American Thrift

The Institute for American Values began its work on thrift---the ethic of wise use---in 2004, when they were invited to partner with the John Templeton Foundation in a scholarly exploration of thrift as an American value. What they discovered was a forgotten history-but more importantly, IAV's research uncovered limitless contemporary possibilities in an irreplaceable virtue.

"We see thrift as a comprehensive and transformative lens to inspire and measure the aspirations of more productive, self-reliant, imaginative and resilient--in short thriving--individuals and communities," says the Institute. "In the area of thrift education, our dream is for every young American to benefit from at least one module of high-quality thrift education before reaching age 18, through a school, library, youth-serving organization, or financial services organization."

With American Thrift: A Reader, David Blankenhorn and Andrew F. Kline provide a key resource in the pursuit of that goal.