This spring, Bob Friedman came to the Mesa Refuge as the Leo Barnes Fellow for Economic Writing, to work on his book, A Few Thousand Dollars: Building the Opportunity Economy, 1980-2030. While he was still in residence, Bob was moved to create a fellowship to honor his parents and to support the work of future residents working on issues of inclusive economy.

Bob, who is the founder of Prosperity Now, an organization that works to ensure everyone in our country has a clear path to financial stability, describes his vision this way: “I am happy to create the Howard and Phyllis Friedman Fellowship to support writers and other creatives working toward an inclusive economy where every person in the United States has a reasonable opportunity to start a business, buy a home, go to college, save, and create an independent economic future for herself, her community, and, indeed, the country as a whole.”

Bob’s fellowship became the first major gift to the Residents’ Circle Campaign, showing how alums can “pay it forward” offering opportunities to future writers. Watch for future announcements of the Friedman fellows!