Posted on 19 November 2008 by Yiqiao Xu
Atlas was very pleased to learn this morning that the John Templeton Foundation was awarded the National Humanities Medal at the White House yesterday. The citation praised the Foundation for “Opening new frontiers in the pursuit of answers to mankind’s oldest questions.”
Read more from the article in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Posted on 05 November 2008 by Cindy Cerquitella
Beginning in 2008, Atlas is awarding grants of up to $100,000 to promising young think tanks around the world.
The grants are made possible by the generosity of the late Dorian Fisher – the wife of Antony Fisher, who was instrumental in his founding of Atlas in 1981 – and the many current Atlas donors who are inspired by the Fisher legacy.
Dorian and Antony believed that independent think tanks can produce enormous leverage for changing the climate of ideas in a country. They saw that investments in emerging think tanks could be extremely cost-effective, especially when complimented with mentoring to further improve those think tanks’ prospects for long-term success.
For this reason, Atlas has created the Dorian and Antony Fisher Venture Grants program, which will provide grantees with funding over a period of three years, during which time Atlas will be in frequent contact to help develop plans and to monitor performance. One part of the grant will be structured as a matching program, providing strong incentive for think tanks to develop a base of local supporters. Information on eligibility and how to apply is listed below.
In the first year, over 180 different think tanks applied for this honor. The inaugural class of Fisher Venture Grantees were presented at the Atlas Liberty Forum in Atlanta, April 25-27.
The deadline for applications is December 1st, 2008. For further information, and to submit an application visit atlasusa.org.
Posted on 04 November 2008 by Cindy Cerquitella
For his defense of freedom and dedication to liberty, Antony Fisher was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988. Only weeks after this great honor was bestowed upon him, Sir Antony passed away. In 1990, through the generosity of his relatives and many friends, Atlas Economic Research Foundation established the Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Awards to commemorate Fisher’s ideals and achievements.This year marks the 20th anniversary of this award.
The Fisher Awards recognize the institutes that published a book, magazine, report, monograph, or study that, in the opinion of the judges, made the greatest contribution to public understanding of the free society.
A panel of judges selects the publications deemed to have made the greatest contributions during the recent two years. Winning institutes receive financial awards for their operating budgets, and awards will be publicly announced at the Atlas Liberty Forum in April 2009.
Best Book
Best Magazine/Journal/Newspaper - USD 2,000 cash prize.
The Deadline for applications is December 1st, we look forward to seeing your submissions!
Posted on 29 October 2008 by Yiqiao Xu
The John Templeton Foundation has a series of conversations among leading scientists, scholars, and public figures about the “Big Questions“. The fourth issue of this series, “A Templeton Conversation” is particularly interesting to those who care about the free market, and even to those who prefer more government intervention. This latest issue asks,“Does the free market corrode moral character?“. Read what liberty champions such as Michael Novak, Tyler Cowen, and Ayaan Hirshi think. Compare their comments with the views from the other authors who think differently.
Economic freedom cannot exist without the rule of law. Free markets certainly do not corrode moral character because it is a system where individuals are rewarded according to the value they create for society. The rule of law gives individuals the incentive to comply with laws because if they don’t, they would not be able to get away with the law.
Free markets allow the best of humans to realize their full potential, while the rule of law keeps the immoral side of humans checked. Free markets enhance moral character, as it brings out the entrepreneurial spirit of humans by encouraging individual initiative, hence adding value, not only to themselves but also to society.
Free market and the rule of law - the two together form a system superior to any other that we know of because they provide incentives to individuals to care about moral character. Since the free market works only when the rule of law is present, it would not corrode moral character. The opposite of a free market is a system which introduces opportunities for corruption and the abuse of power, contradicting moral character. This again proves that free market is a better system for moral character building.
Posted on 20 October 2008 by Yiqiao Xu
Think tanks from nine countries have received recognition as winners within the 2008 Templeton Freedom Awards program, the Atlas Economic Research Foundation announced today, October 20, 2008. Representing four continents, the 16 recipients were chosen from over 170 applications from 58 countries, by a panel of independent expert judges.
Named for the late investor and philanthropist, Sir John Templeton, the awards program was established in 2003 with funding from the John Templeton Foundation to recognize the contributions of independent think tanks to the understanding of freedom. As the largest international award program for think tanks, more than $1.25 million in prizes and grants have been distributed to outstanding institutes working to improve the public understanding of freedom.
The 2008 Templeton Freedom Awards grant awards a $10,000 prize to each winner. There are two winners in each category: one represents an “established institute” (older than eight years), and one is an “emerging institute” (eight years or younger). In the Young Institute category, restricted to groups less than five years old, one winner is chosen from a developed country, and another from more difficult parts of the world.
Atlas is hosting a Templeton Freedom Awards conference to feature the winners on November 13, 2008 at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C. The program will include TFA winners presenting on the Moral Imperative of Economic Freedom and Innovation in Promoting Liberty.
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation has been supporting independent think tanks that promote the free society for more than 25 years. Atlas currently works with more than 250 think tanks in 80 countries. More than half of these organizations were assisted in their formative years by Atlas through financial support or advisory services. To read about the projects of the winners being recognized, visit the TFA section on the Atlas web site: 2008 TFA Winners.
