MenuInventory of the Common Sense Foundation Records, 1983-2008 and undated
Abstract
Progressive policy think-tank based in North Carolina.
Spanning the years 1983 to 2008, the Common Sense Foundation (CSF) Records contain manuscript, print, audiovisual, and electronic materials related to the foundation's administration and work on various policy initiatives, which include the death penalty, taxation and economic justice, the environment, gay rights, health care, testing in public schools and other education issues, the tobacco industry, and North Carolina politics. The collection primarily contains clippings, reports, administrative documents, and correspondence, including emails, and is organized into the following series: Administrative Files, Audiovisual Materials, Board of Directors, Photographs, Printed Materials, Research Files, Staff Files, and Website. The largest group of materials relates to CSF's research on public policy. Several thousand electronic files in the collection have been migrated to a library server. Acquired as part of the Human Rights Archive at Duke University.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Creator
- Common Sense Foundation.
- Title
- Common Sense Foundation Records, 1983-2008 and undated
- Language of Material
- English
- Extent
- 19.0 Linear Feet, Approximately 11,625 Items
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Series Quick Links
- Administrative Files Series, 1994-2008
- Audiovisual Material Series, 1994-2007 and undated
- Board of Directors Series, 1996-2008
- Photographs Series, 2002-2006 and undated
- Printed Material Series, 1983-2008
- Research Files Series, 1993-2008
- Staff Files Series, 1997-2008 and undated
- Website Series, 2000s
- Other Materials, 2000
Collection Overview
Spanning the years 1983 to 2008, the Common Sense Foundation Records contain manuscript, print, audiovisual, and electronic materials related to CSF's administration and work on various policy initiatives, which include the death penalty, taxation and economic justice, the environment, gay rights, health care, testing in public schools and other education issues, health care, the tobacco industry, and North Carolina politics, and many other civil rights issues. The collection primarily contains clippings, reports, administrative documents, and correspondence, including emails, and is organized into the following series: Administrative Files, Audiovisual Materials, Board of Directors, Photographs, Printed Materials, Research Files, Staff Files, and Website. The largest group of materials relates to CSF's research on public policy. Thousands of electronic files representing materials related to the series in the collection have been migrated to a library server. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.
Several series focus on the administration of the foundation. In addition to documenting the foundation's bylaws and history, the Administrative Files Series contains documents related to CSF's finances and membership, sponsorship of events, strategic planning, and personnel. Related material can also be found in the Staff Files Series. The administration and strategic plan of the foundation is also treated in the Board of Directors Series (closed until 2020), which contains minutes of board meetings and information about board members. The Photographs Series houses images of CSF events.
Other series document the foundation's policy initiatives. The Printed Materials Subseries contains copies of works published by CSF, clippings of articles written by CSF staff, and publications on related topics printed by other organizations. Organized by topic, the Research Files Series contains files related to the foundation's research and organizing work, principally on the death penalty, economic issues, fair testing in public schools, North Carolina politicians, and health care. Primarily containing clippings and reports, this series also includes letters written by incarcerated people to CSF, and includes the foundation's survey of lawyers who represented death row inmates. The Audiovisual Materials Series contains videocassettes related to CSF's policy initiatives and that document foundation-sponsored events. CSF's presence on the internet is documented in the Website Series, which contains both policy and administrative material.
Acquired as part of the Human Rights Archive at Duke University.
Administrative Information
Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »
Access Restrictions
Some materials in the collection are closed. The Board of Director Series is closed until June 8, 2020.
Electronic records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.
Also, original audiovisual materials are closed to use. Use of these materials may require production of listening or viewing copies.
Collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.
All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
Collapse All
Expand AllAdministrative Files Series, 1994-2008
Contains electronic and paper files concerning the general operations of the foundation. Arranged into subseries on Fundraising and Membership, Events and Projects, Meetings and Planning, Personnel, and Other documents. Some related documents can also be found in the Staff Files Series.
Contains electronic and paper files related to projects and events sponsored by the foundation. Events include invited speakers, meetings with legislators, house parties to promote membership and/or particular causes, and Message Madness, a grassroots training program for activists and non-profits. Other materials relate to CSF's participation in the Peace List Enhancement Action Project (LEAP) and the North Carolina Alliance for Economic Justice (NCAEJ). Documents include mailings, handouts, attendance lists, and planning materials. Folders are arranged by topic and then chronologically.
[Electronic records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
Contains electronic and paper files related to the foundation's finances and membership. Documents include budgets, donor and member lists, and grant applications. Folders are arranged by topic and then chronologically.
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
Contains electronic and paper files produced during staff meetings and retreats as well as those related to the foundation's mission and strategic plan. Folders are arranged by topic and then chronologically.
