Policy and research foundation
The Sol Foundation
A nonprofit research institute and policy organisation examining the scientific, social, legal and governmental implications of UAP.
- Established
- 2023
- Status
- Active
- Country
- United States
- Parent organisation
- Independent nonprofit organisation
Overview
The Sol Foundation is a California-based nonprofit launched in August 2023 by pathologist Garry Nolan and anthropologist Peter Skafish. It frames unidentified anomalous phenomena as a multidisciplinary research and policy problem spanning natural science, social science, the humanities, law and government.
Sol's public record consists principally of policy papers, conferences, interviews, educational material and advocacy for greater official transparency and academic engagement. Those outputs document arguments and proposed frameworks; their premises and conclusions require evaluation against the evidence cited in each publication.
Purpose and remit
- Support multidisciplinary research into the possible nature and wider implications of UAP.
- Produce policy analysis and recommendations for governments and public institutions.
- Convene researchers, former officials, policymakers and other participants through symposia and public programmes.
- Promote academic engagement, government transparency and the development of research infrastructure.
Methods and outputs
Methods
- Policy analysis and commissioned research
- Academic and government-facing conferences
- Publication and public education
Principal outputs
- Policy papers and white papers
- Annual symposia and recorded presentations
- Institutional recommendations on UAP research and governance
- Reporting route
- Does not accept public sighting reports
- Data availability
- Publications and selected event recordings available
History
-
15 August 2023
Foundation launched
Sol announced itself as a research and policy institute led by Garry Nolan and Peter Skafish, with an explicitly multidisciplinary agenda.
-
17–19 November 2023
First symposium convened
The inaugural symposium at Stanford brought together academics, former officials, journalists and advocates for presentations on evidence, policy and social implications.
-
2023–26
Policy series developed
The foundation published papers addressing oversight, flight safety, disclosure, international governance and conditional scenarios involving alleged advanced technology.
-
2026
Advisory relationships expanded
Sol reported that several members of its leadership and advisory network had joined the U.S. government's UAP Science Advisory Council. Their council service is institutionally separate from the foundation's own work.
Current work
Policy publications
Sol commissions and publishes papers on governmental, legal, security and social questions. Some publications analyse conditional scenarios and should be read as policy modelling rather than evidence that the assumed scenario exists.
Research development
The foundation promotes proposed scientific and social-science projects, including work on public responses to different forms of UAP disclosure.
Symposia and public education
Conferences, recorded talks and the Sol Forum connect academic, policy and participant perspectives for a wider audience.
Government-facing engagement
Leadership figures advocate transparency and offer policy expertise, while some also serve separately on advisory or governmental bodies.
Key people
Linked names open the corresponding UAPRAD Human profile.
Garry Nolan
Co-founder and executive director of the board
Shapes the foundation's scientific agenda and public position.
Peter Skafish
Co-founder and executive director
Leads the foundation's research, policy and institutional programme.
Karl Nell
Participant and policy contributor
Has presented a proposed disclosure framework through Sol events.
Avi Loeb
Advisory-board member
Connects Sol's network with the Galileo Project and scientific advisory work.
Related organisations
UAP Science Advisory Council
Sol co-founders and affiliated personnel have been named as council members.
Evidence assessment
The Sol Foundation is best understood as a research and policy convenor, not as a case-investigation authority. Its conferences and papers bring scientific, legal, social-science, government and participant perspectives into the same programme. This widens the questions under discussion from object identification to disclosure law, institutional design and the possible social consequences of future findings.
That breadth also requires careful source separation. A conference presentation records the position of its speaker; a foundation paper is an authored argument; and a proposal framed around possible non-human technology remains conditional on a premise that the paper itself may not establish. Personnel links to government advisory bodies or other research projects demonstrate a network of participation, not agreement between the organisations or official adoption of a view.
The foundation’s influence can be assessed through the clarity of its methods, the evidence cited in individual publications and any documented uptake by researchers or policymakers. Prominent participants and ambitious research programmes are relevant context, but they are not substitutes for completed work or independent review.
Scope and limits
What the record supports
- Sol has created a recurring forum in which academic, government and participant perspectives are placed in direct conversation.
- Its publications widen UAP analysis beyond case identification to institutional design, law, public policy and social response.
- The foundation's influence is best assessed through the quality and uptake of individual outputs, rather than the prominence of its participants alone.
Limits on interpretation
- Sol states an institutional position favourable to expanded UAP research and disclosure; its publications should therefore be evaluated as authored arguments rather than neutral consensus reports.
- Conference participation establishes that a view was presented, not that the foundation or wider research community endorsed it.
- Conditional analysis of alleged non-human technology can clarify policy choices without establishing the underlying allegation.
Evidence note: Sol’s publications are institutional policy and research products. Their arguments should be assessed against cited evidence and are not equivalent to government findings or independent replication.
Sources
Sources are grouped by provenance so that official records, an organisation’s own account, research publications and independent analysis remain distinguishable.
Institutional and participant sources4 sources
-
Institutional
The Sol Foundation — official site
Describes the foundation's current research, policy programme and leadership.
-
Institutional
Sol Foundation launch announcement
Records the organisation's founding aims, leadership and initial programme.
-
Institutional
The inaugural annual conference of the Sol Foundation
Documents the first symposium's participants and thematic scope.
-
Institutional
Sol Foundation publications
Provides the policy-paper series used to assess the foundation's substantive output.