ATLAS NETWORK
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW
VISION
Our vision is a free, prosperous,
and peaceful world where limited
governments defend the rule of law,
private property, and free markets.
MISSION
Our mission is to strengthen the
worldwide freedom movement by
cultivating a highly effective and
expansive network that inspires
and incentivizes all committed
individuals and organizations to
achieve lasting impact.
STRATEGY
Our overarching strategy is to
accelerate those achievements by
providing competitive opportunities
for training, support, and
international recognition.
Atlas Network is an independent,
Atlas Network is not endowed
and does not accept government
funding. All of our programs depend
upon the generosity of foundations,
individuals, and corporations.
Atlas Network has been a four-star
Charity Navigator member since
2010, is a GuideStar Exchange
Gold Participant, and was ranked in
the top 25 within eight categories
in the University of Pennsylvania’s
“2015 Global Go To Think Tank
Index Report.”
Atlas Network has been a four-star
Charity Navigator member since 2010.
Atlas Network is a GuideStar Exchange
Gold Participant.
Atlas Network’s donation payment
processor is certied to PCI Service
Provider Level 1, the most stringent
level of certication available.
Lindy Vopnfjörð performing at Liberty Forum 2015
06
A MEMO FROM THE CEO
ATLAS NETWORK: FREEDOM’S CHAMPION
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STRENGTHENING THE FOUNDATIONAL
PRINCIPLES OF A FREE SOCIETY
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FREE ENTERPRISE SECURES DIGNITY
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RULE OF LAW ABSENT IN HALF
THE WORLD
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PROPERTY RIGHTS ESSENTIAL
FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
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NEW ATLAS NETWORK PARTNERS SIGNAL
FREEDOM’S BRIGHT FUTURE
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PHOTO SPOTLIGHT: ATLAS NETWORK
FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS
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JOIN THE WORLDWIDE
FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S MOST
INSPIRATIONAL EVENTS
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THE ATLAS NETWORK TEAM
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2015 BY THE NUMBERS: METRICS AND
ANALYTICS
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2015 BY THE NUMBERS: KEY FINANCIALS
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THANK YOU TO THE SUPPORTERS OF
ATLAS NETWORK
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AN IMMENSE OPPORTUNITY: A LETTER BY
ATLAS NETWORK’S CHAIRMAN
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HOW TO CONNECT WITH ATLAS NETWORK
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JOIN THE WORLDWIDE
FREEDOM MOVEMENT
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SPECIAL FEATURE: PERIODIC TABLE OF
WORLDWIDE FREEDOM MOVEMENT
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW
6 ATLAS NETWORK
A MEMO FROM THE CEO
ATLAS NETWORK: FREEDOM’S CHAMPION
Brad Lips speaking at Freedom Dinner 2015
You and I are part of a remarkable story that is still unfolding. It is the story of history being made by persuasion, not
by force. It is the story of a network of civil society organizations — today numbering 459 independent partners in 97
countries — that make the case for freedom with scholarly research, educational programs, and creative outreach.
REMEMBERING ATLAS NETWORK FOUNDER ANTONY FISHER
The story’s origins might be traced back 100 years to the June 1915 birth of Antony Fisher, whose father would be killed
Air Force in World War II.
then, with the establishment of [what is now named Atlas Network], on a wholesale basis.” Fisher was a classical
liberal, and the organizations he founded and inspired carry on his principled commitment to free
enterprise, property rights, and limited government under the rule of law.
the progress of the global freedom movement that we are privileged to connect. This Year in Review report focuses on
IDEAS OF LIBERTY ARE HUMANITY’S BEST HOPE
All over the globe, our partners are working to popularize the ideas that provide humanity’s best hope for a future of
peace and prosperity. They draw know-how from Atlas Network’s training academy, support from our competitive grant
and prize programs, and inspiration by discovering how they are connected with a generous worldwide peer network.
Our partners work with us every year to translate the ideas of liberty into native languages, so that literate populations
throughout the world can read and understand them in their own words. In 2015, these translation efforts produced 27
editions of books in 24 languages, including Bahasa Indonesia, Punjabi, Bosnian, Russian, Thai, Vietnamese, Armenian,
Kiswahili, Portuguese, Hungarian, Nepali, Hindi, Macedonian, Croatian, Sinhalese (Sri Lanka), Oromo (Ethiopia), Serbian,
Malayalam (South India), Amharic (Ethiopia), Chichewa (Malawi), Turkish, French, Chinese, and Khmer (Cambodia).
our in-house
team of 28 and budget of $11 million.
YOUR DONATIONS ARE STRENGTHENING THE GLOBAL FREEDOM MOVEMENT
In 2015, Atlas Leadership Academy had 1,105 participants who consumed 17,879 hours of training via more than 40
unique training options. About 80 percent of this activity was done in person via regional trainings on six continents, as
of hours represents interaction with our online programs — mostly, our Think Tank Navigator online course that leads
participants through a series of assignments that result in a concrete program plan and funding pitch. I hope it’s clear
how important such exercises are. Many people are passionate about the ideas of liberty, but to become effective
leaders they must develop an array of entrepreneurial and managerial skills. Atlas Leadership Academy is the world’s
most comprehensive suite of training programs customized for our target market of freedom champions.
We get to know many of the most promising future leaders of the freedom movement through the training programs we
administer, and we can fast-track them for special attention. We establish mentorships for them with senior leaders from
the freedom movement like Clint Bolick, newly appointed Arizona Supreme Court Justice; Linda Whetstone, daughter of
Atlas Network founder Sir Antony Fisher; and Ed Feulner, co-founder and former president of the Heritage Foundation.
We encouraged Atlas Leadership Academy’s 22 mentorship participants to compete for prizes and grants that we can
offer thanks to our generous supporters.
Network is not endowed, and does not accept funds from government, so we rely on your voluntary contributions to
maintain our programs and to put funds to work with our partners who operate on the front lines of the battle of ideas. In
2015, we awarded more than $4.2 million to 181 partners in 68 countries via our 26 strategic grant and award programs.
I am extremely proud that some of the leading philanthropies that focus on fostering freedom turn to our team to
identify grantees and administer seed grants that create leverage for our movement.
Our donors understand that Atlas Network’s strategy — coaching through training programs, fostering friendly competition
via our grants and awards, and then celebrating partners’ achievements at our world-class events — inspires higher
levels of innovation and effectiveness throughout the freedom movement.
In this Year in Review, you will see how our work in 2015 has had a very real impact in the areas of rule of law, property
award programs.
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 7
8 ATLAS NETWORK
COMMUNICATING OUR STORY TO THE WORLD
Each of our grantees represents an inspiring story, and I’m very proud that Atlas Network has developed the
communications infrastructure to share these stories with a much broader audience than ever before.
responsive website includes our global partner directory with a map of our partner organizations around the world; our
calendar of partner events, which includes more than 75 upcoming events in multiple countries; and a stream of news
world. The “MyALA” section of our website allows Atlas Leadership Academy participants to customize and track their
progress toward graduation, and participate in online courses and continuing-education webinars. We host websites
in 14 languages to ensure that the ideas of liberty are available and discussed among populations that have had little
access in the past (e.g., the world’s 370 million native Hindi speakers). Our social media properties include Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter, and resulted in nearly 95,000 interactions in 2015. Our videos had more than 332,000 views in
2015.
My colleagues, especially Dr. Alex Chafuen and Dr. Tom G. Palmer, are frequently sought after to lend their expertise
to timely media stories. In 2015, we had more than 800 media appearances, including in Forbes, the Guardian, the
Washington Post, and an Associated Press story that was syndicated and featured in the New York Times, Fox News,
and Yahoo.com, among others.
