BLOG

This year, Beacon will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Founded in 2004, we have a great deal to celebrate in our fight to empower Tennesseans with greater liberty. Over the years, we have evolved from a government watchdog into a think tank developing free market policy solutions to a force to be reckoned with in both the courts and the halls of the state capitol.

Our work has led to more than $3 billion in tax cuts, including the repeal of multiple taxes entirely. We’ve said sayonara to the Hall Income tax, becoming just the second state in history to repeal an income tax. Prior to that, we helped eliminate the state’s death tax. 

We have led the charge to give families educational choice, and I hope 2024 will also be the year we make that choice universally available to all Tennessee families.

We have successfully advocated for enshrining right-to-work in our state constitution, something 70% of voters cast their votes in favor of in November 2022. 

Beacon has become a well-respected voice for freedom and free enterprise, not just in Tennessee, but nationally. We’ve frequently been named one of the most influential policy organizations in the state, and our work has received numerous national awards. We’ve even won international film festivals for our mini-documentary Rigged, which exposed the pitfalls of corporate welfare. 

Over the years, we have launched new capacities and even new partner organizations to drive meaningful change. In 2015, we started a litigation arm to sue the government when it tramples on Tennesseans’ rights, all free of charge. Two years later, we formed Beacon Impact, our 501(c)(4) partner that turns our ideas into action through advocacy at the state and local level.

More recently, we launched the quarterly Beacon Poll to assess voters’ opinions on matters of importance to our state. 

But what matters most of all is the impact these efforts have had on the lives of everyday Tennesseans, those we wake up every day to serve. In total, we have achieved nearly 100 major policy and legal victories over the past 20 years. These reforms have directly touched more than 5.4 million lives. You can see our 20 biggest victories here.

Cheers to 20 years fighting for Tennesseans’ liberty. And the best part of it all? This is only just the beginning.