AUSTIN – At its 20th Anniversary Gala on Friday evening, the Texas Public Policy Foundation announced a fundraising campaign that would establish a permanent headquarters for the Foundation within walking distance of the Texas State Capitol.

The Foundation has signed a contract to purchase a historic storefront at 916 Congress Avenue, one and a half blocks south of the Capitol. The Foundation’s Capital Freedom Fund campaign intends to raise the funds to purchase and renovate the building, originally constructed in 1876, into a state-of-the-art headquarters.

Foundation President Brooke Rollins announced at the Gala that the building will be renamed as a tribute to the Foundation’s longtime board member, Michael S. Stevens, who passed away in May 2008.

“Michael Stevens left an indelible mark in numerous public policy debates on everything from tax reform to tort reform and transportation,” Rollins said. “He played a key role in the growth of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and he will continue to inspire our efforts through his association with our permanent home.”

“As the Texas Public Policy Foundation moves to its next level of effectiveness, a permanent home just one and a half blocks from the Capitol building is an important next step,” said Foundation Chairman Dr. Wendy Lee Gramm. “Our proximity will further assure policymakers that we are committed to providing a timely examination of policy from a free market, limited government perspective. No other free market force in Texas, and few in the nation, will have the state-of-the-art infrastructure of the Texas Public Policy Foundation.”

When the renovations are complete, the Michael S. Stevens Building (architect rendering) will more than double the Foundation’s existing office space. The Stevens Building will house additional offices to accommodate the continued growth of the Foundation’s research staff, an expanded and upgraded amphitheater for policy events, an in-house multimedia studio, a resource library, and a rooftop special event space with unobstructed views of the Capitol.

The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin.

Primary website: www.TexasPolicy.com Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/TexasPublicPolicyFoundation Twitter feed: www.Twitter.com/TPPF

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