American Spirit Foundation
The American Spirit Foundation was a foundation sponsored by United States entertainment figures to "enlist the entertainment industry's leadership, creativity and resources in developing and applying creative solutions to critical challenges facing America."
History
The foundation was founded in 1989 by the actor James Stewart and convicted drug dealer and securities felon Peter F. Paul. The foundation concentrated on both the development of education programs for public schools in the U.S. and the support of democracy movements in the former Soviet Union and Eastern bloc.In its European activities, the foundation worked with the interdisciplinary studies director of the Smithsonian Institution, Russian president Boris Yeltsin and Polish President Lech Wałęsa.
Stewart served as honorary chair of the Foundation.