Heritage Foundation Wants Churches to Run Marriage Bootcamps With a $5,000 Wedding Bonus

Heritage Foundation Proposes Church Led Marriage Bootcamps With $5,000 Wedding Bonus for Cohabiting Couples

The Heritage Foundation has released a landmark report titled "Saving America by Saving the Family: A Foundation for the Next 250 Years," proposing that local churches across the nation run government supported marriage bootcamps for cohabiting couples with children.

The proposal envisions a structured program where couples would be recruited through local nonprofits, radio, transit advertisements, and social media outreach. Once enrolled, the bootcamps would cover essential topics including communication, money management, blended families, fidelity, and conflict resolution.

Couples who successfully complete the program would participate in a communal wedding ceremony at the end of the bootcamp. Each couple would also receive a "wedding bonus" of up to $5,000 on their wedding day, funded through private foundations and donors rather than government money.

Each couple that completes the program could receive a 'wedding bonus' of up to $5,000 on their wedding day to be paid through foundations or private donors, not government funds.

Additionally, the bride and groom would be matched with a mentor couple to help them navigate the highs and lows of early married life.

The Heritage Foundation report also recommends the creation of Newlywed Early Starters Trust (NEST) accounts, providing an initial deposit of $2,500 distributed over three years to couples who marry before age 30. For a couple married by age 28, the plan estimates they could accumulate over $38,000 by age 30. Unclaimed amounts would convert to traditional IRAs.

Other proposals include a newborn tax credit for married parents, applying the current $17,670 adoption tax credit to biological children, distributed in four equal installments. Families with two or more children would receive a 25% "Large Family Bonus."

The report also calls for a Home Childcare Equalization Credit of $2,000 per child under five, intended to level the playing field for families who choose at home parenting over paid childcare.

The proposals come as the nation faces a declining fertility rate of 1.6 births per woman in 2024. The Heritage Foundation cited research showing that regular churchgoers have 50 percent lower divorce rates, and that religious people are more likely to get married, marry earlier, divorce less, and have more children.

Heritage Foundation Family Report Calls for Government Backed Church Marriage Programs and Financial Incentives

The report explicitly targets heterosexual, two parent households and encourages Americans to prioritize marriage and family earlier in life rather than waiting for financial security. It also calls for rolling back housing and childcare regulations to reduce family expenses and proposes a national day of rest limiting commercial activity.

Prior federal efforts have shown promise. The $35 million Helping Every Area of Relationships Thrive initiative reported that certain grant recipients saw over 95 percent of families achieve stronger family functioning.

Critics have expressed concern that the policies would push government policy toward a narrow definition of family, while reshaping personal life choices around ideology rather than individual freedom. The Heritage Foundation's plan remains a recommendation to the Trump administration and has not been officially adopted.

The Crusader's Opinion

Finally, someone with a platform is saying what every Bible believing Christian already knows: the family is the foundation of civilization, and when it crumbles, everything crumbles with it. The Heritage Foundation is absolutely right. A third of young Americans are expected to never marry. That is not progress. That is a civilizational death sentence.

The Church was always meant to be at the center of marriage. God created it. Christ elevated it. And for centuries, the local church was where couples were formed, supported, and held accountable. The fact that we need a think tank report to remind America of this is itself an indictment of how far we have fallen.

$5,000 to encourage a couple to commit to marriage before God and community? That is the best investment any foundation could make. Every dollar spent strengthening a marriage saves thousands in welfare, broken homes, and the destruction that fatherlessness inflicts on children and communities. This is not government overreach. This is government finally pointing in the right direction.

Take Action

• Read the full Heritage Foundation report "Saving America by Saving the Family" at heritage.org and share it with your church leadership.
• Talk to your pastor about starting a marriage preparation or marriage mentorship program at your local church. Volunteer as a mentor couple if you are married.
• Contact your elected representatives and urge them to support pro family and pro marriage legislation. Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224 3121.
• Support organizations strengthening Christian families: FamilyLife, Focus on the Family, and The Shepherd's Shield.
• If you are cohabiting, have an honest conversation with your partner about the spiritual and practical benefits of marriage. Seek counsel from a trusted pastor or church leader.