2011-06-14T12:10:56-05:00 2010-12-31 SHAW MUMFORD & CO PC 1564 SOUTH 500 WEST SUITE 201 BOUNTIFUL UT 840107400 990 2010-01-01 870199245 UTAH FOUNDATION UTAH 8013551400 10 WEST BROADWAY ROOM/SUITE 307 SALT LAKE CITY UT 84101 STEPHEN J KROES 8013551400 2011-05-11 true JUSTIN R SHAW CPA CFE 8012943155 2011-06-14 2010 2016-02-24 21:20:13Z STEPHEN J KROES 10 WEST BROADWAY SUITE 307 SALT LAKE CITY UT 841012075 357811 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. 35 35 6 0 205725 250915 27570 106032 800 535 272 234095 357754 0 0 221305 260224 0 24761 50516 97765 271821 357989 -37726 -235 100258 100913 4777 5667 95481 95246 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 294199 106032 THE ORGANIZATION WORKED ON THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS DURING 2010. ECONOMIC REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR 2010 EACH YEAR, UTAH FOUNDATION WRITES A CHAPTER ON REGIONAL AND NATIONAL ECONOMIC COMPARISONS FOR THE ECONOMIC REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR. THIS CHAPTER COMPARES UTAH WITH OTHER STATES IN AREAS SUCH AS POPULATION GROWTH, WAGES, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT, AND POVERTY RATES. THE CURRENT DATA SHOW AN ECONOMY THAT HAS CONTINUED TO SLOW, BUT ALSO ONE WHERE UTAH FARES MUCH BETTER THAN THE REST OF THE NATION WITH LOW POVERTY RATES, COMPARATIVELY LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, AND MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD AND FAMILY INCOME LEVELS WHICH RANK ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. PREPARING UTAH'S WORKFORCE FOR 21ST CENTURY JOBS THIS PROJECT EVALUATES THE TOP 25 FIVE-STAR JOBS IN THE STATE. FIVE-STAR JOBS HAVE THE STRONGEST EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK AND HIGHEST WAGES OF ALL THE JOBS INCLUDED IN WORKFORCE SERVICE'S OCCUPATIONAL PROJECTIONS. THIS REPORT PROVIDES SOME SUMMARY STATISTICS ABOUT FIVE-STAR JOBS AND DESCRIBES THE METHODOLOGY USED TO SELECT THE TOP 25 JOBS. IT ALSO PROVIDES DETAILS ABOUT EACH JOB AND INCLUDES AN EXPLORATION OF THE TYPES OF DEGREE, TRAINING, OR UTAH-SPECIFIC LICENSES REQUIRED FOR THESE JOBS. FINALLY, IT EXAMINES HOW WELL UTAH IS PROVIDING THESE EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES BY PRESENTING SHORT-TERM TRENDS OF THE NUMBER OF DEGREES ATTAINED IN UTAH THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR EACH JOB. THE 2010 UTAH PRIORITIES SURVEY: THE TOP ISSUES AND CONCERNS OF UTAH VOTERS FOR THE 2010 ELECTION THROUGHOUT THIS ELECTION YEAR, UTAH FOUNDATION WORKED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION, ANALYSIS, AND PUBLIC DIALOGUE ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST TO UTAH VOTERS. AS THE INTRODUCTION TO THE 2010 UTAH PRIORITIES PROJECT, THIS REPORT PROVIDED A SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS OF A STATEWIDE DAN JONES AND ASSOCIATES SURVEY ASSESSING WHICH ISSUES ARE MOST IMPORTANT THIS YEAR AND HOW VOTERS FEEL ABOUT UTAH'S ECONOMY, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS. SURVEY RESULTS SHOW THAT VOTERS' CONCERNS ABOUT SOME ISSUES, LIKE ENERGY AND TRANSPORTATION, HAVE EASED SINCE 2008. HOWEVER, OTHER ISSUES ARE NOW OF GREATER CONCERN, INCLUDING THE ETHICS OF ELECTED OFFICIALS, STATES' RIGHTS VS. