The Sol Foundation

The Palo Alto-based Sol Foundation was founded by Garry Nolan of Stanford University and philosopher Peter Skafish. The Sol Foundations's focus is on physical materials research of physical objects. The foundation's stated purpose is to advocate for "methodical, scientifically-robust assessment and analysis" of UAP Phenomenon. It advocates for research into UAP and into what it terms "non-human intelligence" or "NHI".

Physics professor Matthew Szydagis of the University at Albany, SUNY credited the Sol Foundation with defining the term "catastrophic disclosure" as the "accidental disclosure of conclusive evidence of the existence of NHI, outside of the control of human institutions, such as governments and militaries."

In 2023, the Sol Foundation started an annual symposium to showcase discoveries, proposals, and ideas relating to UAP. The first edition of the event was called the Sol Foundation Initiative for UAP Research and Policy conference. and was held at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.{{Cite web |last=DeClue |first=Dr Richard |date=2024-05-07 |title=Would Extraterrestrial Intelligence Disprove Christianity? |url=https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/would-extraterrestrial-intelligence-disprove-christianity/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=Word on Fire |language=en-US}} The purpose of the 2023 conference was, according to the foundation, to address unanswered questions regarding this "deepening enigma" of UAP. Notable speakers at this event included Charles McCullough, the former Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, Christopher Mellon, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, and Colonel Karl E. Nell the former Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Africa Command. David Grusch also made a "surprise appearance" at the event. United States Navy oceanographer and admiral Timothy Gallaudet was reported as a presenter at the Sol Foundation Symposium of 2023. PopMatters described the Sol Foundation Symposium's founding as part of a broader increase in interest in UAP following the David Grusch UFO whistleblower claims.

The Catholic News Service observed that the Sol Foundation, through directors such as philosopher Peter Skafish, sought to "initiate dialogue with religious institutions like the Vatican about the spiritual implications of discovering alien life". Vatican’s archivists claims that “there is no document in the archives that regards extraterrestrial life”.{{Cite web |last=Charles |first=Douglas |date=2024-06-26 |title=Researchers Believe They Will Find UFO, Alien Secrets In The Vatican Archives |url=https://brobible.com/culture/article/researchers-find-ufo-alien-secrets-vatican-archives/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=BroBible |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2024-06-21 |title=Vatican archives may hold UFO secrets and scientists want access to study it |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/visualstories/news/vatican-archives-may-hold-ufo-secrets-and-scientists-want-access-to-study-it-145539-21-06-2024 |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=www.businesstoday.in |language=en}} The Catholic news service Aleteia noted that two writers and academics of their religion, religious studies professor Diana Walsh Pasulka and historical theologian Paul Thigpen, were involved with the Sol Foundation as contributors. Writing for the Society of Catholic Scientists, Paul Thigpen credited the Sol Foundation for including religious scholars in their studies.

• Garry Nolan, executive director
• David Grusch, chief operating officer

• Timothy Gallaudet, Rear Admiral (ret) US Navy, formerly Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Kevin Knuth, Professor of Physics at the University of Albany
• Jeffrey J. Kripal, J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University
• Avi Loeb, Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University
• Diana Walsh Pasulka, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington
• Jacques Vallée, ufologist

{{Reflist|refs=

{{Cite web |title=About – The Sol Foundation |url=https://thesolfoundation.org/about/ |access-date=2024-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405100250/https://thesolfoundation.org/about/|archive-date=2025-04-05|website=The Sol Foundation}}

{{Cite web |title=The Sol Foundation Initiative for UAP Research and Policy – The Sol Foundation |url=https://thesolfoundation.org/event/the-inaugural-annual-conference-of-the-sol-foundation/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250216211424/https://thesolfoundation.org/event/the-inaugural-annual-conference-of-the-sol-foundation/|archive-date=2025-02-16|website=The Sol Foundation}}

{{Cite web|date=2023-11-23|title=How a professor is organizing the hunt for alien life|last=Krieger|first=Lisa|url=https://www.courant.com/2023/11/22/how-a-stanford-professor-aims-to-organize-the-hunt-for-alien-life/|access-date=2025-04-21|url-status=live|website=Hartford Courant|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128092802/https://www.courant.com/2023/11/22/how-a-stanford-professor-aims-to-organize-the-hunt-for-alien-life/|archive-date=2023-11-28}}

{{Cite web |date=2024-11-24 |last1=Feiritear|first1=Níall|title=Boss of UAP military whistleblower goes public: 'AI and colonialism the same issue' |url=https://www.sundayworld.com/news/world-news/boss-of-uap-military-whistleblower-goes-public-ai-and-colonialism-the-same-issue/a1416438732.html |website=Sunday World |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250501081428/https://www.sundayworld.com/news/world-news/boss-of-uap-military-whistleblower-goes-public-ai-and-colonialism-the-same-issue/a1416438732.html|archive-date=2025-05-01}}