Clearly, a core reason for Atlas Network’s success is that we are blessed with incredible individuals on our team whose
daily habits embody the core values we cherish at Atlas Network. The members of our Board of Directors, Advisory
Council, staff, and fellows roster are committed to our vision and bring a diverse set of experiences to help support our
partners and mission.
WORLDWIDE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S MOST INSPIRATIONAL EVENTS
Liberty Forum is simply the most inspirational event of the year for all of us in the worldwide freedom movement. This
year, we had our biggest and best event ever. We were particularly proud to feature a keynote speech by Atlas Network’s
Templeton Leadership Fellow Charles Murray, who discussed three major trends that are creating an opportunity to
reclaim “the original project of liberty as it was developed by the American founders … to allow people to live their
and Herzegovina–based Multi won for the “Balkan Liberty Fest” project proposal. Alvaro Salas won the John Blundell
Elevator Pitch Competition for his 60-second pitch about his battle of ideas for freedom in Costa Rica. We also brought
in Randy Barnett to preview his forthcoming book, Our Republican Constitution, during the third annual Liggio Lecture.
Atlas Network also presented numerous awards during Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner
Student Outreach Award to European Students for Liberty for educating the next generation of leaders in the global
liberty movement; the $10,000 Fisher International Memorial Award to Canada-based Fraser Institute for its book
What America’s Decline in Economic Freedom Means for Entrepreneurship and Prosperity; and the prestigious $100,000
Poverty, Inc.
Acton Institute’s victory was especially well deserved, because Poverty, Inc. is truly changing the conversation on the
culture of aid. It challenges viewers to question fundamental assumptions and see people in the developing world in
Year in Review
report — give me hope that our movement can continue to grow in its impact on events around the world, from local
policy battles to major international trends.
FREEDOM REQUIRES AN EXTRAORDINARY EFFORT
Still, I wonder: Are we doing enough to answer the challenges confronting us?
Thomas Jefferson told us that the natural tendency “is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.” To reverse
this ordinary tendency, we need an extraordinary effort, which is why we’re continuing to expand our programs so that
Awards in cooperation with local organizing partners. These forums support partner organizations in their desires to
learn more from each other and to accelerate the sharing of best practices through training and friendly competition
within each region.
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 9
We should not remain happy, however, with where things stand today. We have not swelled the ranks of freedom
champions enough to slow down the growth of Leviathan. It is heartening to see brave Davids in our network who are
willing to stand up to tyrannical Goliaths — from Vladimir Putin, to Xi Jinping, to Nicolás Maduro, to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
— but much more must be done if we are to play a meaningful role in shifting the course of history toward liberty.
Please review these pages with that perspective in mind.
the resolve to be our collaborator both in scaling up our current efforts and in realizing the full potential of the worldwide
freedom movement.
In liberty,
1
23
$4.2 million awarded to Atlas
Network partners thanks to
our generous supporters.
COACH! COMPETE! CELEBRATE!
Brad Lips, CEO of Atlas Network
COACH
Atlas Leadership Academy trains think
tank staff from impact case studies
about Atlas Network prize winners.
More than 1,100
people trained and
leading new efforts
to advance liberty.
COMPETE
Competitive grant and
prize programs provide
seed funding and
recognition to top projects.
CELEBRATE
Atlas Network events
and award-winning website
connect and inspire and
celebrate excellence in the
worldwide freedom movement.
A worldwide network
of 459 partners in
97 countries that is
growing in numbers
and in impact.
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157
76
The foundational principles of a free
society touch on every aspect of the
human experience, but most of them fall
into a few broad categories, including
free enterprise, property rights, and
the rule of law. Free enterprise allows
people to trade with one another,
STRENGTHENING THE FOUNDATIONAL
PRINCIPLES OF A FREE SOCIETY
10 ATLAS NETWORK
Canada
United States
Latin America & Caribbean
139
10
18
13
27
7
GLOBAL PARTNER MAP
Atlas Network has 459 independent partners in 97 countries. To see a full directory visit: AtlasNetwork.org/directory
the problems that humanity faces
and allowing people to deal with
each other through exchange for
The rule of law limits the power of
that legal systems apply equally to
all, whether or not they hold the favor
of powerful leaders. Property rights
allow people to hold scarce resources
in careful stewardship, making long-
term plans to improve their lives
and the communities in which they
live. For 35 years, Atlas Network
has bolstered these foundational
principles by supporting the work of
our independent partners, numbering
459 in 97 countries. The work they do
is changing the world, and some of
their successes are highlighted on the
following pages.
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 11
Europe & Central Asia
Middle East &
North Africa
Africa
South Asia
Australia & New Zealand
12 ATLAS NETWORK
people to trade and build businesses,
entire sections of an economy can
disappear into the shadows. The
incentive to participate in shadow
economies almost always stems
from economic restrictions on legal
economic activities, whether they
take the form of taxes or regulations.
The Lithuanian Free Market Institute
(LFMI) is focused on this critical
issue within the Baltic Sea region. In
2015, it developed a study to educate
of the region about the shadow
economies in Lithuania, Latvia,
Estonia, Belarus, Sweden, and Poland.
According to data from the study,
three in 10 people in Lithuania admit
to having friends or relatives who
have worked in shadow labor markets
BRINGING SUNLIGHT TO SHADOW ECONOMIES IN BALTIC SEA REGION
during the past year. LFMI’s proposed
solution to curb the shadow economy
is by creating a favorable legal
environment for economic activities.
LFMI has explored the economics
and policy implications of shadow
economies since 1997, and has built
a solid expertise on the topic. In large
part thanks to the policy analysis and
advocacy efforts of LFMI, Lithuania
requires that any proposed legislation
must assess and indicate its impact
on the spread of the shadow economy.
Since 2011, LFMI has also focused on
local economic regulations through
its Lithuanian Municipal Performance
Index, which won Atlas Network’s
prestigious Templeton Freedom
Award at Liberty Forum & Freedom
Dinner in 2014.
FE
FREE
ENTERPRISE
Dr. Tom G. Palmer presenting at Liberty Forum 2015
Isack Danford of the Uhuru Initiative
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 13
FREE ENTERPRISE SECURES DIGNITY
Free enterprise is the engine that brings prosperity into the world,
so defending and expanding free-market activity is central to the
global work of Atlas Network and its partners — both in countries
with long traditions of industry and market exchange, and in
developing countries that are building new economies from the
ground up.
“Free enterprise is about dignity,” said Dr. Tom G. Palmer, Atlas
Network’s executive vice president for international programs.
economic growth, either, although that’s certainly important. Free
enterprise is about respecting the dignity of ordinary people by
securing their right to engage in the most innocent of all acts:
free exchange. Free enterprise enriches the whole society, but we
should never forget that it does so precisely because it secures
our dignity.”
In places like Lithuania, Africa, India, Nepal, the United States, and
many more, Atlas Network partners are implementing an array of
local strategies to protect and broaden free enterprise.
Over the past few years, Atlas Network
has invested in several initiatives
and organizations in Africa with the
potential to educate not only the
general public, but also other sectors
of the society, including the next
generation of freedom champions.
Two examples come from Atlas
Network partners in southern Africa.
In Tanzania, the Uhuru Initiative for
Policy and Education, an organization
that has existed for less than two
years, is taking a train-the-trainer
next generation of young people
in the ideas of liberty, teaching them
how to organize events promoting
free enterprise, establish and expand
student groups, and seek out other
potential leaders for liberty. Atlas
Network has supported Uhuru since
its inception in 2014, and continues
to partner with and support its
projects focused on promoting
market solutions to Tanzania’s
socioeconomic problems. In Malawi,
the Center for Free Market Enterprise
(CFME) has successfully built
business clubs to teach people about
free trade and entrepreneurship. In
2015, one of its business clubs was a
six-week course for business-minded
prison inmates that includes training
and much more, along with practical
insights about the regulatory climate
within Malawi and wider Africa. This
allows those who have served their
time to gain a set of entrepreneurial
skills that helps them assimilate
successfully, and with more dignity,
into society upon their release. Atlas
Network is committed to supporting
organizations like these during their
critical early stages of development,
and welcomed the participation
Leadership Academy’s Think Tank
that provides information necessary
to start or improve upon a free-market
think tank.
