MSPC wins national Heritage Foundation Innovation Prize
- MSPC Newsroom
- 24 minutes ago
- 2 min read
At George Washington's Mt. Vernon estate on Monday night, Mountain States Policy Center achieved new heights.
MSPC was named one of five national winners of The Heritage Foundation’s Innovation Prize, recognizing outstanding projects that strengthen civic education and advance America’s founding principles.
The award honors MSPC’s coming 2026 initiative, We the Students: Mountain West Civics Cup, a four-state high-school civic knowledge and leadership competition designed to mark America’s 250th anniversary. The Civics Cup will engage teams from Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming in a blend of quiz-style civics challenges, mock hearings, and policy simulations—all focused on the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
“We’re honored that The Heritage Foundation has chosen to invest in our vision for restoring civic understanding and pride across the Mountain West,” said Chris Cargill, MSPC Founder, President & CEO. “The Civics Cup will transform America’s 250th into a living classroom—where students learn not just how government works, but why it matters.”
More than 300 organizations submitted proposals but a total of only 10 have been honored this year. They include:
Cana Academy: HISTORY 250: Telling America’s Story One Film at a Time
Emergent Order Foundation: 250 Years in Pursuit
Herzog Foundation: The Freedom Tour
Matthew Mehan, Hillsdale College: The American Family's Book of Fables
Sophia Institute for Teachers: Fostering Virtuous Patriotism: Celebrating America's 250th Anniversary in Catholic Schools
Constituting America: Celebrating America's 250th Birthday In Our Nation's Classrooms and Living Rooms
The Harlan Institute: Are These Truths Still Self-Evident? A High School Moot Court Competition Set in 1776
Mountain States Policy Center: We the Students: Mountain West Civics Cup
The Moving Picture Institute: Son of 1776
Wedgwood Circle: Marblehead: The Untold Story of the Men in the Boat
The $50,000 Heritage Foundation grant will help MSPC develop a reusable, standards-aligned civics curriculum, a public question bank, teacher resources, and a professional livestreamed regional final. It will also provide travel stipends and small scholarships to ensure that rural and frontier schools can fully participate.
The Heritage Foundation’s Innovation Prizes are part of its initiative to highlight organizations nationwide that advance civic renewal, freedom, and self-governance in honor of America’s semiquincentennial. This round of prizes totals $250,000 distributed among five winners.
Founded in 2022, Mountain States Policy Center is one of the nation's first multi-state think tanks, providing research and education in support of free enterprise, individual liberty, and limited government. MSPC serves Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming through practical policy research, leadership training, and civic education.
