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

Following the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994, interest in welfare reform soared. Congress passed President Clinton's proposal to end the Aid to Families of Dependent Children (AFDC) program and send the money back to the states. This prompted NCPA researchers to discover working solutions at the state level.

• A 1996 analysis found that an Oregon program subsidizing private sector jobs held the greatest promise for moving people from welfare to work.
• An NCPA 1997 report card ranked the states on the basis of success in welfare reform, finding that Wyoming reduced its welfare rolls by 73 percent, while in Hawaii the number of recipients increased by 36 percent.
• An NCPA 1997 report card on foster care found that North Dakota placed 97 percent of eligible children for adoption, while Hawaii placed less than 10 percent.
• In the meantime, Newt Gingrich, Bob Dole and many others endorsed the NCPA's more radical idea of allowing taxpayers to allocate their own welfare tax dollars to qualified charities rather than to the federal government. The idea is becoming increasingly popular. A version of it was included in President Bush’s proposal to encourage faith-based charities.
• A 2002 NCPA study by former Congressional Budget Office Director June O’Neill found that welfare reform accounted for more than half of the decline in welfare participation since 1996 and more than 60 percent of the rise in employment among single mothers. The states with the greatest declines in welfare use were those that emphasized "work first," rather than training or further education.