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND FEDERAL LANDS IN UTAH. THE 2010 UTAH PRIORITIES SURVEY OF PARTY DELEGATES AND VOTERS AS PART OF THE 2010 UTAH PRIORITIES PROJECT, UTAH FOUNDATION, KSL TELEVISION AND RADIO, DESERET NEWS, AND THE HINCKLEY INSTITUTE SPONSORED A GROUND-BREAKING SURVEY OF UTAH VOTERS AND DELEGATES TO THE MAJOR PARTY CONVENTIONS. THE SURVEY SHOWS DISTINCT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PARTY DELEGATES AND VOTERS, WITH DELEGATES USUALLY TAKING MORE ZEALOUS POSITIONS THAN THEIR PARTY'S VOTERS. THE STRONGEST DISTINCTIONS ARE, AS EXPECTED, BETWEEN THE TWO MAJOR PARTIES. THE SURVEY ALSO PROVIDED INSIGHT ON REPUBLICAN DELEGATES' OPINIONS IN THE U.S. SENATE RACE. AMONG THE FINDINGS IN THIS SURVEY ARE THAT VOTERS' PRIORITIES FOR ACTION ARE FOCUSED AROUND EDUCATION, THE ECONOMY, CRIME, ELECTED OFFICIALS' ETHICS, STATES' RIGHTS, WATER SUPPLY, AND DECREASING STATE SPENDING; THE PRIORITIES OF REPUBLICAN STATE CONVENTION DELEGATES ARE ABOUT LIMITING GOVERNMENT POWER, IMPROVING THE ECONOMY, AND PREVENTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION; AND THE PRIORITIES OF DEMOCRATIC DELEGATES ARE ABOUT HUMAN SERVICES, ELECTED OFFICIALS' ETHICS, AND PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT. UNITED WAY OF SALT LAKE'S PRIORITY AREA AND CAPACITY ASSESSMENT THE PURPOSE OF THIS ASSESSMENT WAS TO PRIORITIZE THE SPECIFIC NEEDS, OBJECTIVES, AND STRATEGIES ON WHICH UWSL WILL FOCUS ITS COMMUNITY IMPACT WORK. UWSL CONTRACTED WITH UTAH FOUNDATION TO CONDUCT THIS ASSESSMENT, WHICH WAS YEAR-LONG PROJECT INVOLVING FOCUS GROUPS, SURVEYS, DATA COLLECTION, RESEARCH, AND ANALYSIS. THE PROJECT WRAPPED UP AT THE END OF APRIL, WITH UWSL FINALIZING THEIR PROPOSAL IN MAY AND JUNE. BASED ON THE ANALYSIS, UWSL HAS DECIDED ON THE FOLLOWING PRIORITY FRAMEWORK: 1) BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION OF EARLY LEARNING FROM BIRTH TO AGE 8 BY FOCUSING ON EARLY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND HIGH LEVELS OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. 2) HELP PEOPLE GAIN THE INCOME AND FINANCIAL TOOLS TO HELP THEM THRIVE BY FOCUSING ON EDUCATION AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS FINANCIAL LITERACY AND SAVINGS. 3) IMPROVE CHILD HEALTH AND PROMOTE HEALTHY BEHAVIORS BY FOCUSING ON REDUCING OBESITY AND INCREASING ENROLLMENT IN HEALTH CARE COVERAGE. HAS AMERICA'S CONSUMER SPENDING BUBBLE POPPED? BEGINNING IN THE EARLY 1980S, CONSUMPTION AS A PERCENT OF GDP STEADILY INCREASED UNTIL IT REACHED 70.4% IN 2008. SEVERAL ECONOMISTS ARGUED THAT BECAUSE THESE HIGH LEVELS OF CONSUMPTION WERE FUELED BY ASSET APPRECIATION AND THE ABILITY OF HOMEOWNERS TO TAKE OUT HOME EQUITY LOANS IT CREATED AN UNSUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION BUBBLE. HOWEVER, RECENT DATA FROM BEA SHOW THAT EVEN WITH THE RECESSION, CONSUMPTION AS A PERCENT OF GDP REMAINS HIGH. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHY CONSUMPTION IS STILL SUCH LARGE PERCENT OF GDP, THIS REPORT LOOKS AT THE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF GDP AND EVALUATES HOW EACH OF THESE COMPONENTS HAVE CHANGED DURING THE RECESSION. SPENDING YOUR TAX DOLLARS: AN UPDATE ON STATE SPENDING TRENDS THIS REPORT ANALYZES STATE EXPENDITURES SINCE THE RECESSION IN SEVEN CATEGORIES: PUBLIC EDUCATION, HIGHER EDUCATION, OTHER OPERATIONS, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, TRANSPORTATION, LAW AND