLETT 1.00 X 0 0 0 DOUGLAS ANDERSON 1.00 X 0 0 0 JOHN HANSHAW 1.00 X 0 0 0 FRED ESPLIN 1.00 X 0 0 0 HAMILTON SHATTUCK 1.00 X 0 0 0 BYRON JORGENSON 1.00 X 0 0 0 CID SEIDELMAN 1.00 X 0 0 0 JEFFREY LARSEN 1.00 X 0 0 0 SCOTT PARSON 1.00 X 0 0 0 HARRIS SIMMONS 1.00 X 0 0 0 DAVID BIRD 1.00 X 0 0 0 DENNIS LLOYD 1.00 X 0 0 0 CHRIS TILLACK 1.00 X 0 0 0 RODNEY BRADY 1.00 X 0 0 0 F ANN MILLNER 1.00 X 0 0 0 MARK BUCHI 1.00 X 0 0 0 LYNN AMES 1.00 X 0 0 0 DOUG MATSUMORI 1.00 X 0 0 0 ELIZABETH HITCH 1.00 X 0 0 0 ROB CAMPBELL 1.00 X 0 0 0 DOUG HATTERY 1.00 X 0 0 0 GREG FREDDE 1.00 X 0 0 0 GREGORY POULSEN 1.00 X 0 0 0 DANIEL HARBEKE 1.00 X 0 0 0 BRENT JENSEN 1.00 X 0 0 0 JENIFER CANNADAY 1.00 X 0 0 0 SCOTT BROWN 1.00 X 0 0 0 LINDA MAKIN 1.00 X 0 0 0 LANE BEATTIE 1.00 X 0 0 0 KIM WIRTHLIN 1.00 X 0 0 0 MARK BOUCHARD 1.00 X 0 0 0 STEPHEN J KROES 40.00 X 129297 0 15862 129297 15862 1 false false false 256345 256345 CONSULTING INCOME 28275 28275 PROGRAM EVENT 12280 12280 40555 409 409 OTHER REVENUE 682 682 682 297991 41237 409 145159 119022 16093 10044 52722 43048 5897 3777 9914 8406 1020 488 12217 10061 1299 857 5612 5612 12051 12051 13467 11479 1127 861 16103 13214 1779 1110 3426 2120 1306 832 683 92 57 PROGRAM EVENT EXPENSES 8781 8781 MISCELLANEOUS 2638 2165 291 182 LIBRARY 664 664 283586 231694 34516 17376 35628 18364 55022 95192 7530 500 3450 45103 42465 880 2638 1853 1853 100913 121997 5667 12346 5667 12346 X 95246 104151 5500 95246 109651 100913 121997 14405 X false true true X false X 291443 303229 205725 250915 256345 1307657 28517 10160 27570 106304 41237 213788 319960 313389 233295 357219 297582 1521445 190200 185200 122700 145000 145200 788300 5000 5000 5000 15000 195200 185200 122700 150000 150200 803300 718145 1717 2236 800 530 409 5692 1717 2236 800 530 409 5692 321677 315625 234095 357749 297991 1527137 0.47030 0.44700 0.00000 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED false false false false false false false false false false 45103 42465 2638 2638 297991 283586 14405 14405 297991 297991 297991 283586 283586 283586 ORGANIZATION'S MISSION FORM 990 - ORGANIZATION'S MISSION TO PROMOTE A THRIVING ECONOMY, A WELL-PREPARED WORK FORCE, AND A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE FOR UTAHNS BY PERFORMING THOROUGH, WELL-SUPPORTED RESEARCH THAT HELPS POLICY MAKERS, BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND CITIZENS BETTER UNDERSTAND COMPLEX ISSUES AND PROVIDING PRACTICAL, WELL-REASONED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY CHANGE. FIRST ACCOMPLISHMENT DESCRIPTION FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III, LINE 4A THE FACT THAT THE LARGEST PORTION OF UTAH'S STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES IS FOR EDUCATION-RELATED SERVICES-SERVICES UTAH HAS THE HIGHEST DEMAND FOR IN THE COUNTRY-PUTS UTAH'S COMPARATIVELY HIGH TAX BURDEN IN PERSPECTIVE. 