BUILDING A NEW GENERATION OF AFRICAN FREEDOM CHAMPIONS
Isack Danford of the Uhuru Initiative
14 ATLAS NETWORK
Despite having the world’s third-
largest and fastest-growing market
for alcoholic beverages, India makes
and foreign alcohol producers. A
study by India-based Centre for
Public Policy Research (CPPR),
funded by Atlas Network’s Liberating
Asian Enterprise grant, shows how
restrictive liquor policies in India have
harmed consumers and businesses.
Three states and one territory in India
already have at least partial liquor
bans in place, and black markets
in alcohol sales have proliferated
in those regions, with thousands
of illicit liquor shops springing into
business from 2007 through 2013,
especially in rural areas. CPPR’s work
creates a wide array of new problems
without solving the old ones.
To India’s north, Nepal has faced seri-
ous challenges. During the past year,
it has experienced partial economic
blockades from India and a disas-
trous earthquake from which it is still
recovering. Free enterprise would
provide innumerable options for eco-
nomically deprived residents of Nepal
to lift their way out of hardship, but
government barriers to market activ-
ity are often prohibitive. Based in the
southeast of Nepal, the organization
Bikalpa, an Alternative produced a
video in 2015 titled “Let Me Earn My
Living” (“Gari Khana Deu”), showing
how a man merely trying to earn a
modest living and support his family
with an electric rickshaw is plagued
by bureaucracy, regulatory hurdles,
corruption, and bribery solicitations.
This video was also funded by a Liber-
ating Asian Enterprise grant.
Basanta Adhikari, founder of Bi-
Samriddhi Foundation, an Atlas Net-
work partner based in Kathmandu.
Even with the hardships all around
them, Atlas Network partners like
Bikalpa and Samriddhi are working
tirelessly to rebuild a foundation of
individual liberty and free markets
in Nepal.
ELIMINATING RESTRICTIVE REGULATIONS AND UNLEASHING ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN ASIA
Government has steadily encroached
on medicine during the past
several decades. Even people who
understand that market transactions
bring us choice, quality, and lower
prices often no longer consider that
the same dynamics apply to health
U.S. PARTNERS WORKING FOR BONE MARROW FREEDOM, POVERTY ALLEVIATION, MUNICIPAL COMPETITION
care. Arlington, Va.–based Institute
in 2015 titled Everything, exploring
the devastation experienced by those
who desperately need bone marrow
could be solved simply by allowing
compensation for bone marrow
donors, which would enable free
enterprise to encourage more people
to sign up as potential donors and
government continues to block this
commonsensical approach to saving
Brad Lips (left) and Pina Templeton (right) present Kris Mauren (center) with the 2015 Templeton Freedom Award
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 15
lives. John Kramer, vice president for
communications at IJ and executive
Network’s Lights, Camera, Liberty!
program, which trains partners around
the world to tell powerful stories
up with a director, cinematographer,
and sound engineer within the Lights,
Camera, Liberty! network to produce
IJ’s touching narrative and used
the production as an opportunity to
enhance the skills of his IJ production
team so they can improve their
storytelling skills for years to come. IJ
was one of 22 partner organizations
that participated in Lights, Camera,
Liberty! in 2015. Together, these
organizations earned a combined
10.1 million views — an 8.8 million
increase over their total views in 2014.
Poverty, Inc., a documentary from
Grand Rapids, Mich.–based Acton
Institute, draws from more than 200
unearth the pervasive problems with
the global charity industry — and
shows how expanding free enterprise
does more than anything to improve
outcomes among the world’s poor.
During the 2015 Liberty Forum &
Freedom Dinner, Acton Institute’s
prestigious $100,000 Templeton
Freedom Award, which celebrates
some of the freedom movement’s
best and brightest contributions to
the promotion and understanding
of free enterprise. With its focus on
free-enterprise solutions, Poverty,
Inc. is already changing the culture of
global aid.
Reliable information about local
government policies and economic
conditions allows people to “vote
with their feet,” so Utah-based Atlas
Network partner Libertas Institute
released a new ranking that scores
cities throughout the state on their
relative levels of freedom. The
index includes 22 metrics in three
categories — free enterprise, private
property, and individual liberty —
following a methodology similar to
the one used by the Mercatus Center
at George Mason University in its
“Freedom in the 50 States” index. It
not only provides a valuable resource
for Utahns to inform themselves, it
also serves as a model for other state-
based think tanks to follow. Connor
Boyack, president of Libertas Institute,
attended Atlas Leadership Academy’s
2015 Think Tank Leadership Training.
“Many freedom-loving individuals
want to make a difference in their
community, but simply don’t know
informing Utahns as to how their city
performs on a wide range of issues
dealing with individual liberty, private
property rights, and the free market.”
These examples are only a few of the
hundreds of Atlas Network partners
throughout the world surely and
steadily advancing free enterprise
in their cities, states, and countries.
Every time they make it a little
easier for people to trade with each
other, they contribute to a brighter
global future.
Basanta Adhikari of Bikalpa
Free enterprise and the protection
of individual rights can only exist in
a society governed by a consistent
rule of law, rather than by the
arbitrary decrees of government
supplanted by the discretionary
judgments of those in power, all
freedoms are in danger.
“Almost all economists, moralists,
and social scientists stress the
importance of the rule of law for the
president of Atlas Network. “During
the ’90s, when Atlas Network began
hosting workshops on the rule of
law, we had few measurements to
assess and compare this essential
aspect of the free society, but now
we do have a number of high-quality
reports and indices prepared
by a number of very credible
organizations. And these reports
show one sobering reality: more
than half of the world does not live
under a rule of law. That is why it
is so critical that the think tank
partners in our network continue to
focus on this huge problem.”
Atlas Network partners and
programs worldwide are working to
bring a stronger rule of law to their
regions. The following examples
focus on several issues —
including, among others, issues of
monetary policy, individual rights,
government accountability, ease
of doing business, public-sector
spending, and public oversight
mechanisms.
RULE OF LAW ABSENT
IN HALF THE WORLD
RoL
RULE OF LAW
VIRAL VIDEOS EXPLAIN DANGERS OF POPULIST
GOVERNMENT IN ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires, Argentina–based Libertad y Progreso helped shape the public
“Crash Courses in Liberty”
(“Aprender Volando”) video series, which was viewed more than 6 million times
to see the outcome of this video project, because it originated from a second-
place pitch — eventually funded by competition judges — made during the 2014
Think Tank Shark Tank competition at Atlas Network’s Liberty Forum.
Atlas Network’s Sound Money Project makes the case that monetary policy
should adhere to predictable rules, and not the discretion of unaccountable
central bankers. This is a moral issue; governments’ abuse of money to serve
political ends violates the trust of the people. When money is manipulated by
over to wealthy cronies. In 2015, the Sound Money Project participated in the
Jackson Hole Summit, hosted by the American Principles Project. Held
down the road from the Federal Reserve’s annual Economic Policy Symposium,
the summit challenged Fed policies and held the central bank accountable
for its destructive effects. “I think that having a conference to bring up the
possibility that central banks are not the solution, but actually the problem in
terms of regaining real economic growth, is vitally important,” argued Atlas
Network Senior Fellow and Sound Money Project Co-Director Judy Shelton in
an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
THE POISON OF DISCRETIONARY MONETARY POLICY
IN THE UNITED STATES
16 ATLAS NETWORK
From left to right: Johannes Schmidt, Dr. William Luther, Dr. Thomas Hogan, Dr. Judy Shelton,
Dr. Alex Chafuen, and Gonzalo Schwarz
Ankara, Turkey–based Freedom Research Association has developed a study that elaborates on the
sociocultural, political, and legal history of Turkey and how these have all led to the country’s lack of
the current political climate in Turkey as “raison d’État,” loosely translated as “rule of the state” — the opposite
of the rule of law. Turkey has “a historical sociology in which the state comes before the society,” the study
concludes, and understanding this history is crucial to future reform. Freedom Research Association is
part of Atlas Network’s Think Tank Accelerator Program, designed to help new institutes make bold and
prudent choices in their early development, and is making the rule of law one its top priorities.