ORDER, AND CAPITAL AND DEBT SERVICE. CHANGES IN EACH CATEGORY ARE ANALYZED BY CALCULATING A RATIO OF GOVERNMENT SPENDING PER 1,000 OF PERSONAL INCOME, WHICH ROUGHLY ILLUSTRATES THE PROPORTION OF UTAHNS' EARNINGS THAT ARE DEDICATED TO FUNDING STATE GOVERNMENT. THE REPORT SHOWS THE DECLINING STATE ECONOMY HAS NOT RESULTED IN ACROSS-THE-BOARD CUTS IN UTAH'S PUBLIC SERVICES, AS THE PROPORTION OF PERSONAL INCOME DEDICATED TO CERTAIN CATEGORIES AND DEPARTMENTS, SUCH AS WORKFORCE SERVICES AND THE LABOR COMMISSION, ACTUALLY INCREASED DURING THIS PERIOD. BEST PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES TO INFLUENCE CHANGE IN PRIORITY AREA OBJECTIVES TO ASSIST UNITED WAY OF SALT LAKE (UWSL) DEVELOP INITIATIVES FOR ITS NEW PRIORITY FRAMEWORK, THIS REPORT DESCRIBES THE BEST PRACTICES, STRATEGIES, AND MODELS RELATING TO UWSL'S SIX PRIORITY AREAS (EARLY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL LITERACY, HEALTHY BEHAVIORS, HEALTH COVERAGE, AND HEALTHCARE ACCESS). LOCAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES ARE ALSO DESCRIBED. THE PURPOSE OF THE REPORT IS TO PROVIDE UWSL WITH A DEPTH OF INFORMATION IT CAN REFERENCE AS IT ACCEPTS PROGRAM PROPOSALS AND DEVELOPS INITIATIVES. HIGH-SPEED RAIL AROUND THE WORLD: A SURVEY AND COMPARISON OF EXISTING SYSTEMS IN 2010, THE WESTERN HIGH-SPEED RAIL ALLIANCE, A GROUP OF METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS FROM COLORADO, UTAH, NEVADA, AND ARIZONA, CONTRACTED WITH THE UTAH FOUNDATION TO UNDERTAKE A BACKGROUND STUDY OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL (HSR) SYSTEMS WORLDWIDE TO ASSIST THE ALLIANCE AS IT BEGINS TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING A HSR SYSTEM IN THE REGION. THE REPORT REVEALS A NUMBER OF FEATURES AND CHARACTERISTICS COMMON OF HSR SYSTEMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS. FIRST, MOST COUNTRIES WITH HSR SYSTEMS ARE ECONOMICALLY WELL-DEVELOPED, GEOGRAPHICALLY SMALL, AND DENSELY POPULATED. SECOND, MOST COUNTRIES WITH HSR SYSTEMS HAVE GOVERNMENTS THAT ARE RELATIVELY CENTRALIZED AND CULTURES THAT ARE LESS INDIVIDUALISTIC. MOVING UP THE ECONOMIC LADDER: AN ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC MOBILITY IN UTAH THIS STUDY USES TAX RETURNS FROM UTAH HOUSEHOLDS IN 1994 AND 2007 TO DOCUMENT THE ABILITY OF UTAHNS TO MOVE UP THE ECONOMIC LADDER BY INCREASING THEIR INCOMES OVER TIME. RESULTS SHOW ALMOST ONE-THIRD OF UTAH TAXPAYERS ARE "UPWARDLY MOBILE," OR HAVE BOTH HIGHER INCOME AND MOVED UP ONE OR MORE INCOME QUINTILES BETWEEN 1994 AND 2007. HOWEVER, A SLIGHTLY LARGER PERCENT OF TAXPAYERS ARE SIMPLY "RIDING THE TIDE," MEANING THEY HAVE HIGHER INCOMES, BUT THE INCREASE WAS NOT ENOUGH TO MOVE THEM INTO THE NEXT INCOME QUINTILE. INTERESTINGLY, 14% OF TAXPAYERS ARE "FALLING DESPITE THE TIDE," MEANING THAT DESPITE THEIR INCOME INCREASING, THEIR RELATIVE ECONOMIC STANDING FELL. ONE-FIFTH OF UTAH TAXPAYERS ARE "DOWNWARDLY MOBILE," MEANING THEY LOST INCOME DURING THIS PERIOD. UTAH FOUNDATION HOSTED A "POLICY LUNCHBOX" WHERE THE FINDINGS FROM THIS REPORT WERE PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED WITH LOCAL POLICY LEADERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THE FINDINGS WERE ALSO PRESENTED TO TWO LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES DURING FALL INTERIM MEETINGS. THE 2010 UTAH PRIORITIES FALL SURVEY: VOTERS' PREFERENCES FOR CANDIDATES AND POLICY SOLUTIONS THE PURPOSE OF THIS UTAH PRIORITIES SURVEY IS TO DELVE DEEPER ON FIVE CRITICAL POLICY ISSUES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND VOTERS' PREFERENCES SURROUNDING THE MOST OFTEN DISCUSSED SOLUTIONS. VOTERS WERE SURVEYED ABOUT K-12 EDUCATION, ECONOMY AND JOBS, IMMIGRATION, GOVERNMENT SPENDING, AND STATES' RIGHTS. THE SURVEY ALSO ASKED VOTERS ABOUT WHOM THEY PLAN TO VOTE FOR IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS. IN ADDITION TO THIS SURVEY WORK, UTAH FOUNDATION PARTNERED WITH THE HINCKLEY INSTITUTE OF POLITICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH TO HOLD POLICY FORUMS IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. UTAH LEGISLATORS AND POLICY EXP 294199 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 1 0 true 6 true false false false false false true true false false false false false false X 35 35 false false false false false false false true true false false true false false false true true false UT X X STEPHEN J KROES 8013551400 10 W BROADWAY STE 307 SALT LAKE CITY UT 84101 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 BETTE ARIAL 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 LARRY LEW 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 M BRUCE SNYDER 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 DAN 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 STEPHEN J KROES 40.00 X 121729 0 14696 121729 14696 1 false false false 250915 250915 CONSULTING INCOME 93909 93909 PROGRAM EVENT 12123 12123 106032 530 530 62 57 5 5 5 OTHER REVENUE 272 272 272 357754 106309 530 136425 110068 14771 11586 95366 75785 10990 8591 13177 11955 666 556 15256 12234 1679 1343 5810 45 5765 48819 48819 6532 5641 276 615 21286 17199 2381 1706 4345 2323 2022 1555 1249 174 132 PROGRAM EVENT EXPENSES 6162 6162 MISCELLANEOUS 2729 2192 305 232 LIBRARY 527 527 357989 294199 39029 24761 16239 35628 57206 55022 22500 7530 42513 41633 2460 880 1853 1853 100258 100913 4777 5667 4777 5667 X 85481 95246 10000 95481 95246 100258 100913 -235 X false true true X false X 208171 291443 303229 205725 250915 1259483 7025 28517 10160 27570 106032 179304 215196 319960 313389 233295 356947 1438787 139700 190200 185200 122700 145000 782800 5000 5000 10000 139700 195200 185200 122700 150000 792800 645987 1004 1717 2236 800 530 6287 1004 1717 2236 800 530 6287 216200 321677 315625 234095 357477 1445074 0.44700 0.69680 0.00000 0.01000 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED false false false false false false false false false false 42513 41633 880 880 357754 357989 -235 -235 357754 357754 357754 357989 30 30 357959 30 30 357989 RECONCILIATION OF CHANGES - OTHER SCHEDULE D, PAGE 4, PART XI, LINE 8 TAX/BOOK BASIS DIFFERENCE -30 BOOK / TAX DEPRECIATION DIFFERENCE 30 EXPENSE AMOUNTS INCLUDED IN FINANCIALS - OTHER SCHEDULE D, PAGE 4, PART XIII, LINE 2D TAX/BOOK BASIS DIFFERENCE 30 EXPENSE AMOUNTS INCLUDED ON RETURN - OTHER SCHEDULE D, PAGE 4, PART XIII, LINE 4B BOOK / TAX DEPRECIATION DIFFERENCE 30 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 ACHIEVEMENT DESCRIPTION FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III, LINE 4A INCOME LEVELS WHICH RANK ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. PREPARING UTAH'S WORKFORCE FOR 21ST CENTURY JOBS THIS PROJECT EVALUATES THE TOP 