2. EDUCATION FUNDING EFFORT UPDATE UTAH FOUNDATION HAS PUBLISHED SEVERAL REPORTS ON UTAH'S FUNDING EFFORT IN THE PAST, EVEN COINING THE TERM "UTAH'S EDUCATION PARADOX," REFERRING TO THE FACT THAT THOUGH OUR PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE WAS CONSISTENTLY THE LOWEST IN THE COUNTRY, UTAH SPENT A HIGH PROPORTION OF PERSONAL INCOME ON K-12 PUBLIC EDUCATION. HOWEVER, THE PORTION OF PERSONAL INCOME SPENT ON EDUCATION HAS BEEN DECLINING OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, AND UTAH'S RANKING HAS FALLEN FROM AMONG THE LEADERS IN EDUCATION FUNDING EFFORT TO RIGHT ABOUT THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. THIS REPORT FOUND THAT UTAH'S FUNDING EFFORT REBOUNDED IN 2008 AS A SIZABLE BUDGET SURPLUS WAS INVESTED IN K-12 EDUCATION. THE SUBSEQUENT RECESSION REDUCED THE FUNDING EFFORT, BUT UTAH'S RANKING HELD STEADY AS OTHER STATES ALSO REDUCED FUNDING. IN ADDITION, UTAH'S FUNDING EFFORT HAS FALLEN MOST AT THE STATE LEVEL, WITH A MODERATE DECLINE IN LOCAL TAX EFFORT. FEDERAL FUNDING HAS BEEN FAIRLY STABLE, EXCEPT FOR A RECENT BUMP FROM THE FEDERAL STIMULUS LEGISLATION. 3. REPORT ON THE FEDERAL DEFICIT DURING THE FEDERAL BUDGET CRISIS THIS SUMMER, MANY CONCERNED CITIZENS HAD IMPORTANT QUESTIONS REGARDING THE FEDERAL DEFICIT AND DEBT AND WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HAD CONTRIBUTED TO ITS GROWTH AND WHAT PROJECTIONS SHOW ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE DEFICIT. UTAH FOUNDATION PROVIDED A REPORT THAT ANSWERED THESE QUESTIONS AND FOUND THAT THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY, THE U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS OFTEN OPERATED UNDER A DEFICIT, AND HAS ALWAYS HELD A FEDERAL DEBT. FROM 1971 TO 1997, THE U.S. CONSISTENTLY OPERATED UNDER A DEFICIT, FLUCTUATING FROM 22 BILLION TO 221 BILLION. BETWEEN 1998 AND 2001, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RAN SURPLUSES, EVEN REACHING 236 BILLION IN 2000. SINCE THEN, A DEFICIT HAS BEEN INCURRED EACH YEAR, REACHING AS HIGH AS 1.4 TRILLION IN 2009, OR 10% OF THE NATION'S GDP. THE INCREASE IN DEFICIT PENDING WAS CAUSED BY BOTH INCREASED OUTLAYS AND DECREASED RECEIPTS, WITH THE TWO BIGGEST CONTRIBUTORS BEING THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AND THE BUSH TAX CUTS. 4. TEACHER COMPENSATION SIMPLY COMPARING AVERAGE TEACHER SALARIES FOR ALL FULL-TIME TEACHERS ACROSS STATES CAN PROVIDE A MISLEADING PICTURE OF THE FINANCIAL INCENTIVES TEACHERS FACE FOR WORKING IN DIFFERENT STATES. MOST TEACHING SALARIES ARE BASED UPON A SALARY SCHEDULE THAT PAYS ACCORDING TO EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION. IN THIS REPORT, UTAH FOUNDATION COMPARED SALARIES FOR TEACHERS WITH SIMILAR LEVELS OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE, TO REDUCE THE VARIATION IN SALARY LEVELS DUE TO DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES. THE REPORT FOUND THAT UTAH TEACHERS PLACE NEAR THE MIDDLE OF THE MOUNTAIN STATES FOR MOST CATEGORIES OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE. LIKE MOST STATES, UTAH HAS INCREASED BEGINNING TEACHER SALARIES IN THE LAST DECADE MORE SIGNIFICANTLY THAN SALARIES FOR VETERAN TEACHERS WITH ADVANCED DEGREES. HOWEVER, THESE INCREASES HAVE LAGGED BEHIND NATIONAL TRENDS AND MOST OTHER MOUNTAIN STATES. RECENTLY, STEVE KROES PRESENTED THE FINDINGS OF THIS REPORT AT THE INVITATION OF THE LEGISLATURE'S EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE. IT WAS WELL RECEIVED, AND THE COMMITTEE ASKED FOR SOME FOLLOW-UP DATA. 5. MEASURING QUALITY OF LIFE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN UTAH, UTAH FOUNDATION COLLABORATED WITH INTERMOUNTAIN HEALTHCARE TO CREATE THE UTAH FOUNDATION QUALITY OF LIFE INDEX, A MEASURE THAT WILL BE UPDATED EVERY TWO YEARS TO TRACK HOW QUALITY OF LIFE CHANGES AND THE REASONS FOR THOSE CHANGES. THE QUALITY OF LIFE INDEX WAS CREATED BY SURVEYING UTAHNS ABOUT 20 FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE COMMUNITY QUALITY OF LIFE. QUALITY SCORES WERE CALCULATED FOR EACH FACTOR AND AN OVERALL INDEX, WITH A POSSIBLE 100 POINTS. USING THIS METHODOLOGY, THE FIRST BIENNIAL UTAH FOUNDATION QUALITY OF LIFE INDEX STANDS AT 77.2 FOR 2011. ON OCTOBER 12TH, WE HELD A BREAKFAST DISCUSSION ON QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES, WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY ABOUT 100 PEOPLE, GENERATED THOUGHTFUL DIALOGUE, AND GARNERED ADDITIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION FOR THE RESEARCH. 6. UTAH'S DELEGATE SYSTEM THE OUSTING OF SENATOR BENNETT FROM THE STATE CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTED THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PARTY DELEGATES AND THE POPULATION AT-LARGE. IT ALSO HAS MADE THE CONVENTION THE CENTER OF DEBATE AND POSSIBLE REFORM OVER THE LAST YEAR. THIS MADE OUR REPORT ON UTAH'S SYSTEM OF NOMINATING CANDIDATES EXTREMELY TIMELY. THIS REPORT INCLUDED A SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF UTAH'S CANDIDATE SELECTION SYSTEMS, COMPARED OUR SYSTEM TO OTHER STATES, AND MODELED HOW DIFFERENT SYSTEMS COULD GIVE MORE POWER TO VOTERS, AND PERHAPS EVEN CHANGE OUTCOMES. WE FOUND THAT UTAH IS ONE OF ONLY SEVEN STATES THAT STILL USES A CONVENTION, AND THE ONLY ONE THAT ALLOWS POLITICAL PARTIES TO PRECLUDE A PRIMARY ELECTION FOR MAJOR OFFICES IF CANDIDATES RECEIVE ENOUGH DELEGATE VOTES. IF UTAH'S CONVENTION SYSTEM ALLOWED ALL CANDIDATES WHO RECEIVE AT LEAST 20% OF DELEGATE VOTES TO PROCEED TO THE PRIMARY ELECTION, AT LEAST FIVE MORE PRIMARY ELECTIONS WOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE SINCE 2002. IN ADDITION, FOUR PRIMARIES WOULD HAVE HAD MORE THAN TWO CANDIDATES. WE ARE HOLDING A LUNCHEON ON THIS TOPIC ON DECEMBER 16TH, WITH PRESENTERS INCLUDING THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC STATE CHAIRS AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE HINCKLEY INSTITUTE OF POLITICS. CURRENT PROJECTS: 7. ENERGY INITIATIVE EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE BOARD DECIDED THAT UTAH FOUNDATION WOULD CONDUCT RESEARCH ON THE ECONOMICS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY. UTAH FOUNDATION WILL ANALYZE THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY BY ASSESSING THE FINANCIAL COSTS OF BUILDING THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS, ASSESSING WHAT BENEFITS COULD BE RECEIVED VIA FEDERAL SUBSIDIES, THE COSTS OF TRANSPORTING THE ENERGY, THE COSTS OF CHANGING OR UPDATING THE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE, THE