RULE OF LAW MISSING FROM TURKEY’S CULTURAL FOUNDATIONS
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 17
18 ATLAS NETWORK
For years, the politicians of Greece
have borrowed and spent money on
a vast scale, without accountability to
either the public or their international
creditors. Atlas Network’s May 2015
Emergency Economic Summit for
Greece in Athens brought Nobel
laureate economist Thomas Sargent
and a wide array of other experts and
it takes structural reforms seriously
— reforming runaway spending and
entitlements, eradicating cronyism
terms of its agreements. The event
was held in conjunction with Atlas
Network’s local partners, Greek
Liberties Monitor
of Greece. Both organizations have
opinion and developing ambitious
plans for Greece’s freedom in 2016.
CALLING FOR STRUCTURAL
REFORMS IN GREECE
USING GLOBAL INDICES AND RANKINGS FOR
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT
In 2015, thanks to a generous gift from the John Templeton Foundation,
Atlas Network launched a project titled “Leveraging Indices for Free
Enterprise Policy Reform,” in which 16 global partners will use reputable
international rankings or indices and then objectively assess the results of
reform. Of these projects, several focus on the critical issue of rule of law.
Three of these partner examples come from India, Bulgaria, and Malaysia.
MONITORING EASE OF DOING BUSINESS IN INDIA
India has made remarkable strides in liberalizing its economy during the
past two decades, but the country remains near last on the World Bank’s
“Ease of Doing Business 2015” index in a few crucial categories that
undermine a consistent rule of law, such as the ability to enforce contracts.
The New Delhi–based Centre for Civil Society (CCS) is focusing its work
on monitoring the ease of doing business, analyzing both the countrywide
rankings and those for individual states within India. CCS has debuted a
new website — EaseOfDoingBusiness.org — that provides a gateway to
relevant news articles and collects case studies of key issues, such as
contract enforcement; property rights for street vendors; challenges for
educational entrepreneurs; and regulatory barriers for micro, small, and
medium businesses.
REDUCING REQUIRED GOVERNMENT PROCEDURES IN BULGARIA
In Bulgaria, the Institute for Market Economics (IME), which has a 20-
year track record of successful public policy reforms, is also focused on
reducing the costs of doing business. Its current goals are to reduce the
number of procedures required to start a business and to scale back the
time necessary to start a business from 18 days to 10, along with goals
to increase property rights protections and shrink public-sector spending.
PUBLIC-SECTOR TRANSPARENCY IN MALAYSIA
the public lacks oversight mechanisms, so the Institute for Democracy
and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) in Malaysia is focused on improving public-
sector transparency. IDEAS will measure its success in political and media
outreach by aiming to improve from 50 points to 60 points on the Heritage
Foundation’s “Index of Economic Freedom,” as well as tracking open-
tender bidding for public-private partnership contracts and disclosure of
By focusing on some of the fundamental policy components of a successful
rule of law, and tying them to measurable indexed outcomes, we expect
that all 16 partners will have engaging stories to tell about how their
concrete results begin changing the lives of ordinary citizens for the better.
The “Leveraging Indices” grant program, however, is only one of the ways in
which Atlas Network is helping to protect the rule of law around the world,
Nobel laureate economist Thomas Sargent
calls for reform in Greece.
PROPERTY RIGHTS ESSENTIAL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
“Property rights are essential for human rights,” said the late investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton. This
truth is central to the work of Atlas Network and our partners throughout the world, and it is a core component of our
organizational vision.
“Every year, we look for the most entrepreneurial think tank leaders who are turning ideas into action,” said Matt Warner,
Atlas Network’s vice president of programs and institute relations. “This is particularly exciting in the area of property
When we look back on 2015, we are pleased to report that we’ve been active with our partners in both defending and
expanding property rights. From Honduras to South Africa to India, here are three examples of innovative work by Atlas
Network partners to protect and increase property rights around the world.
PR
PROPERTY
RIGHTS
BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY PROMISES TO SECURE PROPERTY
TITLES IN HONDURAS
Atlas Leadership Academy graduate Guillermo Peña Panting, with
Fundación Eléutera in Honduras, is advancing a new way to demarcate
and enforce property rights in Honduras by applying the blockchain
technology that underlies bitcoin digital currency, in order to create
encrypted, peer-to-peer land registries. His organization has partnered
with Factom, a U.S.-based open-source organization, in order to present
a new alternative to the country’s centralized land title system. The
blockchain backbone advanced by Fundación Eléutera creates a more
stable, decentralized recognition of land titles, and has attracted press
attention from The Economist and Reuters.
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 19
Tribal land villagers in India now beneting from land titles (see p. 18). Photo Credit: Mike Pandey
Guillermo Peña Panting
20 ATLAS NETWORK
“This is not rocket science,” Palmer
said. “All the way back to Aristotle,
people understood: If you can’t own
it, you won’t improve it. And now
we’re seeing on the ground that when
people gain that ownership right,
they invest. They improve, because
they want a better life, like everybody.”
Atlas Network has screened India
Awakes at several events around
the world.
Helping people regain — and, in
— their fundamental property rights
is an enormous task. Fundación
Eléutera, Free Market Foundation,
and Liberty Institute have faced this
challenge with innovative projects
that have made, and are still making,
transformative changes in the lives of
real people. Atlas Network continues
its enthusiastic support for them, and
all other partners like them throughout
the world, with Atlas Leadership
Academy training programs, dozens
of competitive grants and awards, and
opportunities to celebrate their work
— at events, on our award-winning
website, and in our highly regarded
World10 email newsletter.
Barun Mitra, founder and director of
Liberty Institute in India, has played
an important role in securing property
rights for people living on tribal lands.
They were able to demonstrate
their property claims with Liberty
Institute’s help, through the use of
innovative satellite and GPS mapping
technology. Their newfound property
ownership allows them to build a
better future on land they can call
their own. Dr. Tom G. Palmer, Atlas
Network’s executive vice president
for international programs, has made
hundreds of trips around the world
spreading the ideas of liberty and
bolstering the work of our international
partners, but one particularly special
trip was when he participated in
India Awakes,
released in 2015. Produced by Free
To Choose Network, India Awakes
explores the story of how a country
mired in poverty for hundreds of years
has seen a dramatic change of course
includes Palmer explaining some key
economic concepts and historical
episodes, and features a moving
segment about Liberty Institute’s work
securing land titles for tribal villagers.
RESTORING TRIBAL LAND RIGHTS IN INDIA WITH GPS MAPPING
Eustace Davie, a director of the
Free Market Foundation (FMF) in
South Africa, has been busy with his
organization’s project to obtain home
ownership for black South Africans
who had long been denied those rights
under the country’s apartheid regime.
HOME OWNERSHIP FOR SOUTH AFRICA’S GENERATIONAL APARTHEID VICTIMS
Many of these people are still unable
land titling bureaucracy on their own.
FMF’s “Khaya Lam” (“My House”)
project has converted nearly 1,200
houses so far to freehold title status,
results so impressive that the project
was a
2015 Templeton Freedom Award.
One noteworthy new title holder from
the Khaya Lam project is Mrs. Maria
Mothupi, who was 99 years old when
she began living there in 1982. Davie
reported recently that Mrs. Mothupi
has celebrated her 100th birthday —
such a celebration in her own home.
