December 2010
We’ve had a busy and very fruitful and successful year at Atlas. Our programs have expanded, we’ve opened up new channels to bring the ideas of liberty to more and more people, and our network of self-sustaining think tanks is growing.
Thirty years ago, Margaret Thatcher sent a letter to Atlas’s founder, Sir Antony Fisher. It was a letter that Antony used to solicit seed funding for Atlas, through which he intended to create a worldwide network of independent free-market think tanks.
“I applaud your aim to build on the success of the [London-based Institute of Economic Affairs, by starting similar think tanks] in Europe, America and further afield. I believe it deserves the most urgent and generous support of all concerned with the restoration of the market economy as the foundation of a free society.”
Today, we again find ourselves facing the kind of “crisis of confidence” that afflicted the free world at the end of the 1970s.
But thankfully, we have a vastly improved intellectual infrastructure, making the case for principles that can lead us back to peace and prosperity: free markets, individual liberty, and limited government under the rule of law.
This is because Fisher’s vision is being realized. Before Atlas was founded, there were fewer than a dozen independent free-market think tanks. Today, the Atlas network comprises more than 400 of these institutes— in 80 countries.
While you’re on our website, you should browse our map-based directory to learn of the many organizations connected to the Atlas Network.
I hope you take a lot of pride in what you find on the Atlas website, and what you read in our 2010 Year In Review report. You’ll be impressed with what we’re accomplishing.
I hope it will motivate you to join the generous individuals that provide financial support for our programs.
A few highlights:
It is a critical time to stay on offense, and strengthen the freedom movement.
If we are going to change public policy for the better, we need to get more people here at home and abroad informed and engaged in protecting our liberties.
I’m very proud to be able to work with such talented, productive, and passionately dedicated people around the globe who are spreading these seeds of freedom. I hope we can count on you to partner in our efforts to beat back socialism and stand up for the ideas of a free society.
Atlas is very careful in how we invest the generous contributions from our partners like you. Our team members are well aware that all of the resources we have are made available by friends like you, and that we must be careful stewards of each and every penny.
As you make decisions about charitable contributions, I hope that you will remember that the Atlas teams are working day and night for freedom around the world. Making a donation today would be a great boost to our team.
We’ve got a lot to be proud of in Atlas’s first 30 years. But there’s a lot more to accomplish. In 2011, we’re going to win some victories for liberty. I hope you’ll stand by our side as we advance this vital cause.
Sincerely,
Bradley A. Lips
Chief Executive Officer
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