1. Brief History
2. Early Successes
3. Establishment of the Center for Tax Policy
4. Establishment of the Education Program
5. Establishment of the Center for Health Policy Studies
6. Establishment of the Social Security / Medicare Program
7. Establishment of the Criminal Justice Center
8. Establishment of the Center for the Environment and Energy
9. Establishment of Women in the Economy
10. Establishment of the Welfare Program
11. International Focus
12. Institutional Growth
    • Revenue Growth
    • Washington Office
    • New Personnel
    • A new Publications Strategy
    • Marketing Innovations
13. Secrets of Success
    • Allowing the Customer to Come First
    • Adopting the Right Board of Directors
    • Developing Innovative Ideas
    • Incorporating Business Marketing Techniques
    • Adopting a Long-Term Strategy

The NCPA has had a major impact on targeted policy issues with a budget that is only a fraction of the budgets of some larger organizations. Several factors led to the NCPA’s success in chartering this course..

The NCPA has adopted a philosophy to share groundbreaking ideas first and look after organizational self-interest secondly. The NCPA Web site is a prime example of this – a site linking to publications of all major think tanks and hailed as one of the most single valuable pieces of daily information. The philosophy was also used to create a highly innovative online newsletter – Daily Policy Digest. The journal produces summaries of policy research findings that appear in major newspapers such as the New York Times, Investor's Business Daily, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Times; magazines including Reason and National Review; and studies released by such think tanks as Heritage, Cato and AEI.

The NCPA prolonged its birth over one year for a select group of people to actively participate as its board of directors. Founding board members included:

Wayne Calloway, President and CEO of Frito-Lay

Jere Thompson, President and CEO of the Southland Corporation

Robert Dedman, President and CEO of ClubCorp

Russell Perry, President and CEO of Republic Financial Services

Sir Antony Fisher, President and CEO of the Atlas Foundation

Under the leadership of Chairman Perry, the NCPA board assisted others in the business and philanthropic communities. Today, the NCPA continues to have one of the best boards in the public policy community - with leadership from the current board members:

• The Honorable Pete du Pont, IV
• Mr. H. Martin Gibson, Esq.
• Mr. James (Jimmie) Cleo Thompson, Jr.
• Mr. Dan W. Cook, III
• Mr. Don Buchholz
• Mr. Harlan R. Crow
• Dr. John C. Goodman
• Mr. Frederick R. (Fred) Meyer
• Mr. Henry J. 'Bud' Smith
• Mr. Jere W. Thompson

As a foundation in the early years which lacked funds to pay for large-scale research projects, the NCPA relied on creativity and innovation. From MSAs to taxpayer choice for welfare and education, the NCPA stood out as an organization that produced original thinking. The Heritage Foundation's Policy Review called the NCPA "the new ideas institute" after only several years of operation.

The NCPA began developing business techniques for marketing in its first years. In the early 1980s, think tank production appeared dreary, lacking creative publication design. Bullets, graphics, bold type, sidebars, callouts and executive summaries were virtually unknown to the think tank world. The NCPA introduced many to innovative design; other think tanks began changing formal design of their organizations based on the NCPA’s formats.

Convention lists three ingredients to a successful business strategy:

• Setting goals that reach beyond the planning horizon
• Finding a market niche
• Developing complementary and strengthening factors and ideas that branch from the original market niche.

The NCPA has followed this strategy by producing numerous studies, consistently testifying before Congress and developing communicative strategies in numerous target areas. These areas are part of a five-year plan that is fully reviewed at least once every two years.