“I can sleep well now,” she said. She
knew at last that she would have an
asset she could pass on to her family
— something she had not previously
had the legal right to do.
Mrs. Maria Mothupi
Barun Mitra
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 21
CREATING A CLIMATE OF IDEAS IN UKRAINE
Bendukidze Free Market Center, Kiev, Ukraine
Center recently launched with the goal of establishing a climate of ideas that
is in serious peril,” said Dr. Tom G. Palmer, Atlas Network’s executive vice
president for international programs. “If they don’t get basic policies right
and create the framework for a wealth-creating economy and a law-governed
limited state, they will lose everything. It was an honor for me to be involved
in the launch of the Bendukidze Free Market Center. They’re providing
evidence-based research, spearheading serious reforms, and explaining those
Bendukidze, who was a giant of the freedom movement and who transformed
the Republic of Georgia. He was committed to helping Ukraine until his death
in November 2014.
In 2015, Atlas Network added 42 new independent partners in 25 countries. Some of these partners are starting a
freedom movement from scratch, some are rebooting previous efforts, and still others are addressing critical
issues with new and innovative approaches. Highlights of these new partners in 2015 include the Ukraine-based
Bendukidze Free Market Center, London-based Big Brother Watch, and the Jakarta, Indonesia–based Center for
Indonesian Policy Studies.
NEW ATLAS NETWORK PARTNERS SIGNAL FREEDOM’S BRIGHT FUTURE
Yuliya Tychkivska
NEW PARTNERS
NP
Kiev, Ukraine
22 ATLAS NETWORK
SURVEILLANCE REFORM IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Big Brother Watch,London, England
citizens, but few of us really understand what that means. Big Brother Watch works to
raise awareness about the implications the connected society has on our privacy, freedom,
intersection of privacy and government, so Big Brother Watch works toward “exposing the
true scale of the surveillance state by challenging the policies which threaten our privacy,
our freedoms and our civil liberties.” As part of this mission, it aims to educate people both
in the United Kingdom and throughout the rest of the world, encouraging more control over
that cover the basics of privacy and surveillance as they relate to several different policy and
technology topics like email safety, web tracking, password safety, geo-tagging, drones, and
corner of the world. We hope that our work here can encourage everyone, everywhere.”
Sam Bowman of the Adam Smith Institute (left) and Renate Samson of Big Brother Watch (right) after
completing Think Tank MBA.
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 23
LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDONESIA’S POOR AND WORKING CLASS
Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS), Jakarta, Indonesia — As Indonesia pursues a wide range of social and
economic reforms, a new think tank based in Jakarta, the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS), will support the
ideas of individual freedom and an open society. Launched in early 2015 by Indonesian Competition Commission member
Saidah Sakwan and Atlas Network Senior Fellow Rainer Heufers, CIPS will combat conservatism and protectionism by
providing support for freedom through policies that are based on the belief that only civil, political, and economic liberty
allows Indonesia to prosper. “Indonesia is a liberal democracy with the largest Muslim majority in the world,” Heufers
explained. “Millions of Indonesians have managed to escape poverty but millions more remain impoverished. Their fate
depends on their individual freedom to use opportunities created by an open society. CIPS advocates for policy reforms
that provide these opportunities. Our mantra: Be Human, Be Relevant!” Heufers is the lead facilitator in Atlas Leadership
Academy’s Think Tank MBA program, where he has provided guidance to intellectual entrepreneurs for the past eight
years. CIPS focuses on issues such as property rights reform that would reduce deforestation, trade liberalization that
creates livelihood opportunities for the poor, freedom for migrant workers that would foster inclusive development,
participated in Research Methods School, a program organized jointly by Atlas Leadership Academy and Center for
Public Policy Research in Kochi, India, designed to propagate best practices in rigorous analysis.
Atlas Network’s Cindy Cerquitella and Stephanie Lips visit a low-cost private school in Indonesia.
Anthea Haryoko of CIPS
24 ATLAS NETWORK
1. Charles Murray, Dr. Alex Chafuen
2. Christiane & Jean-Claude Gruffat, Al Canata
3. Lee & Alexandra Benham
4. Debbi Gibbs, Doug Schmidt, Kendra Okonski, Julian Morris
5. Ramon Paralleda, Stephanie Lips
6. Templeton Leadership Fellow Emeritus Mario Vargas Llosa
(center) with Lindy Vopnfjörð and Michel Kelly-Gagnon
1. 2.
PHOTO SPOTLIGHT:
ATLAS NETWORK FRIENDS
AND SUPPORTERS
3. 4.
5. 6.
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 25
7. Lawson & Cynthia Bader
8. Wayne Olson, Caitlin Long
9. Dhananath Fernando, Linda Whetstone, Christian-Aimé
Chofor Che, Alex Njeru
10. Gerry Ohrstrom wins live auction of Leonard Liggio’s
rst edition Atlas Shrugged
11. Peter Flinch, Martin Ågerup
12. Kristina Crane, Mary Crane
7. 8.
9. 10.
11. 12.
26 ATLAS NETWORK
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. 7.
8.
1. Nancy Cerasuolo, John Cerasuolo, Valerie
Cerasuolo
2. Kathryn Washburn, Chip Mellor, Debbi Gibbs
3. Cici Wilkinson, Marlene Mieske
4. Robert Boyd, George & Marilyn Pearson
5. Kris Mauren of Acton Institute (center) is awarded the 2015
Templeton Freedom Award byBradLips and Pina Templeton
6. Vicky Hughes, Heather Higgins
7. Daniel Anthony, Corinne Sauer, Brittany Cobb, Frayda Levy
8. Terry & Matt Kibbe, Roberta Herzberg, Julie Smith, Dinny
Fitzpatrick
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 27
9.
10. 11.
12.
14.
15.
16.
9. Gerry Ohrstrom, Chuck Albers,BradLips, Clark Ruper,
Nikos Monoyios, Alexander Skouras
10. Luis & Helena Ball
11. Bill Cobb, Chris Hollinger
12. Think Tank Shark Tank judges Dan Grossman, Ron
Manners, Don Smith, Terry Kibbe
13. Ethelmae Humphreys
14. Gonzalo Schwarz, Ignacio Ibáñez Ferrándiz, Armando
Regil, Chesterton Cobb, Brittany Cobb
15. Julie Smith, Melissa Mann, Stephanie Lips
16. Peter Goettler opens the 2015 Asia Liberty Forum
in Nepal
13.
1.
2. 3.
4. 5.
28 ATLAS NETWORK
1. Randy Barnett delivers the 2015 Liggio Lecture
2. Yuliya Tychkivska, Ron Manners
3. Kris Mauren accepts the 2015 Templeton Freedom Award
on behalf of Acton Institute
4. Linda Whetstone, Tim Browne
5. Robert Anthony Peters, Corey Hubbard, Pedro Serra
6. 7.
8.
6. John Kunze, Amos Schorr
7. Dr. Tom G. Palmer, Julie Planck, Chuck Albers
8. Templeton Leadership Fellow, Charles Murray, gives
keynote address at Freedom Dinner
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 29
JOIN THE WORLDWIDE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S MOST INSPIRATIONAL EVENTS
Join Atlas Network and its partners from around the globe for the worldwide freedom movement’s most inspirational
events of the year. In 2016 Liberty Forum will be held in Miami, Fla., and Freedom Dinner will be held in New York City.
RSVP, sponsor, or learn more at: AtlasNetwork.org/Events
LIBERTY FORUM 2016
MIAMI, FLA. — SEPT. 24–25, 2016
Liberty Forum is a two-day conference that brings together
most promising leaders. In 2016, Liberty Forum is being
held in Miami, Fla., immediately following the biannual
General Meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society.
