The APFs aim to bridge the worlds of dedicated grassroots depolarization work and thoughtful public intellectualism, to make room for thoughtful discourse on all issues of interest to American politics and culture, between folks representing all corners of the American political spectrum and every walk of life. These are often scholars, journalists, and activists, and sometimes have included elected officials, and other times have included talented members of our own community. The APFs strive to leaven and elevate the relationship between expert and citizen, and to bring together thinkers who might otherwise never have had the space to engage across ideological, institutional, and disciplinary divides. As with all Braver Angels programs, the APFs seek to model the habits of humility, charitableness, goodwill, and thoughtful insight that American democracy and the life of the mind alike display at their bests, and in doing so explore the great issues of public life in the present day.