Project 2025 Extends into 2026 with Heritage Foundation's New Priorities Targeting LGBTQ+ Rights

The Heritage Foundation has confirmed its policy efforts, originally branded as Project 2025, will continue into 2026 through a document titled “Restoring America’s Promise.” Published in February 2025, this list of priorities for 2025-2026 has gained renewed attention on social media, where users have dubbed it "Project 2026." A Heritage spokesperson clarified to Newsweek that "Project 2025 was an effort of more than 100 organizations convened by Heritage to prepare for the next conservative administration," noting that with the new administration in place, policy decisions rest with the president, and there is no official "Project 2026."

Project 2025, formally the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, includes a policy agenda called Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, which proposes eliminating mentions of sexual orientation and gender identity from federal regulations and ending federal support for gender-affirming care. It also calls for removing SOGI nondiscrimination language and stopping collection of gender identity data in disease surveillance systems. Former President Donald Trump distanced himself from the project during his campaign, stating he knew nothing about it, though analyses note alignments with his administration's early actions.

Sections of the Heritage Foundation's 2026 priorities most relevant to LGBTQ+ people emphasize "Put Family First" and "Expand Education Freedom." The "Put Family First" section states: “Every child conceived deserves to be born to a married mother and father who will love, guide, and protect them throughout their lives.” It criticizes "family breakdown and rampant abortion" and "radical ideologies that deny social and biological truths about sexual embodiment, marriage, and unborn life." This language privileges different-sex married couples and discriminates against LGBTQ+ families, single-mother families, and unmarried families, consistent with Project 2025's broader proposals.

In education, the priorities decry the "scourge of woke ideas like critical race theory and radical gender ideology," promoting school choice and efforts to "reclaim institutions of higher education from the radical Left." Project 2025 similarly proposes repealing education regulations prohibiting gender identity discrimination in schools and criminalizing adults who support LGBTQ+ and questioning youth in schools and libraries as sex offenders. The American Civil Liberties Union highlights that Project 2025 aims to remove federal nondiscrimination protections and mandate discrimination against LGBTQ+ people by the federal government, including excluding transgender people from military service.

The Heritage Foundation faces internal challenges as it pushes these priorities. President Kevin Roberts promoted "Heritage 2.0" at Turning Point USA’s America Fest on December 19, 2025, outlining focuses on "The American Family," "The Dignity of Work and the Future of Free Enterprise," "National Security," and "The American Heritage and Citizenship." He praised the Trump-Vance administration's successes. Controversy arose from Roberts's defense of podcaster Tucker Carlson, who hosted white supremacist Nick Fuentes, prompting staff departures to groups like Advancing American Freedom, founded by former Vice President Mike Pence. Roberts apologized for using the term "venomous coalition." Advancing American Freedom opposes "gender indoctrination," aligning with anti-LGBTQ+ views.

LGBTQ+ organizations express alarm over these developments. Fenway Health describes Project 2025 as articulating "an authoritarian vision for America in which LGBTQ+ people... are stigmatized, marginalized, and relegated to second class." It warns of ending federal support for gender-affirming care for adults and portraying it as harmful, alongside limits on HIV/STI prevention. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights views Project 2025 as reflecting "extreme white Christian nationalist ideology." Advocates for transgender people and LGBTQ+ youth emphasize the need for continued advocacy to protect nondiscrimination protections, health equity, and family recognition. As these priorities unfold, LGBTQ+ communities remain focused on defending their rights amid policy shifts.