The Foundry School

A letter from the founders

There are two Foundry Schools now

A note on sharing a name with the United States government — what their Foundry School is, what ours is, and how to find the one you're looking for.

September 5, 2026

On September 3, 2026, the U.S. Department of State launched a national training program for the manufacturing workforce. It is called Foundry School. We learned about it the way you probably did: it was suddenly everywhere.

We have been running a school called Foundry School since February 2026. Ours is a working school for business operators. Theirs is a program to train the workforce behind American manufacturing. Nobody copied anybody — a foundry is simply the right word for a place where durable things are made, and good words get found twice. Still, it is a strange morning when the Secretary of State announces your school's name and doesn't mean you.

So, plainly: the two schools are not affiliated, and you may be looking for either one. Both are described below. Take what's useful.

We think the mission deserves the name. A country that wants durable things has to train the people who make them, and if you are an entrepreneur, engineer, technician, or industrial leader headed toward that work, we're glad you're going. Some of what we teach operators — execution, reliability, timing — travels well to anyone about to run a plant. The reading list below is free. No account required, nothing to buy, no deadline. It will still be here after your first session.

— Evan Kirsch, President, Foundry School (the February one)

Foundry School — the working school for business operators

Foundry School is a working school for business operators, founded by Evan Kirsch and Nic Peterson. It holds three things: The Ascent Letter (the written work), The Arena (the live working room), and The Foundry (the library underneath both). Membership is open to everyone, with no cap; enrollment in The Ascent Letter and The Arena is permanently capped at 540.

It opened in February 2026 and lives at foundryschool.co. It is not affiliated with any government program.

Foundry School — the U.S. manufacturing-workforce program

  • A U.S. Department of State initiative, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, announced on September 3, 2026 as a flagship of Pax Silica — the economic-security partnership around the supply chains and industrial capabilities behind the AI economy.
  • A training program for entrepreneurs, engineers, technicians, and industrial leaders, built to help close an estimated need for 3.8 million skilled manufacturing workers by 2033.
  • The curriculum is anchored by Stanford University, with keystone lectures from seven partner universities: Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Penn State, the University of Kansas, Vanderbilt, and Washington University in St. Louis.
  • Seventeen sessions in two phases: regional sessions hosted by the seven partner universities beginning in September 2026, then a ten-session core program hosted by Stanford University beginning in January 2027.
  • As of September 5, 2026, the program has not published a website or an application process. Its releases direct inquiries from universities and companies to FoundrySchool@state.gov.

Facts above are drawn from the Department of State releases linked here, as of September 5, 2026.

If you're headed toward the manufacturing work

Our library is open and much of it is free. If you're about to help rebuild American manufacturing, this is the operator's shelf we'd hand you:

  • Engage the Field (ETF) — the execution doctrine

    How to move from plans to daily execution, in the field rather than in your head. The handbook, the 21-day challenge, and the field tools are free at engagethefield.com.

  • Why It Keeps Breaking — the reliability doctrine

    Why operations fail in ways their owners can't predict, and the math to fix it. Its core tool, the reliability audit, is one every plant manager will recognize on sight.

  • R3 — the growth doctrine

    Retention, Referrals, and Raving Fans: durable growth from the customers you already have. Experience it free at experiencer3.com.

  • Seasonal Intelligence — the timing doctrine

    The same work pays differently in different seasons, and fighting the season is the most expensive mistake an operator makes. The doctrine behind our seasonal structure.

Everything else — who we are, what The Foundry is, how the school works — is at foundryschool.co: the methodology, the glossary, and the FAQ.