A center-right tech policy think tank, formerly the Lincoln Network, that bridges Silicon Valley and Washington to advance AI safety policy, technology governance, and pro-innovation reform.
A center-right tech policy think tank, formerly the Lincoln Network, that bridges Silicon Valley and Washington to advance AI safety policy, technology governance, and pro-innovation reform.
People
Updated 05/18/26Member Board Of Directors & Co-founder
Director of Artificial Intelligence Policy & Chief Economist
President & CEO
Senior Fellow
Non-Resident Fellow
Fellow
Chairman of the Board
Non-Resident Fellow
Funding Details
Updated 05/18/26- Annual Budget
- $20,000,000
- Current Runway
- -
- Funding Goal
- -
- Funding Raised to Date
- -
Org Details
Updated 05/18/26The Foundation for American Innovation (FAI) is a center-right 501(c)(3) think tank that works to advance a more perfect union between technology and the American republic. Originally founded in 2014 in Silicon Valley as Lincoln Labs by Garrett Johnson and Aaron Ginn, the organization later became the Lincoln Network before rebranding to the Foundation for American Innovation in April 2023 to better reflect its expanded scope and mission. FAI describes itself as a team of builders, hackers, and scholars advancing an optimistic vision of the future. The organization bridges the gap between innovators and policymakers by helping government officials become better stewards of innovation while equipping technologists and founders to engage more effectively with governance systems. Their work spans six policy domains: artificial intelligence, technology and statecraft, American governance, energy and infrastructure, science and innovation, and education and talent. On AI policy, FAI has emerged as a significant voice. Senior Fellow Dean Ball, who previously served as Senior Policy Advisor for AI at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, co-teaches a Colloquium on Frontier AI Governance at Yale Law School. Chief Economist Samuel Hammond has articulated a framework recognizing three critical dimensions of AI risk: existential risks from powerfully general AI systems, the national security imperative of U.S. technological leadership, and institutional adaptation risks from large-scale disruption. FAI advocates for targeted regulatory frameworks focused on frontier AI developers rather than broad regulation. FAI runs several major programs including the Conservative AI Policy Fellowship (a biannual cohort program for policy professionals), the AI Policy Leadership Network, innovation Labs building technology tools for policy problems, and media properties including multiple podcasts and publications. The organization also hosts the annual Reboot American Innovation Conference and the American Innovation Gala. The organization has grown substantially, from a $500,000 first-year budget in 2014 to approximately $20 million in revenue in 2025, with over 30 full-time employees and 27 non-resident fellows. FAI is led by President and CEO Zach Graves, with co-founder Garrett Johnson serving as Chairman of the Board. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with an additional address in San Francisco. Major supporters include the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Stand Together Trust, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation. FAI has also received grants from the Survival and Flourishing Fund totaling over $1.2 million.
Theory of Change
Updated 05/18/26FAI believes that bridging the gap between technologists and policymakers is essential to ensuring that innovation serves American prosperity and security. Their theory of change operates on three levels: first, improving policymaker understanding of emerging technologies through research, convenings, and direct legislative engagement so that governance keeps pace with innovation; second, developing targeted safety frameworks for frontier AI systems that address catastrophic risks without stifling beneficial innovation, focusing regulatory attention on the small number of organizations training the most capable models; and third, building the talent pipeline for technology-informed governance through fellowship programs and placing technically skilled individuals in government roles. By positioning themselves as a bridge between Silicon Valley and Washington from a center-right, pro-innovation perspective, they aim to build durable bipartisan coalitions for policies that advance both safety and American competitiveness.
Grants Received
Updated 05/18/26Projects
Updated 05/18/26
Network co-organized by FAI, Horizon, and CNAS that convenes senior AI policy professionals for off-the-record discussions and a learning trip to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Six- to eight-week, part-time fellowship for conservative policy professionals in Washington, DC, run by FAI to build practical expertise in AI and emerging technology policy.
Discussion
Key risk: Their innovation-first posture—evidenced by opposing SB 1047 and promoting open-model diplomacy—may steer policy toward weaker guardrails than x-risk-focused governance proposals, making the marginal impact on existential risk uncertain.
Case for funding: FAI is uniquely positioned to move Republican lawmakers toward serious frontier AI safety, using Hammond and Ball’s Hill/White House access to advance compute governance and targeted developer-focused regulation where few other safety groups can credibly operate.