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
• Emmy Award–winner John Stossel
• Dr. Lawrence White presenting the fourth annual
Liggio Lecture
• The Lights, Camera, Liberty! Film Festival
• Announcement of the nalists of the prestigious
$100,000 Templeton Freedom Award
• Un-Conference — hands-on sessions to workshop the
latest campaigns for liberty from around the world
• The John Blundell Elevator Pitch Competition
• And much more!
Sept. 24–25, 2016
InterContinental Miami
100 Chopin Plaza
Miami, FL 33131
RSVP, sponsor, or learn more at:
AtlasNetwork.org/libertyforum
30 ATLAS NETWORK
FREEDOM DINNER 2016
NEW YORK CITY – NOV. 10, 2016
Freedom Dinner is a gala celebration of the worldwide
freedom movement’s most important achievements,
featuring the announcement of the prestigious $100,000
Templeton Freedom Award. This year’s Freedom Dinner
— again held in Manhattan’s legendary Capitale, designed
by Stanford White — will also include the 2016 Think Tank
Shark Tank Competition and Toasts to Freedom by top
Atlas Network partners from around the world.
Freedom Dinner will follow a special daytime program at
New York City’s Princeton Club, featuring National Review
Policy Consequences of the 2016 Elections.”
Nov. 10, 2016
Capitale
130 Bowery
New York, NY, 10013
The Princeton Club of New York
15 W 43rd St.
New York, NY 10036
RSVP, sponsor, or learn more at:
AtlasNetwork.org/freedomdinner
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 31
ATLAS NETWORK STAFF
Chantilly Alberti, Development and
Events Associate
Reza Ansari, Outreach and Persian
Programs Manager
Daniel Anthony, Vice President of
Marketing and Communications
Cindy Cerquitella, Director of Atlas
Leadership Academy
Alejandro “Alex” A. Chafuen, Ph.D.,
President
Erwin Chaloupka, Economic Policy
Associate for Central and Eastern
Europe
Brittany Cobb, Development and
Events Manager
Grace Courter, Marketing and
Communications Manager
Kristina Crane, Operations Manager
Eric D. Dixon, Editor
Harry Kalsted, Operations Associate
Stephanie Lips, Director of Outreach
Laura Liu, Economic and Trade Policy
Advisor
Rómulo López, Director of Finance
Elisa Martins, Associate Director of
Programs
Nicholas Miller, Development and
Events Associate
Dr. Tom G. Palmer, Executive Vice
President for International Programs
Casey Pifer, Institute Relations and
Programs Associate
Katherine Price, Development
Associate
Clark Ruper, Director of Development
Chelsea Schick, Associate Director of
Development and Events
Johannes Schmidt, Sound Money
Project Editor / Grants and Awards
Associate
Gonzalo Schwarz, Director of
Strategic Initiatives
Alexander Skouras, Associate
Director of Institute Relations
Matt Warner, Vice President of
Programs and Institute Relations
Mariana Zepeda, Research Associate
and Assistant to the President
ATLAS NETWORK
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Luis Henrique Ball
Scott Barbee, Treasurer
Timothy Browne
Alejandro “Alex” A. Chafuen, Ph.D.
Debbi Gibbs
Peter Goettler
Dan Grossman, Chairman
Nikolaos Monoyios
Gerry Ohrstrom
George Pearson
Andrea Millen Rich
Rene Scull
Kathryn Washburn
Linda Whetstone, Vice Chairman
Ambassador Curtin Winsor, Jr.
* William Sumner, Board Member
Emeritus
ATLAS NETWORK
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Charles Albers
Robert Boyd
John Cerasuolo
Derwood Chase
Stuart Chase
Barry Conner
Sam Corcos
John Dalsheim
Sean Fieler
Dan Gressel
Pamela Hoiles
Nicolas Ibañez
Bob Jefferies
Leo Kayser, III
Jeffrey Kofsky
Warren Lammert, III
Ron Manners
Oscar Garcia Mendoza
Alberto Mestre
Luis Pérez
Nadine Prah
Jed Sunden
Lauren Templeton
Jon Basil Utley
Mariela Vicini
Vann Walke
Shari Williams
ATLAS NETWORK FELLOWS
George Ayittey, Ph.D., Fellow
Nicolás Cachanosky, Ph.D., Sound
Money Project Fellow
William Dennis, Senior Fellow
Rainer Heufers, Think Tank MBA
Senior Fellow
Jerry L. Jordan, Sound Money Project
Senior Fellow
Michel Kelly-Gagnon, Dobson-
Lengvari Fellow
Casey Lartigue, Jr., Asia Outreach
Fellow
Mario Vargas Llosa, Templeton
Leadership Fellow Emeritus
William J. Luther, Ph.D., Sound Money
Project Fellow
Deroy Murdock, Senior Fellow
Charles Murray, 2015 Templeton
Leadership Fellow
Alexander William Salter, Sound
Money Project Fellow
Judy Shelton, Ph.D., Sound Money
Project Co-Director and Atlas
Network Senior Fellow
Robin Sitoula, Senior
Program Advisor
THE ATLAS NETWORK TEAM
32 ATLAS NETWORK
2015 BY THE NUMBERS: METRICS AND ANALYTICS
TOTAL :
GRANTS: $4,054,969
AWARDS: $175,750
G
R
A
N
T
S
&
A
W
A
R
D
S
$4,230,719
1
8
1
P
A
R
T
N
E
R
S
|
6
8
C
O
U
N
T
R
I
E
S
97 COUNTRIES
459 INDEPENDENT PARTNERS
HOURS OF
TRAINING
UNIQUE
TRAINING
OPTIONS
GRADUATES
1,105
INDIVIDUALS
TRAINED
17,879
32
ATLAS
LEADERSHIP
ACADEMY
40
45 EVENTS
OVERALL ATTENDANCE: 2,833
ATLAS NETWORK PUBLISHED
364 PARTNER NEW UPDATES
AND ANALYSES IN 2015
545,814
215,067
WEB SESSIONS
2014 VS
2015
SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTIONS
SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIENCE SIZE
53,600
94,649
2015
49,379
57,614
MARKETING &
COMMUNICATIONS
ATLAS NETWORK
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 33
2015 BY THE NUMBERS: METRICS AND ANALYTICS
TOTAL :
GRANTS: $4,054,969
AWARDS: $175,750
G
R
A
N
T
S
&
A
W
A
R
D
S
$4,230,719
1
8
1
P
A
R
T
N
E
R
S
|
6
8
C
O
U
N
T
R
I
E
S
97 COUNTRIES
459 INDEPENDENT PARTNERS
HOURS OF
TRAINING
UNIQUE
TRAINING
OPTIONS
GRADUATES
1,105
INDIVIDUALS
TRAINED
17,879
32
ATLAS
LEADERSHIP
ACADEMY
40
45 EVENTS
OVERALL ATTENDANCE: 2,833
ATLAS NETWORK PUBLISHED
364 PARTNER NEW UPDATES
AND ANALYSES IN 2015
545,814
215,067
WEB SESSIONS
2014 VS
2015
SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTIONS
SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIENCE SIZE
53,600
94,649
2015
49,379
57,614
MARKETING &
COMMUNICATIONS
ATLAS NETWORK
34 ATLAS NETWORK
2015 BY THE NUMBERS: KEY FINANCIALS
Individuals 5,448,981
Foundations 5,157,131
Corporations 721,404
Other Income 6,675
Total Revenue $11,334,191
2015 REVENUE
Programs 9,772,649
Management 361,035
Development 907,545
Total Expenses $11,041,229
2015 EXPENSES
Cash and Equivalents 2,521,661
Pledges and Receivables 3,606,052
Other Assets 254,767
Liabilities (103,392)
Net assets $6,279,088
2015 ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
2,000,000
4,000,000
6,000,000
8,000,000
10,000,000
$12,000,000
Revenue Expenses
GROWTH 1995-2015
Using 3 year trailing averages
201520142013201220112010200920082007200620052004200320022001200019991998199719961995
3%
8%
89%
Administrative Expenses
Fundraising Expenses
Programs and Grants
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 35
THANK YOU TO THE SUPPORTERS OF ATLAS NETWORK
CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE
Luis H. Ball
Scott and Vanessa Barbee
Beach Foundation
The Bodman Foundation
The Lynde and Harry Bradley
Foundation
Bruni Foundation
Chase Foundation of Virginia
Ravenel and Beth Curry
Arthur Dantchik
The John Dobson Foundation
Earhart Foundation
Peter and Cynthia Goettler
Google
Dan Grossman
Philip Harvey
Lotte and John Hecht Memorial
Foundation
J.P. Humphreys Foundation
John P. Kayser
Krieble Foundation
George and Inez Lengvari
Frayda and Ken Levy
Lilly Endowment, Inc.