INTERMITTENT AVAILABILITY OF RENEWABLE ENERGY, THE EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND UTAH'S WILDERNESS, AND THE POTENTIAL REDUCTION IN CONSUMPTION OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY. UTAH FOUNDATION WILL ALSO PERFORM A LITERATURE REVIEW TO UNDERSTAND WHAT TYPES OF RENEWABLE PROJECTS AND ENERGY ARE USED IN OTHER STATES, AND WHAT THE COSTS AND BENEFITS HAVE BEEN. THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN UNDERWAY SINCE MID-SUMMER, AND OUR FORMER STAFF RESEARCHER, DAVID NEWELL IS CONDUCTING THE RESEARCH ON CONTRACT. DAVID HAS FINISHED A FIRST DRAFT OF THE REPORT, WHICH HAS BEEN REVIEWED BY SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND AN OUTSIDE READER IN THE RENEWABLE ENERGY INDUSTRY. HE IS CURRENTLY REVISING THE DRAFT AND INCORPORATING THEIR FEEDBACK. 8. EVALUATION OF RAISING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS LAST YEAR, OUR STUDY ON SCHOOL TESTING RESULTS REVEALED THAT UTAH IS UNDERPERFORMING COMPARED TO STATES WITH SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHICS. A BYU EDUCATION PROFESSOR AND PHD STUDENT HAVE VOLUNTEERED THEIR TIME TO RESEARCH POLICIES THESE PEER STATES HAVE IMPLEMENTED TO IMPROVE STUDENT PERFORMANCE. STATISTICS HAVE BEEN GATHERED, AND A QUESTIONNAIRE IS NOW BEING DEVELOPED, ALONG WITH A LIST OF TARGETED EDUCATION OFFICIALS IN THOSE STATES, TO COMPILE DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR EDUCATION SYSTEMS. THIS PROJECT IS PROCEEDING SLOWER THAN WE ANTICIPATED, AND WE NOW EXPECT TO PUBLISH EARLY IN 2012. ORGANIZATION'S PROCESS USED TO REVIEW FORM 990 FORM 990, PAGE 6, PART VI, LINE 11B THE 990 IS REVIEWED BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BOARD TREASURER, AND BOARD CHAIRMAN FOR ACCURACY AND PROPER PRESENTATION. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WILL ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS AND RELAY ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGE. COMPENSATION PROCESS FOR TOP OFFICIAL FORM 990, PAGE 6, PART VI, LINE 15A EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMPENSATION IS DETERMINED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (A NINE-MEMBER COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD GIVEN THE TASK OF GOVERNING THE FOUNDATION'S OPERATIONS MORE CLOSELY THAN THE ENTIRE BOARD.) THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE IS INDEPENDENT OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHOSE COMPENSATION IS BEING DETERMINED. IN DETERMINING A REASONABLE LEVEL OF COMPENSATION, BOARD MEMBERS CONSIDER SALARIES PAID TO OTHER SIMILAR POSITIONS IN THE REGION. THE DELIBERATION AND DETERMINATION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE IS DONE WITHOUT STAFF PRESENT. THEIR FINAL DECISION IS RECORDED IN THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES. GOVERNING DOCUMENTS DISCLOSURE EXPLANATION FORM 990, PAGE 6, PART VI, LINE 19 THE ORGANIZATION'S GOVERNING DOCUMENTS, CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY, AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION UPON REQUEST AT THE ORGANIZATION'S OFFICES.