American Dream Foundation

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September 28, 2026

The evidence comes first

Before asking anyone for a dollar, the foundation is publishing every figure behind its mission, with sources and the arithmetic.

The foundation exists for one reason: you should not have to lower your standard of living to reach the American Dream.

Before asking anyone for a dollar, we are publishing every figure behind that claim. Since January 2020 the payment on the same home has gone from 27.7% to 49.1% of median full-time pay. Prices rose 58.5% while earnings rose 30.7%, and the 30-year rate went from 3.62% to about 7%.

What is on the site

  • What changed: earnings, prices, rates and inflation since 2020, and the payment burden back to 1998.
  • The worked example: one $500,000 home, two dates, and a $1,158 monthly gap, with a calculator for your own numbers.
  • How capital could help: five ways to fund the gap, what happens when support ends, and a funding calculator.
  • Sources and methods: every series, formula and check.

What comes next

The places directory will show the gap town by town and job by job, starting with the North Shore, Park Ridge and Hinsdale. The fund opens for gifts on the Base network, with every dollar on a public ledger.