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
Contains miscellaneous administrative electronic and paper files. Folders are arranged by topic and then chronologically.
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
Contains electronic and paper files related to staff, interns, and volunteers. Documents include job descriptions, recruitment efforts, publicity, and policy manuals. Personally-identifiable personnel records and search committee materials with personal information have been removed. Folders are arranged by topic and then chronologically.
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
Audiovisual Material Series, 1994-2007 and undated
Contains videocassettes that document Common Sense Foundation events or are related to policy initiatives, such as the death penalty and education.
[Original audiovisual materials are closed to use. Use of these materials may require production of listening or viewing copies. Please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection.]
Board of Directors Series, 1996-2008
Contains electronic and paper files concerning the Foundation's Board of Directors, including minutes of board meetings and retreats. Arranged in original order as received.
[Records in this series are CLOSED until June 8, 2020.]
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
Photographs Series, 2002-2006 and undated
Contains print and electronic photographs of foundation speakers and events, especially Message Madness.
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
Printed Material Series, 1983-2008
Contains a wide variety of publications in both print and electronic form. Includes reports, periodicals, flyers, and pamphlets published by the Common Sense Foundation, such as The Journal of Common Sense and Common Sense Says.... Also includes publications printed by other organizations and clippings of articles written by Chris Fitzsimon, the foundation's first director, as well as articles that mention the foundation. Materials relate to a variety of the foundation's policy initiatives, such as fair testing, the death penalty, and workers' rights. Organized into Clippings, Common Sense Foundation Publications, and Other Publications subseries, the materials are in original order as received.
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
Research Files Series, 1993-2008
Contains electronic and paper research files related to the foundation's policy initiatives. Folders are arranged into subseries by topic and then chronologically. Some related documents can also be found in the Staff Files Series.
Electronic and paper files are primarily related to the foundation's work in opposition to the death penalty in North Carolina. Contains work related to Death Penalty Project 2000, a 2006 Capital Defense survey of lawyers, and a 2007 study of the death penalty and mental illness. Prominent defendants are: Zane Hill, Ricky Lee Sanderson, Charles Munsey, Wendell Flowers, Bobby Lee Harris, Henry Lee McCollum, Willy Fisher, Ernest McCarver, and Henry Lee Hunt. Other topics covered are race and the criminal justice system, juvenile justice, and mandatory minimum sentencing. Documents include correspondence, clippings, reports, research, organizing work, expenses, and contacts. Three folders contain handwritten correspondence from incarcerated people. Folders are in loose chronological order.
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
Electronic and paper files relate to various foundation policy initiatives, including tax policy in North Carolina, corporate welfare, predatory lending, the Bill Lee Act, banking, Earned Income Tax Credit, wages, workers' rights, unionization, and workers' compensation. Also included are documents related to the North Carolina State Budget and a set of research files on specific corporations operating in the state. Documents are primarily clippings but also include email correspondence, reports, research, organizing work, and contacts. Folders are in loose chronological order.
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
The majority of electronic and paper files relate to the foundation's participation initiatives to promote fair-testing, including grassroots organizing work in various school systems. Also included is research on charter schools, Smart Start, teacher pay, and sex education. Documents are primarily related to organizing efforts with parent groups but also include clippings, reports, and email correspondence. Folders are in loose chronological order.
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
Electronic and paper files are related to the foundation's research on campaign finance reform, elections reform, term limits, lobbyists, voter turn-out, and specific legislative and judicial races in North Carolina. Also included is research on specific politicians, including their financial holdings, and lists related to specific legislators, districts, and elections. Documents are primarily clippings but also include organizing work, email correspondence, contact lists, and reports. Folders are in loose chronological order.
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
Contains electronic and paper files related to various other foundation policy initiatives. Documents are primarily clippings but also include organizing work, email correspondence, contact lists, and reports. Folders are grouped by topic and then arranged in loose chronological order.
Agriculture, 1999-2000
Staff Files Series, 1997-2008 and undated
Contains electronic files of administrative and research documents maintained by specific staff members. Content overlaps with several different series. Arranged by staff member in original order as received. Contents have received preliminary screening for potentially confidential information; however, files will be screened before access is granted.
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection. Files must be screened for confidential material before use can be granted.]
Contains electronic files of Alison Kiser, Associate Director. Primarily contains administrative files, including event planning, membership lists, donor letters and databases, grant applications, fundraising documents, mailings, volunteer lists and tasks, and statistics on CSF policy areas. Areas of research are EITC and affordable housing.
Contains electronic files of Brian Elderbroom, Associate Director. Administrative files include event planning, membership lists, donor letters and databases, grant applications, fundraising documents, mailings, volunteer lists and tasks, contact lists, and budgets. Principal areas of research are AIDs, bilingual education, the death penalty, environmental justice and LGBTQ issues.