The Lowndes Foundation
Meyer Charitable Foundation
The Modzelewski Charitable Trust
The Valerie Brackett and Nikolaos
Monoyios Charitable Fund
Montreal Economic Institute
Gerry Ohrstrom
Borut and Nadine Prah
Ronald Rankin
Reams Foundation
Rising Tide Foundation
Chris and Melodie Rufer
Sarah Scaife Foundation
Smith Family Foundation
Thomas W. Smith Foundation
Sunmark Foundation
John Templeton Foundation
Templeton Religion Trust
Jeff and Janine Yass
George M. Yeager
Fred and Sandra Young
HAYEK CLUB
Boatner Reily Family Fund
The Blue Oak Charitable Fund
British American Tobacco
Mrs. William H. Clark
Bryant and Linda Edwards
Bob and Sandy Gelfond
Alan Gibbs
Debbi Gibbs
Neal Goldman and Marlene Mieske
Pierre F. and Enid Goodrich
Foundation
Steve and Lana Hardy
Paul Isaac
Charles and Ann Johnson Foundation
John Kunze
Warren Lammert
Ron Manners
Nestlé S.A.
George and Marilyn Pearson
Lovett and Ruth Peters Foundation
John William Pope Foundation
Redmond Mills Trust
Andrea and Howard Rich
Grace Jones Richardson Trust
Roe Foundation
William O. Sumner
Jeff Van Dyke
Kathryn Washburn
BENEFACTOR’S CLUB
Charles Albers
Christine Blundell
John Cerasuolo
Beverly Danielson
Robert Donaldson
Todd and Erin Farha
Free to Choose Network
Oscar Garcia Mendoza
Garvey Kansas Foundation
Daniel Gressel
Heritage Foundation
Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable
Foundation
Pamela Hoiles
J.C. Huizenga
Michael L. Keiser
William Lannin
Jay and Sally Lapeyre
Alexander MacN. Luke
Paul Magnuson
Alberto Mestre
John H. Quinn
Robert P. Rotella Foundation
Rene Scull
Kurt Schuler
Judy Shelton
State Policy Network
Harvey Templeton, III
Rebecca Templeton
Jon Basil Utley
Maria Elena Vicini
Von Ehr Foundation
Vann Walke
Cynthia Kossman Wilkinson
Ambassador Curtin and Ann Winsor
ATLAS CLUB
John Aglialoro
K. Tucker Andersen
Bill Armistead
Cornelius Bates
Jean Boggs
Thomas Boucher
Elizabeth Bryden
Matthew Brown
Tim and Denyse Browne
William W. Caruth, III
Alejandro “Alex” A. Chafuen, Ph.D.
John Chisholm
36 ATLAS NETWORK
ATLAS CLUB cont.
George E. Coleman, Jr. Foundation
Community Foundation of Western
Nevada
Giovanna Cugnasca
John Dalsheim
William C. Dennis
Brant Dever
Robert S. Dinsmore
DonorsTrust
Jason Dorsett
Gerald Fickenscher
Ann C. Fitzgerald
Peter Flinch
Foundation for Economic Education
The Friedman Foundation for
Educational Choice, Inc.
Fund for American Studies
Fundación para el Progreso
Henry Gailliot
Bruce and Aphrodite Garrison
Robert W. Garthwait
Douglas Ginsburg and Deecy Gray
Kathy Gornik
Robert Graham
Dolores Grande
Jean-Claude Gruffat
David Hait
William Hall
David Hoffman
Christopher Hollinger
Gerald J. Hommes
Kenneth Howlett
John Hughes
David Hutzelman
Institute of Public Affairs
IPM India Wholesale Trading
John Irwin, III
Thomas Campbell Jackson
Lawrence Janesky
Gordon and Frances Johnson
Leo Kayser
Frank Kinn
Will W. Kopf
Richard J. Kossman
Barbara Kronewitter
Robert H. and Anita Q.
Lawe Foundation
John Lillard
John and Anne Lindl
Brad and Stephanie Lips
Thomas Lips
James and Bette Lordeman
Eric Magnuson
Bruce Mandell
Kris and Joni Mauren
Patrick McAdaragh
Bob and Nancy McIntosh
Allan H. Meltzer
Harry Messenheimer
Anthony and Susan Morris
Dr. Terrence Morton
George and Julie Mosher
Jane and Wiley Mossy
Birch Mullins
Navios Ship Management
The Honorable Daniel Oliver
Wilfred Olschewski
Wayne Olson and Sandra Miller
Luis Perez
Marjorie Peters
Robert Poole
Bonne Posma
Daniel Potter
Lewis and Martha Randall
Skip and Camille Rankin
Richard Rapaport
Reid Family Foundation
Richard Relph
Gary Roewe
Donald Rumsfeld Foundation
Justine and William Russell
Colby Sandlian
Stilla T. Schmidt
Reid F. Schindler
Charles Sears
David Shellenberger
William Siegel
Mark Smith
Binky Peters Stephenson Strom
Marshall Stocker
Harry Teasley
top dog TM
Kristine Trainor
Unión de Cervecerías Peruanas
Richard Wallace
Kerry Welsh
Linda Whetstone
Dr. James Whitaker
Lawrence H. White
Joseph Woodford
Richard. A. Young
FISHER LEGACY
SOCIETY BEQUEST
Charles Albers
John* and Christine Blundell
Dorian Fisher*
Debbi Gibbs
Dan Grossman
Thor Halvorssen
George L. Hesse*
Bruce Jacobs*
David Keyston
Brad and Stephanie Lips
Ron Manners
Dr. Tom G. Palmer
George Pearson
Robert Poole
Vida Ribnikar*
Jan E.G. Smit*
William O. Sumner
Kenny Tan
Will Wohler
* deceased
THANK YOU TO THE SUPPORTERS OF ATLAS NETWORK
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 37
Dear Atlas Network supporters,
This September, I plan to step down from the chairmanship of the Atlas Network Board of Directors.
As a board, our role is to represent our donors.We want to ensure that your investment is a good one.Throughout its
history, Atlas Network has served an important mission, by leveraging the talents of its team to build and strengthen
the worldwide freedom movement.In recent years, I have been pleased to see Atlas Network take additional strides in
professionalizing how it allocates its resources — in grants, training, and other programs.
Our goal is for every dollar of donor support to be used in a way that advances the Atlas Network mission most
effectively.This is difcult to accomplish across time, geography, and multiple types of programs.How are we to
measure whether a dollar spent giving a grant to a think tank in Asia in 2016 is more or less valuable than the same
dollar spent on a training program in Africa in 2017?Although for-prot entities are never perfect, they ultimately receive
market signals that let them know whether they are investing wisely or ineffectively.Atlas Network, on the other hand,
as a non-prot entity without those signals, must nd other methods to guide us.
