RELATED LINKS

Internal Links

8,231,671 to the Atlas Economic Research Foundation

RECIPIENT PROFILE

www.atlasusa.org

EIN: 94-2763845

Atlas Economic Research Foundation

Arlington, VA 22201

[From SourceWatch.org]

The Atlas Economic Research Foundation was founded in 1981 by Antony Fisher.

For over two decades, a Virginia-based organization has been quietly working as the Johnny Appleseed of conservative think tanks. With a modest $4 million dollar budget in 2003 and a staff of eight, Atlas Economic Research Foundation is on a mission to populate the world with new "free market" voices. In its 2003 review of activities, quaintly titled its “Investor Report," Atlas boasted that it worked with “70 new think-tank entrepreneurs from 37 foreign countries and several states of the U.S.," including Lithuania, Greece, Mongolia, Ghana, the Philippines, Brazil and Argentina.

The mission of Atlas, according to John Blundell (president from 1987 to 1990), "is to litter the world with free-market think-tanks."

Named after the Greek god condemned to bear the heavens on his shoulders, Atlas identifies, screens and offers initial support to individuals and groups who want to create local think tanks. “Our ideal ‘intellectual entrepreneur,’" says Atlas, is “someone who communicates effectively with businessmen, academicians and the general public." By facilitating the establishment of local think tanks, Atlas increases both the reach and local credibility of their "free market" message, thereby having "the most cost-effective impact."

Since its formation in 1981, Atlas has funneled over $20 million in grants to think tanks that have passed its screening process. Atlas aims, it says, to “increase that amount tenfold in the next decade." In 2003, a little over $2 million of Atlas’s 2003 budget was passed on to other think-tanks. While the large conservative foundations take the approach of making large sustained and often untied grants, Atlas believes less is more, providing new think tanks with only small grants of $5,000 or less. Atlas weans their fledgling projects off this modest annual funding within five years, making exception only for specific innovative projects.

Printer friendly
sign in, or register to email profiles or comment on them.