25 FIVE-STAR JOBS IN THE STATE. FIVE-STAR JOBS HAVE THE STRONGEST EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK AND HIGHEST WAGES OF ALL THE JOBS INCLUDED IN WORKFORCE SERVICE'S OCCUPATIONAL PROJECTIONS. THIS REPORT PROVIDES SOME SUMMARY STATISTICS ABOUT FIVE-STAR JOBS AND DESCRIBES THE METHODOLOGY USED TO SELECT THE TOP 25 JOBS. IT ALSO PROVIDES DETAILS ABOUT EACH JOB AND INCLUDES AN EXPLORATION OF THE TYPES OF DEGREE, TRAINING, OR UTAH-SPECIFIC LICENSES REQUIRED FOR THESE JOBS. FINALLY, IT EXAMINES HOW WELL UTAH IS PROVIDING THESE EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES BY PRESENTING SHORT-TERM TRENDS OF THE NUMBER OF DEGREES ATTAINED IN UTAH THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR EACH JOB. THE 2010 UTAH PRIORITIES SURVEY: THE TOP ISSUES AND CONCERNS OF UTAH VOTERS FOR THE 2010 ELECTION THROUGHOUT THIS ELECTION YEAR, UTAH FOUNDATION WORKED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION, ANALYSIS, AND PUBLIC DIALOGUE ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST TO UTAH VOTERS. AS THE INTRODUCTION TO THE 2010 UTAH PRIORITIES PROJECT, THIS REPORT PROVIDED A SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS OF A STATEWIDE DAN JONES AND ASSOCIATES SURVEY ASSESSING WHICH ISSUES ARE MOST IMPORTANT THIS YEAR AND HOW VOTERS FEEL ABOUT UTAH'S ECONOMY, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS. SURVEY RESULTS SHOW THAT VOTERS' CONCERNS ABOUT SOME ISSUES, LIKE ENERGY AND TRANSPORTATION, HAVE EASED SINCE 2008. HOWEVER, OTHER ISSUES ARE NOW OF GREATER CONCERN, INCLUDING THE ETHICS OF ELECTED OFFICIALS, STATES' RIGHTS VS. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND FEDERAL LANDS IN UTAH. THE 2010 UTAH PRIORITIES SURVEY OF PARTY DELEGATES AND VOTERS AS PART OF THE 2010 UTAH PRIORITIES PROJECT, UTAH FOUNDATION, KSL TELEVISION AND RADIO, DESERET NEWS, AND THE HINCKLEY INSTITUTE SPONSORED A GROUND-BREAKING SURVEY OF UTAH VOTERS AND DELEGATES TO THE MAJOR PARTY CONVENTIONS. THE SURVEY SHOWS DISTINCT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PARTY DELEGATES AND VOTERS, WITH DELEGATES USUALLY TAKING MORE ZEALOUS POSITIONS THAN THEIR PARTY'S VOTERS. THE STRONGEST DISTINCTIONS ARE, AS EXPECTED, BETWEEN THE TWO MAJOR PARTIES. THE SURVEY ALSO PROVIDED INSIGHT ON REPUBLICAN DELEGATES' OPINIONS IN THE U.S. SENATE RACE. AMONG THE FINDINGS IN THIS SURVEY ARE THAT VOTERS' PRIORITIES FOR ACTION ARE FOCUSED AROUND EDUCATION, THE ECONOMY, CRIME, ELECTED OFFICIALS' ETHICS, STATES' RIGHTS, WATER SUPPLY, AND DECREASING STATE SPENDING; THE PRIORITIES OF REPUBLICAN STATE CONVENTION DELEGATES ARE ABOUT LIMITING GOVERNMENT POWER, IMPROVING THE ECONOMY, AND PREVENTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION; AND THE PRIORITIES OF DEMOCRATIC DELEGATES ARE ABOUT HUMAN SERVICES, ELECTED OFFICIALS' ETHICS, AND PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT. UNITED WAY OF SALT LAKE'S PRIORITY AREA AND CAPACITY ASSESSMENT THE PURPOSE OF THIS ASSESSMENT WAS TO PRIORITIZE THE SPECIFIC NEEDS, OBJECTIVES, AND STRATEGIES ON WHICH UWSL WILL FOCUS ITS COMMUNITY IMPACT WORK. UWSL CONTRACTED WITH UTAH FOUNDATION TO CONDUCT THIS ASSESSMENT, WHICH WAS YEAR-LONG PROJECT INVOLVING FOCUS GROUPS, SURVEYS, DATA COLLECTION, RESEARCH, AND ANALYSIS. THE PROJECT WRAPPED UP AT THE END OF APRIL, WITH UWSL FINALIZING THEIR PROPOSAL IN MAY AND JUNE. BASED ON THE ANALYSIS, UWSL HAS DECIDED ON THE FOLLOWING PRIORITY FRAMEWORK: 1) BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION OF EARLY LEARNING FROM BIRTH TO AGE 8 BY FOCUSING ON EARLY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND HIGH LEVELS OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. 