As part of the Smart Bets program, partners have the chance to win the Smart Bets Impact Award and its US$25,000 prize, which is presented to the organization that achieves the greatest progress toward a better world during the 12 months of the program. At Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner 2024, American Conservation Coalition (ACC) was announced as the winner of the 2024 Smart Bets Impact Award and its US$25,000 prize for their outstanding work to advance the ideas of market environmentalism and build a movement around putting these ideas into action.
American Conservation Coalition’s plan centered around building their membership program and getting young people and students involved in local chapters, with the goal of reaching 100,000 members by 2026. As of mid-2024, they had reached 52,000 members, putting them well ahead of schedule. Their efforts have gained widespread attention, reaching 1,000 media mentions in 2023 and likely 2,000 in 2024, including in top-tier publications such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. ACC’s dedication has earned them a spot on the world stage and the opportunity to present pro-liberty, free-market approaches to environmentalism to national leaders from around the world.