Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Arlington, VA · EIN 94-2763845. Reported 163 grants totalling $8,391,960 to 80 organizations across tax years 2021-2025, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Atlas Economic Research Foundation, the IRS classifies it under social science rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE V22Z) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 80 distinct organizations, with 10% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 54% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 4 year-to-year transitions. That is about the 56% median for grantmaking charities -- lower than the 67% median for private foundations. It describes the organizations it already funds, not whether it would consider a new one.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $34,443. Half of what it reported fell between $22,600 and $60,000; the smallest was $6,234 and the largest $804,812. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Choice Education | Arlington, VA | $804,812 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Archbridge Institute | Washington, DC | $524,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | $405,465 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Beacon Center of Tennessee | Nashville, TN | $368,941 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Pacific Legal Foundation | Sacramento, CA | $317,395 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Students for Liberty Incorporated | Mc Lean, VA | $279,363 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives | Harrisburg, PA | $257,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Libertas Network | Lehi, UT | $236,760 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Georgia Center for Opportunity Inc | Peachtree Cor, GA | $230,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Ideas Beyond Borders Inc | New York, NY | $221,510 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Pelican Institute for Public Policy | New Orleans, LA | $198,323 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy Inc | Charleston, WV | $185,329 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Students for Liberty | Mclean, VA | $181,439 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Friends of Ufm Inc | Mclean, VA | $180,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Political Economy Research Center Inc | Bozeman, MT | $175,950 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| American Conservation Coalition Action Inc | Washington, DC | $175,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Human Rights Foundation Inc | New York, NY | $163,225 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Mackinac Center Charitable Foundation | Midland, MI | $162,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| John Locke Foundation Inc | Raleigh, NC | $147,200 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Better Cities Project | Carson City, NV | $143,734 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Ladies of Liberty Alliance | Washington, DC | $133,730 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| End It for Good Inc | Ridgeland, MS | $130,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Grassroot Institute of Hawaii Inc | Honolulu, HI | $130,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Fundacion Luis G Fortuno | San Juan, PR | $125,775 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Badger Institute Inc | Milwaukee, WI | $115,521 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Foundation for Economic Education Inc | Atlanta, GA | $110,200 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Barry Goldwater Institute for Public Policy Research | Phoenix, AZ | $110,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Sutherland Institute | Salt Lake Cty, UT | $110,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Economic Fundamentals Initiative Inc | Newark, NJ | $108,175 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Hardwired Incorporated | N Chesterfld, VA | $100,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Young Voices | Washington, DC | $90,200 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Becket Fund | Washington, DC | $90,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Illinois Policy Institute | Chicago, IL | $80,150 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Conservative Coalition for Climate Solutions | Falls Church, VA | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Platte Institute for Economic Research Inc | Omaha, NE | $80,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| The Buckeye Institute | Columbus, OH | $80,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Frontier Institute Inc | Helena, MT | $66,488 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Tax Foundation | Washington, DC | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Texas Public Policy Foundation | Austin, TX | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Yorktown Foundation for Public Policy | Salem, VA | $58,223 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| American Conservation Coalition Inc | Washington, DC | $50,453 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty | Grand Rapids, MI | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Cato Institute | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Pioneer Institute Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Future of Free Speech | Nashville, TN | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| International Society for Individual Liberty Inc | Dallas, TX | $44,225 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Center for Innovative Governance Research | Washington, DC | $37,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Free the People Fight the Power Foundation | Washington, DC | $35,050 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Cosmos Institute Inc | Austin, TX | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Project Liberal Foundation | Hendersonvlle, TN | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy | Round Hill, VA | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Instituto De Libertad Economica Para Puerto Rico Inc | San Juan, PR | $30,320 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| American Friends of the Institute of Economic Affairs | Arlington, VA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| People United for Privacy Foundation | Glendale, AZ | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Certell Inc | Huntington, WV | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Edchoice Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Georgia Public Policy Foundation Inc | Atlanta, GA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lexandria | Atlanta, GA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Liberty Justice Center | Austin, TX | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| New England Legal Foundation | Boston, MA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| World Liberty Congress Inc | New York, NY | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Opportunity Arkansas Foundation | Conway, AR | $24,770 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Americas Future Foundation | Washington, DC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions Inc | Louisville, KY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Center for Economic Accountability | Grosse Pt Wds, MI | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Grace Richardson Fund | Greensboro, NC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Khama Institute - United States | Los Angeles, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Institute for New Economic Thinking Inc | New York, NY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Bitcoin Policy Institute | Nashville, TN | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Free to Choose Network | Erie, PA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| New Intellectuals Network | Lopez, PA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Center for Independent Thought Inc | Bala Cynwyd, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Caribbean Progress Studies Institute (cpsi) - United States | Huntington Beach, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Institute for Justice | Arlington, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Let Grow Inc | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| William Marsh Rice University | Houston, TX | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Startup Societies Foundation | Salt Lake Cty, UT | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Competitive Enterprise Institute | Washington, DC | $6,234 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
43 of 80 (54%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 69 of 80 recipients we could match to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's, not ours -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22 | $943,817 | $25,517 |
| 2022 | 28 | $2,434,093 | $55,327 |
| 2023 | 31 | $1,100,160 | $30,000 |
| 2024 | 42 | $1,901,057 | $38,750 |
| 2025 | 40 | $2,012,833 | $31,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
21% of its giving went to organizations in Virginia. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $34,443 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in Virginia.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Atlas Economic Research Foundation's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Recipient classifications, the concentration and retention figures and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations from them, described in how we build this.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 40 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 4075 Wilson Blvd 310, Arlington, VA, 22203.
EIN 94-2763845 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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