{{Cite web |last=Norton |first=Tom |date=2023-11-22 |title=Is US on the verge of 'catastrophic' UFO leak? What we know |url=https://www.newsweek.com/catastrophic-ufo-leak-uap-aliens-us-army-colonel-karl-nell-1846123 |website=Newsweek |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250501081429/https://www.newsweek.com/catastrophic-ufo-leak-uap-aliens-us-army-colonel-karl-nell-1846123|archive-date=2025-05-01}}

{{Cite web|date=2025-01-28|title=Sol Foundation Symposium addresses the political problem of UFOs|last=Schwartz|first=Greg M.|url=https://www.popmatters.com/sol-foundation-symposium-ufos-uap|access-date=2025-05-01|url-status=live|website=PopMatters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129025231/https://www.popmatters.com/sol-foundation-symposium-ufos-uap|archive-date=2025-01-29}}

{{Cite web |last=Hanks |first=Micah |date=2023-09-12 |title=The Sol Foundation: How a New Think Tank of Academics is Applying 'Cutting-Edge Research' to the UAP Mystery |url=https://thedebrief.org/the-sol-foundation-how-a-new-think-tank-of-academics-is-applying-cutting-edge-research-the-uap-mystery/ |website=The Debrief |language=en-US}}

{{Cite web|date=2024-04-17|title=Sol Foundation Symposium addresses the political problem of UFOs|last=Al-Sibai|first=Noor|url=https://futurism.com/the-byte/former-naval-officer-underwater-ufo|access-date=2025-05-01|url-status=live|website=Futurism|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240417160711/https://futurism.com/the-byte/former-naval-officer-underwater-ufo|archive-date=2024-04-17}}

{{Cite web|last1=Duncan|first1=Robert|title=Angels or aliens? Some researchers say Vatican archives hold UFO secrets|date=2024-06-13|url=https://thecentralminnesotacatholic.org/angels-or-aliens-some-researchers-say-vatican-archives-hold-ufo-secrets/|access-date=2025-05-01|url-status=live|website=Catholic News Service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240724235735/https://thecentralminnesotacatholic.org/angels-or-aliens-some-researchers-say-vatican-archives-hold-ufo-secrets/|archive-date=2024-07-24}}

{{Cite web|last1=Touhey|first1=John|title=2 Catholic writers participate in pioneering UFO conference|date=2023-11-28|url=https://www.marinij.com/2023/11/19/how-a-stanford-professor-aims-to-organize-the-hunt-for-alien-life/|access-date=2025-05-01|url-status=live|website=Aleteia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128100019/https://aleteia.org/2023/11/28/2-catholic-writers-participate-in-pioneering-ufo-conference/|archive-date=2023-11-28}}

{{Cite web|last1=Fleisher|first1=Robert|title=Investors in the starting blocks: How experts are preparing for the end of UAP secrecy|date=2023-11-28|url=https://www.focus.de/wissen/weltraum/erkenntnisse-der-sol-foundation-2024-wie-experten-das-ende-der-uap-geheimhaltung-vorbereiten_id_260524995.html|access-date=2025-05-01|url-status=live|website=Focus (German magazine)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426220224/https://www.focus.de/wissen/weltraum/erkenntnisse-der-sol-foundation-2024-wie-experten-das-ende-der-uap-geheimhaltung-vorbereiten_id_260524995.html|archive-date=2025-04-26}}

{{Cite web|last1=Thigpen|first1=Paul|title=Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith: A Brief History of an Ancient Conversation|date=2024-09-18|url=https://catholicscientists.org/articles/extraterrestrial-intelligence-and-the-catholic-faith-a-brief-history-of-an-ancient-conversation/|access-date=2025-05-01|url-status=live|website=Society of Catholic Scientists|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326200029/https://catholicscientists.org/articles/extraterrestrial-intelligence-and-the-catholic-faith-a-brief-history-of-an-ancient-conversation/|archive-date=2024-03-26}}

{{Cite web|last1= Szydagis |first1=Matthew|title=How much time do we have before catastrophic disclosure occurs?|date=2024-10-16|url=https://arxiv.org/html/2410.12738v1|access-date=2025-05-01|url-status=live|website=arXiv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241114020955/https://arxiv.org/html/2410.12738v1|archive-date=2024-11-14}}

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• {{official website|https://thesolfoundation.org/}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sol Foundation, The}}

Category:Think tanks established in 2023

Category:UFO organizations

Category:Think tanks based in the United States

Category:2023 establishments in California

Category:Organizations based in California