The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute The Sapelo Foundation believes that an informed and engaged public forms the core of effective government, government that is responsive to the needs of its citizenry and is equally representative of all. Therefore, the Foundation identified the need to create an independent entity to provide factual and timely financial analysis to the people of Georgia. In 2004, the Foundation made a four-year commitment to the creation of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI), www.GBPI.org, an independent, nonprofit, non-partisan organization engaged in research and education on the fiscal and economic health of the state of Georgia. The Institute provides reliable, accessible and timely analysis to promote greater state government fiscal accountability as a way to improve services to Georgians in need and to promote quality of life for all Georgians. It functions as a part of the national State Fiscal and Analysis Initiative (SFAI) coordinated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) in Washington, DC. Several state and national foundation partners have joined with the Sapelo Foundation to support the Institute. Global Warming The foundation is interested in assessing the effects of global warming in Georgia and will engage in research and dialogue with qualified experts to explore this topic and its potential impact upon Georgia’s air quality, coastal communities, agriculture and natural ecosystems.