Perrin & Fidutam

Perrin was founded in 2023 in Charlottesville, Virginia, as a student-run policy research organization. It fully merged with Fidutam, a financial-access project working with unbanked communities, and operated publicly as Perrin & Fidutam.

Over three years its members published hundreds of works, ran ten research labs, advised federal departments and legislative offices, and financed microloans across Africa. In 2026 the organization was reorganized as Perrin Institution, Inc., a 501(c)(3), Perrin Institution, Inc. Perrin & Fidutam is closed; this is its record.

1. 2023Perrin founded in Charlottesville, Virginia, as a student-run policy research organization.
2. 2023Fidutam named an MIT Solve Financial Inclusion Challenge Finalist and wins the Prudential Emerging Visionaries Grand Prize.
3. 2024Ten research labs active; scholarship center surpasses $3M secured for low-income students.
4. 2025Perrin and Fidutam fully merge, operating publicly as Perrin & Fidutam; 300+ works published in a single year.
5. 2026Reorganized as Perrin Institution, Inc., a 501(c)(3) in West Palm Beach, Florida; Perrin & Fidutam passes into the archive. Briefly a progressive libertarian think tank, it ships its first product, Arvo, then narrows to existential risk. In October 2026 it turns to AI optimism: mitigating the risks by putting technology to positive use and guiding its legislation.

“…your initiative sets a powerful example of how passion and purpose can drive meaningful change…”

Senator Chris Van Hollen, Official Letter of Commendation

Kashaf Alvi, former Policy Director at Perrin, on the BBC discussing technology governance.