Contains electronic files of Cat Warren, Communications Director. Contains a monthly activity log and op-ed articles on collective bargaining and public transportation.
Contains electronic files of David Mills, Research Director (2002-2003) and then Executive Director (2003-2008). Documents include Mills' drafts and publications for Consider This, Common Sense Says, press releases, op-eds, and public appearances. Administrative files include hiring staff and interns, event planning, membership lists, donor letters and databases, grant applications, fundraising documents, mailings, volunteer lists and tasks, media contacts, budgets, and tax issues. Principal areas of research are charter schools, corporate welfare, the death penalty, health care, housing, immigration, LGBTQ issues, the lottery, tax policy, tobacco, tort reform, UNC tuition, lobbyists, NC elections, and the minimum wage. Also included is Mills' correspondence with incarcerated people.
Contains electronic files of Barbara Shumannfang, Coordinator, Commission for Fair Testing. Documents are principally correspondence, contact lists, meeting minutes, drafts, and research related to education and fair testing.
Contains electronic files of Christ Fitzsimon, Founder and Executive Director. Documents include Fitzsimon's drafts and publications for Common Sense Legislative Update, reports, columns, and press releases. Administrative files include hiring staff, event planning, membership lists, donor letters, grant applications, fundraising documents, mailings, contact lists, budgets, and tax issues. Principal areas of research are campaign finance reform, the death penalty, mental health care reform, lobbyists, and tax inequality.
Contains electronic files of Daniella Cook. Documents include Cook's drafts and publications for Burning at the Stake and fair testing updates. Administrative files include agendas and minutes of staff retreat and meetings, staff feedback, and event planning. Documents are principally related to research and organizing around issues of education and fair testing.
Contains electronic files of Janet Cowell, Development Director. Administrative files include hiring staff, event planning, membership lists, donor letters and databases, grant applications, fundraising documents, mailings, contact lists, strategic planning, budgets, and tax issues. Principal areas of research are mental health and health care reform.
Contains electronic files of Meredith Nicholson, Project Director, North Carolina Death Penalty Research Study. Documents are principally correspondence, research, and organizing work related to the Death Penalty 2000 project.
Contents are organized by individual intern. Among other topics, contains research and reports related to health care, tort reform, LGBTQ issues, affordable housing, the death penalty, landfills, AIDS, workers, elections, lobbyists, and bilingual education.
Documents include drafts and publications for Consider This. Administrative files include contact lists, Principal areas of research are the Bill Lee Act, housing, banking, the death penalty.
Contains electronic files of Scott Browning, Development Director. Administrative files include event planning, donor letters, grant applications, and mailings.
Website Series, 2000s
Contains a webcapture and backup of the foundation's website.
[Records have been migrated to a library server. To request access, please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this collection.]
Other Materials, 2000
Historical Note
The Common Sense Foundation (CSF) was a progressive, nonprofit, public-policy organization incorporated in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1994. It sought to promote "fairness, justice, and opportunity in the state public-policy debate." Executive Director Chris Fitzsimon led CSF from 1994-2003. Among CSF's publications were the Journal of Common Sense from 1995 to 2001 and Common Sense Says... from 1998 to 2007. In 1997, CSF began offering a weekly email update, called the Common Sense Legislative Update, with a subscription base of over 500 people. CSF launched its website in 1998. Its primary policy initiatives included the death penalty and testing in public schools. In 2003, Research Director David Mills took over for Chris Fitzsimon as CSF's Executive Director. At its height, CSF had a membership of approximately 800 and a permanent staff of four. CSF dissolved in 2008.
Subject Headings
- Human Rights Archive (Duke University)
- Common Sense Foundation.
- North Carolina. General Assembly.
- Capital punishment--North Carolina.
- Charitable uses, trusts, and foundations--North Carolina.
- Environmental policy--North Carolina.
- Education--North Carolina.
- Educational tests and measurements--Law and legislation--North Carolina.
- Gay rights.
- Human rights -- North Carolina.
- Public health--North Carolina.
- Sexual minorities--North Carolina.
- Taxation--North Carolina.
- Tobacco industry--North Carolina.
- North Carolina--Economic conditions.
- North Carolina--Politics and government--1951-
- Machine-readable records.
- Videocassettes.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Common Sense Foundation Records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
Provenance
The Common Sense Foundation Records were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift in 2010.
Processing Information
Processed by Kevin Modestino and Elizabeth Shesko, November 2010
Encoded by Kevin Modestino and Elizabeth Shesko, November 2010
Accessions 2010-0021 and 2010-0162 are described in this finding aid.
This collection has been given basic processing: materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.