2) HELP PEOPLE GAIN THE INCOME AND FINANCIAL TOOLS TO HELP THEM THRIVE BY FOCUSING ON EDUCATION AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS FINANCIAL LITERACY AND SAVINGS. 3) IMPROVE CHILD HEALTH AND PROMOTE HEALTHY BEHAVIORS BY FOCUSING ON REDUCING OBESITY AND INCREASING ENROLLMENT IN HEALTH CARE COVERAGE. HAS AMERICA'S CONSUMER SPENDING BUBBLE POPPED? BEGINNING IN THE EARLY 1980S, CONSUMPTION AS A PERCENT OF GDP STEADILY INCREASED UNTIL IT REACHED 70.4% IN 2008. SEVERAL ECONOMISTS ARGUED THAT BECAUSE THESE HIGH LEVELS OF CONSUMPTION WERE FUELED BY ASSET APPRECIATION AND THE ABILITY OF HOMEOWNERS TO TAKE OUT HOME EQUITY LOANS IT CREATED AN UNSUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION BUBBLE. HOWEVER, RECENT DATA FROM BEA SHOW THAT EVEN WITH THE RECESSION, CONSUMPTION AS A PERCENT OF GDP REMAINS HIGH. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHY CONSUMPTION IS STILL SUCH LARGE PERCENT OF GDP, THIS REPORT LOOKS AT THE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF GDP AND EVALUATES HOW EACH OF THESE COMPONENTS HAVE CHANGED DURING THE RECESSION. SPENDING YOUR TAX DOLLARS: AN UPDATE ON STATE SPENDING TRENDS THIS REPORT ANALYZES STATE EXPENDITURES SINCE THE RECESSION IN SEVEN CATEGORIES: PUBLIC EDUCATION, HIGHER EDUCATION, OTHER OPERATIONS, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, TRANSPORTATION, LAW AND ORDER, AND CAPITAL AND DEBT SERVICE. CHANGES IN EACH CATEGORY ARE ANALYZED BY CALCULATING A RATIO OF GOVERNMENT SPENDING PER 1,000 OF PERSONAL INCOME, WHICH ROUGHLY ILLUSTRATES THE PROPORTION OF UTAHNS' EARNINGS THAT ARE DEDICATED TO FUNDING STATE GOVERNMENT. THE REPORT SHOWS THE DECLINING STATE ECONOMY HAS NOT RESULTED IN ACROSS-THE-BOARD CUTS IN UTAH'S PUBLIC SERVICES, AS THE PROPORTION OF PERSONAL INCOME DEDICATED TO CERTAIN CATEGORIES AND DEPARTMENTS, SUCH AS WORKFORCE SERVICES AND THE LABOR COMMISSION, ACTUALLY INCREASED DURING THIS PERIOD. BEST PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES TO INFLUENCE CHANGE IN PRIORITY AREA OBJECTIVES TO ASSIST UNITED WAY OF SALT LAKE (UWSL) DEVELOP INITIATIVES FOR ITS NEW PRIORITY FRAMEWORK, THIS REPORT DESCRIBES THE BEST PRACTICES, STRATEGIES, AND MODELS RELATING TO UWSL'S SIX PRIORITY AREAS (EARLY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL LITERACY, HEALTHY BEHAVIORS, HEALTH COVERAGE, AND HEALTHCARE ACCESS). LOCAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES ARE ALSO DESCRIBED. THE PURPOSE OF THE REPORT IS TO PROVIDE UWSL WITH A DEPTH OF INFORMATION IT CAN REFERENCE AS IT ACCEPTS PROGRAM PROPOSALS AND DEVELOPS INITIATIVES. HIGH-SPEED RAIL AROUND THE WORLD: A SURVEY AND COMPARISON OF EXISTING SYSTEMS IN 2010, THE WESTERN HIGH-SPEED RAIL ALLIANCE, A GROUP OF METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS FROM COLORADO, UTAH, NEVADA, AND ARIZONA, CONTRACTED WITH THE UTAH FOUNDATION TO UNDERTAKE A BACKGROUND STUDY OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL (HSR) SYSTEMS WORLDWIDE TO ASSIST THE ALLIANCE AS IT BEGINS TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING A HSR SYSTEM IN THE REGION. THE REPORT REVEALS A NUMBER OF FEATURES AND CHARACTERISTICS COMMON OF HSR SYSTEMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS. FIRST, MOST COUNTRIES WITH HSR SYSTEMS ARE ECONOMICALLY WELL-DEVELOPED, GEOGRAPHICALLY SMALL, AND DENSELY POPULATED. SECOND, MOST COUNTRIES WITH HSR SYSTEMS HAVE GOVERNMENTS THAT ARE RELATIVELY CENTRALIZED AND CULTURES THAT ARE LESS INDIVIDUALISTIC. MOVING UP THE ECONOMIC LADDER: AN ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC MOBILITY IN UTAH THIS STUDY USES TAX RETURNS FROM UTAH HOUSEHOLDS IN 1994 AND 2007 TO DOCUMENT THE ABILITY OF UTAHNS TO MOVE UP THE ECONOMIC LADDER BY INCREASING THEIR INCOMES OVER TIME. RESULTS SHOW ALMOST ONE-THIRD OF UTAH TAXPAYERS ARE "UPWARDLY MOBILE," OR HAVE BOTH HIGHER INCOME AND MOVED UP ONE OR MORE INCOME QUINTILES BETWEEN 1994 AND 2007. HOWEVER, A SLIGHTLY LARGER PERCENT OF TAXPAYERS ARE SIMPLY "RIDING THE TIDE," MEANING THEY HAVE HIGHER INCOMES, BUT THE INCREASE WAS NOT ENOUGH TO MOVE THEM INTO THE NEXT INCOME QUINTILE. INTERESTINGLY, 14% OF TAXPAYERS ARE "FALLING DESPITE THE TIDE," MEANING THAT DESPITE THEIR INCOME INCREASING, THEIR RELATIVE ECONOMIC STANDING FELL. ONE-FIFTH OF UTAH TAXPAYERS ARE "DOWNWARDLY MOBILE," MEANING THEY LOST INCOME DURING THIS PERIOD. UTAH FOUNDATION HOSTED A "POLICY LUNCHBOX" WHERE THE FINDINGS FROM THIS REPORT WERE PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED WITH LOCAL POLICY LEADERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THE FINDINGS WERE ALSO PRESENTED TO TWO LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES DURING FALL INTERIM MEETINGS. THE 2010 UTAH PRIORITIES FALL SURVEY: VOTERS' PREFERENCES FOR CANDIDATES AND POLICY SOLUTIONS THE PURPOSE OF THIS UTAH PRIORITIES SURVEY IS TO DELVE DEEPER ON FIVE CRITICAL POLICY ISSUES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND VOTERS' PREFERENCES SURROUNDING THE MOST OFTEN DISCUSSED SOLUTIONS. VOTERS WERE SURVEYED ABOUT K-12 EDUCATION, ECONOMY AND JOBS, IMMIGRATION, GOVERNMENT SPENDING, AND STATES' RIGHTS. THE SURVEY ALSO ASKED VOTERS ABOUT WHOM THEY PLAN TO VOTE FOR IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS. IN ADDITION TO THIS SURVEY WORK, UTAH FOUNDATION PARTNERED WITH THE HINCKLEY INSTITUTE OF POLITICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH TO HOLD POLICY FORUMS IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. UTAH LEGISLATORS AND POLICY EXPERTS PARTICIPATED IN THE FORUMS, OFFERING THEIR EXPERTISE ON THE ISSUES AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE. POLICY FORUM TOPICS INCLUDED GOVERNMENT SPENDING, ECONOMIC MOBILITY, UTAH PRIORITIES SURVEY RESULTS, EDUCATION, AND STATES RIGHTS. SCHOOL TESTING RESULTS: HOW UTAH COMPARES TO STATES WITH SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHICS BASED ON COMPARISONS TO NATIONAL AVERAGES IN SCHOOL TEST SCORES, IT IS COMMONLY STATED THAT UTAH'S EDUCATION SYSTEM PERFORMS WELL, DESPITE HAVING LOW FUNDING. HOWEVER, UTAH IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE AVERAGE STATE, WITH LOW POVERTY, MANY COLLEGE-EDUCATED PARENTS, AND A SMALL MINORITY P 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. COMPENSATION PROCESS FOR OFFICERS FORM 990, PAGE 6, PART VI, LINE 15B OTHER OFFICER 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.