This process is far from ideal, but the Atlas Network team intensely focuses on improving its operations. As a result, it
grows closer to the goal of using resources in the most effective ways possible.
This Year in Review summarizes highlights from our work in 2015. I am proud of what has been achieved in the areas
of rule of law, property rights, and the overall advancement of free enterprise.Speaking to you as a board member and
fellow donor, however, I add that we should not be satised.
The world has many problems, but there is also immense opportunity:to spread freedom where it does not exist; to
defeat tyrants who enslave their own people; to expand liberty where it is tenuous; and to expand liberty where it has
been established.
After I step down from chairing our Board of Directors, I will remain active as an Atlas Network board member,
representing our donors’ interests in seeing their nancial support achieve the greatest possible impact.
I also encourage you, as a fellow donor, to reect on how Atlas Network and other groups you support might continue
to improve their effectiveness, and how you might align your own charitable giving to best advance freedom.
Thank you.
37 ATLAS NETWORK
AN IMMENSE OPPORTUNITY:
A LETTER BY ATLAS NETWORK’S CHAIRMAN
Dan Grossman
Chairman of the Board, Atlas Network
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 39
JOIN THE WORLDWIDE
FREEDOM MOVEMENT
Join the movement to advance a free,
prosperous, and peaceful world where
limited governments defend the rule of
law, private property, and free markets.
Stay informed — Join a growing global
community that gets their news and
updates on the worldwide freedom
movement from Atlas Network through
World10, the freedom movement’s only
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AtlasNetwork.org/world10
Support the vision — Your gift will be
highly leveraged and will help Atlas
Network cultivate a highly effective
and expansive global network of in-
dependent partners committed to ad-
vancing our shared vision. Make your
tax-deductible gift today at:
AtlasNetwork.org/donate
Partner with Atlas Network — Do you
know any pro-liberty individuals or
organizations that should be part of
Atlas Network? Let us know about
them at:
AtlasNetwork.org/how-we-can-help
Attend an event — With hundreds of
freedom events all around world there
is something just right for you. Check
out the Global Calendar of Events at:
AtlasNetwork.org/events
Check out the Periodic Table of the
Worldwide Freedom Movement on the
following pages! Inspired by the Periodic
Table of Elements, this design highlights
all the partner stories represented in
this edition of Atlas Network’s Year in
Review. If you would like a poster-sized
version of this, please email
40 ATLAS NETWORK
PERIODIC TABLE OF THE WORLDWIDE FREEDOM MOVEMENT
FE
FREE
ENTERPRISE
RoL
RULE OF LAW
PR
PROPERTY
RIGHTS
01 Lithuanian Free Market Institute – Lithuania
02 Center for Free Market Enterprise – Malawi
03 Bikalpa, an Alternative – Nepal
04 Uhuru Initiative for Policy and Education – Tanzania
05 Centre for Public Policy Research – India
06 Samriddhi Foundation – Nepal
07 Institute for Justice – Arlington, Va.
08 Acton Institute – Grand Rapids, Mich.
09 Libertas Institute – Lehi, Utah
10 Libertad y Progreso – Argentina
11 Freedom Research Association – Turkey
12 Sound Money Project – Washington, D.C.
13 Emergency Economic Summit for Greece – Greece
14 Centre for Civil Society – India
15 Institute for Market Economics – Bulgaria
16 Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs – Malaysia
17 Fundación Eléutera – Honduras
18 Free Market Foundation – South Africa
19 Liberty Institute – India
20 Bendukidze Free Market Center – Ukraine
21 Big Brother Watch – United Kingdom
22 Center for Indonesian Policy Studies – Indonesia
Ses
SHADOW
ECONOMY
SOLUTIONS
01
Ms
MARKET
SOLUTIONS
04
Pt
PRISONER
TRAINING
02
Bf
BUSINESS
FREEDOM
05
Ue
UNLEASHING
ENTREPRE-
NEURSHIP
03
Rf
REBUILDING
FOR FREEDOM
06
Bmf
BONE MARROW
FREEDOM
07
Fc
FREEST CITIES
09
Pa
POVERTY
ALLEVIATION
08
Ccl
CRASH
COURSES
IN LIBERTY
10
Pir
PLURALISM
AND INDIVIDUAL
RIGHTS
11
Mf
MONETARY
FREEDOM
12
Sr
STRUCTURAL
REFORMS
13
Ce
CONTRACT
ENFORCEMENT
14
Br
BUREAUCRACY
REDUCTION
15
Otb
OPEN-TENDER
BIDDING
16
Bt
BLOCKCHAIN
TECHNOLOGY
17
Ho
HOME
OWNERSHIP
18
Sm
SATELLITE
MAPPING
19
Ci
CLIMATE
OF IDEAS
20
NP
NEW PARTNERS
AN
ATLAS
NETWORK
459
FREEDOM’S CHAMPION
INDEPENDENT PARTNERS
97
COUNTRIES
42 NEW PARTNERS
IN 25 COUNTRIES IN 2015
Sr
SURVEILLANCE
REFORM
21
Ep
ESCAPING
POVERTY
22
AtlasNetwork.org
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW 41
PERIODIC TABLE OF THE WORLDWIDE FREEDOM MOVEMENT
FE
FREE
ENTERPRISE
RoL
RULE OF LAW
PR
PROPERTY
RIGHTS
01 Lithuanian Free Market Institute – Lithuania
02 Center for Free Market Enterprise – Malawi
03 Bikalpa, an Alternative – Nepal
04 Uhuru Initiative for Policy and Education – Tanzania
05 Centre for Public Policy Research – India
06 Samriddhi Foundation – Nepal
07 Institute for Justice – Arlington, Va.
08 Acton Institute – Grand Rapids, Mich.
09 Libertas Institute – Lehi, Utah
10 Libertad y Progreso – Argentina
11 Freedom Research Association – Turkey
12 Sound Money Project – Washington, D.C.
13 Emergency Economic Summit for Greece – Greece
14 Centre for Civil Society – India
15 Institute for Market Economics – Bulgaria
16 Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs – Malaysia
17 Fundación Eléutera – Honduras
18 Free Market Foundation – South Africa
19 Liberty Institute – India
20 Bendukidze Free Market Center – Ukraine
21 Big Brother Watch – United Kingdom
22 Center for Indonesian Policy Studies – Indonesia
Ses
SHADOW
ECONOMY
SOLUTIONS
01
Ms
MARKET
SOLUTIONS
04
Pt
PRISONER
TRAINING
02
Bf
BUSINESS
FREEDOM
05
Ue
UNLEASHING
ENTREPRE-
NEURSHIP
03
Rf
REBUILDING
FOR FREEDOM
06
Bmf
BONE MARROW
FREEDOM
07
Fc
FREEST CITIES
09
Pa
POVERTY
ALLEVIATION
08
Ccl
CRASH
COURSES
IN LIBERTY
10
Pir
PLURALISM
AND INDIVIDUAL
RIGHTS
11
Mf
MONETARY
FREEDOM
12
Sr
STRUCTURAL
REFORMS
13
Ce
CONTRACT
ENFORCEMENT
14
Br
BUREAUCRACY
REDUCTION
15
Otb
OPEN-TENDER
BIDDING
16
Bt
BLOCKCHAIN
TECHNOLOGY
17
Ho
HOME
OWNERSHIP
18
Sm
SATELLITE
MAPPING
19
Ci
CLIMATE
OF IDEAS
20
NP
NEW PARTNERS
AN
ATLAS
NETWORK
459
FREEDOM’S CHAMPION
INDEPENDENT PARTNERS
97
COUNTRIES
42 NEW PARTNERS
IN 25 COUNTRIES IN 2015
Sr
SURVEILLANCE
REFORM
21
Ep
ESCAPING
POVERTY
22
AtlasNetwork.org
Special thanks to Judd Weiss for use of several of the
photos included in this Year in Review.
