Family Foundation of Kentucky
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| Family Foundation of Kentucky | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Lexington, Ky. |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Top official: | Kent Ostrander |
| Founder(s): | Kent Ostrander |
| Year founded: | 1989 |
| Website: | Official website |
The Family Foundation of Kentucky is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative legislation. The group also promotes the notion that the traditional family should be "given special consideration in making decisions about public policy."[1] Headquartered in Lexington, Ky., the group regularly publishes policy papers and organizes community events on traditional family values.
Mission
The Family Foundation's website lists the following statement of beliefs and purpose:[2]
| “ | The Family Foundation believes that the integrity of the traditional family is critically important for our culture’s survival. It’s the cornerstone of any society. It’s the building block of any culture. Mom and Dad represent the first government ever created on Earth and the first government any child will ever see. They form a nest that will shape and direct and create and recreate the future of that culture in the children that they care for. It’s our goal that every elected official, every appointed official, that every judge before he rules would think first, “What will this ruling do to the family?” Before every legislator votes, he will think, “What does this vote do for the family?” And before every governor initiates an executive order, he will hold himself accountable, thinking, “What impact will this have on the family?”
At the Family Foundation, it is our intent to inform our constituents and other interested persons on the legislative policies, cultural habits, and political attitudes that are affecting Kentucky families on both a local and national level. We hope to serve as your first touchstone on how Washington and Frankfort impact your family.[3] |
” |
History
The Kentucky Family Foundation was founded in 1989 by Kent Ostrander, a Lexington, Ky., native. The group was founded on the platform of protecting traditional family values based on religious liberties, pro-life policies and traditionally defined marriage practices.[4] The first major policy battle for the Family Foundation was over the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990. The act established broad reforms in both curriculum and social support for students and families.[5] The law changed assessment to be more oriented towards defining "what students should know and be able to do" rather than specific content-focused assessment.[6] In practice, this meant instituting a series of assessments based on open response writing and student portfolios which were used to assess school-wide progress and state funding.[7] The Family Foundation opposed KERA on the grounds that it featured "a high stakes test that measures the performance of schools, not students, that uses unreliable open response questions rather than multiple choice questions, and that grades schools on subjective portfolio assessments."[8]
Recent work
In 2004, the Family Foundation was at the forefront in promoting the constitutional amendment that legally defined marriage as between one man and one woman. Of the amendment, founder Kent Ostrander said it was a proactive effort to "protect marriage from any kind of redefinition."[9] The amendment passed but was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2015 decision Obergefell v. Hodges. In response to the Supreme Court's 2015 ruling, Martin Cothran of the Family Foundation said the decision was an example of an uneven political playing field: "When conservatives want to change the Constitution, they have to follow the democratic process; but when liberals want to change the Constitution, all they have to do is find sympathetic judges to do it by abusing their power. In the name of 'fairness', liberals have politicized the judiciary and created an uneven playing field."[10]
The Family Foundation has also been a consistent voice against legalizing casinos in Kentucky and in strongly regulating sexually oriented businesses throughout the state. In regards to expanded gambling in the state, the Family Foundation has opposed a number of proposed bills throughout its history. In 2002, the group opposed expanded gambling in horse tracks, saying, "The decision to expand gambling will change the very culture of this state, and will have deeply negative economic and social consequences."[11] The foundation also opposed the Kentucky Expanded Gambling Amendment in 2012; it did not make the ballot.[12]
Leadership
The website for The Family Foundation of Kentucky lists the following individuals as leadership staff for the organization:[13]
- Kent Ostrander, Founder
- Martin Cothran, Senior policy analyst
- Sarah Roof, Publications editor
- Greg Williams, Director of marriage outreach
- Jack Henshaw, Western Kentucky policy analyst
- David Moreland, Southcentral Kentucky policy analyst
- Jack Westwood, Northern Kentucky policy analyst
- Michael Johnson, Mid-central Kentucky policy analyst
- Ron Howard, Southeastern Kentucky policy analyst
- John Raizor, County coordinator
- Dr. Ivan Zabilka, Gambling research analyst
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Family Foundation Kentucky. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Kentucky Marriage Amendment (2004)
- Fairness Campaign
- Gambling on the ballot
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Family Foundation of Kentucky, "Family-First Conservativism," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ The Family Foundation of Kentucky, "Our Mission," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Family Foundation of Kentucky, "About Us," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ University of Kentucky College of Education, "KERA Information," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ Lexington Herald-Leader, "Cindy Heine: 1990 education reforms put Ky. schools on path to progress," April 14, 2014
- ↑ University of Kentucky College of Education, "An Evaluation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ Ordered Liberty: The Policy Blog of the Family Foundation, "The Death of KERA," March 13, 2009
- ↑ Baptist Press, "Reversal: Ky. lawmakers send marriage amendment to voters," April 14, 2004
- ↑ Lex 18, "The Family Foundation Of Kentucky Reacts To Gay Marriage Ruling," June 26, 2015
- ↑ The Cincinnati Enquirer, "Group opposes gambling bill," February 12, 2002
- ↑ Daily Racing Form, "Kentucky casino bill fails in State Senate," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ The Family Foundation of Kentucky, "Staff," accessed August 24, 2015
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