Comments Off
Posted on 15 October 2008 by Yiqiao Xu
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear the 2008 Templeton Freedom Award winners speak on The Moral Imperative of Economic Freedom and Innovations in Promoting Liberty on November 13 (8:00AM-12:00noon) at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C.
If you are already registered for the Freedom Dinner that takes places on Nov. 12, you are invited to attend the TFA conference at no additional charge. If you are not registered for the Freedom Dinner, the cost to attend the TFA conference which includes breakfast is $50. You can register for the TFA conference on the same registration site for the Freedom Dinner, which will give you the option to select which event/s you would like to attend.
More detail about the TFA winners who will be speaking will be posted on this site in the next few days.
An independent panel of judges was called upon to select the winners of the Templeton Freedom Awards.
***
As a separate note, the announcement of the winner of the 2008 Freda Utley Prize for Advancing Liberty will take place at the Freedom Dinner on November 13, 2008.
Posted on 18 September 2008 by Yiqiao Xu
Request for Proposals for Atlas Shrugged project
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation is pleased to announce a request for proposals for a USD 9,500 grant to teach the virtues of entrepreneurship, individual initiative, wealth generation, and prosperity by promoting Ayn Rand’s influential novel, Atlas Shrugged.
Proposal content : A successful proposal will leverage these funds to introduce the ideas contained in the influential book, Atlas Shrugged, to leading, targeted audiences in their regions.
Proposals should outline at least two educational events or activities designed to achieve the goals of the proposed program. This can be translation and/or distribution of the book, events such as book launch, reception, discussion forum, seminars, courses, press conferences, or any creative form of educational outreach such as a movie, interviews, contests, etc.
Proposals should include a draft budget of how the money would be spent and a timeline of how the project would be executed. There is no application form to apply for this grant.
This program is made possible by the generous funding of BB&T whose Chairman and CEO John Allison spoke at the 2007 Atlas Liberty forum about the importance of private property rights, rational self-interest, and educating young people on the morality of free enterprise. For this reason grant recipients will be asked to list BB&T on their promotional materials related to the Atlas Shrugged project as the sponsor of their Atlas Shrugged project.
Proposal deadline : Grant proposals are due in English by October 15, 2008. Proposals should be submitted by e-mail to Ms. Yiqiao Xu at yiqiao.xu@atlasusa.org.
Selection process : Atlas will review the proposals and select 4 or 5 recipients who will each get a grant of $9,500 for their Atlas Shrugged proposal. In addition, Atlas might be able to match up to a $25,000 of donations given to the Atlas Shrugged project. This match is restricted to the selected grantees.
For this initiative, Atlas is collaborating with the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI) to provide Atlas institutes with advice and resources. ARI Executive Director, Dr. Yaron Brook, participated in the programs of several of Atlas’s 2007 Rand recipients, including Imani: Center for Policy and Education (Ghana) and Cathay Institute for Public Affairs (China).
The other recipients in 2007 were: Bulgaria Society for Individual Liberty, Scientific Research Mises Center (Belarus), Invertir Institute (Peru), and Instituto Liberdade (Brazil).
Atlas Economic Research Foundation (www.atlasusa.org) is pleased to distribute this grant as another means of supporting the intellectual entrepreneurs and institutes in favor of a free society. Atlas is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works as an international hub for think tanks advancing the ideas of freedom.
Posted on 16 September 2008 by Whitney.Garrison
The think tank world is full of acronyms - PERC, IEA, LyD - as well as terminology acronyms - GDP, CPI, FDI. Here’s another one to digest: RFP. “Requests for proposals” or RFPs are issued when an organization, company, agency, or nonprofit makes a public announcement that they are taking proposal bids on a specific project. This encourages competition so the most efficient and cost-effective vendor or recipient can be chosen for the grant.
Atlas is on both ends of this process because it is both a grant maker as well as a grant recipient. For example, here is Atlas’s latest RFP for it’s Atlas Shrugged Promotion Project. If you distribute grants or scholarship money, here are some tips for administering a low hassle RFP.
Even if you are not a grantmaker, it is always a good idea to solicit multiple vendors for projects in order to get the best price. Best of luck!
Posted on 20 August 2008 by Yiqiao Xu
Atlas is pleased to spread the word about the newly launched Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize, sponsored by UK’s Benjamin Franklin House. This year’s theme explores the topic:” What is ethical journalism? What are journalists’ responsibilities and why?” Prizes will be awarded in two categories: a Young Writers Award and a Professional Writers Award. All entries must be received by October 15, 2008.
In addition to receiving prize money, the winner of the professional prize will be published in a leading British newspaper. For further details on the Prize, including rules and submission guidelines, please view the following document, 2008 Literary Prize.
Everyone is encouraged to apply!
Posted on 15 August 2008 by Cindy Cerquitella
Today, August 15th is the deadline for applications to Atlas’s Freda Utley Prize for Advancing Liberty. Be sure to get your applications in by close-of-Atlas-Business today. (5pm EST)
This Prize awards $10,000 to an institute operating in a difficult area of the world who has made great strides in advancing the ideas of liberty.
