Prestigious three-year grant will fuel FEE seminars and fellowships for the next generation of liberty leaders.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATLANTA, GA — The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) is honored to announce that the John Templeton Foundation has awarded a $1.5 million grant to support FEE’s Liberty Pipeline initiative.
Beginning September 1, 2025, this prestigious three-year grant will accelerate FEE’s most transformative programs, our seminars and fellowships, creating a structured path to develop intellectual leaders and professionals who can drive forward innovation and leadership in liberty and economics.
Building the New Liberty Pipeline
In recent years, liberty-oriented organizations have relied too heavily on passive online content. While this approach has spread awareness, it has not given young people the depth of understanding needed to articulate and defend free-market ideas effectively. The result has been content consumers, not lifelong advocates for liberty.
The effects are clear: a talent gap in the liberty space has left free-market think tanks struggling to find quality candidates. The liberty pipeline is broken.
FEE’s bold strategy, Building the New Liberty Pipeline, addresses this challenge head-on. In his book Elements of Libertarian Leadership, FEE founder Leonard E. Read argued that meaningful change begins with a small minority possessing “depth of understanding, strength of conviction, and power of attractive exposition.”
Through the five stages of the Liberty Pipeline, FEE transforms curiosity into conviction:
- Online Engagement: Reaching millions and sparking curiosity.
- Dynamic Outreach: Classroom programs, teacher training, and reimagining K-12 education.
- Knowledge Expansion: In-depth analysis, extensive digital library, and AI tools.
- Transformative Experiences: In-person seminars and life-changing events.
- Sustained Empowerment: Training and mentorship for future leaders.
FEE Seminars and Fellowships
At the heart of this initiative are in-person events making a real impact in real lives. Since 1953, FEE’s multi-day seminars have shaped countless young minds into liberty leaders. These experiences offer an immersive learning experience through lectures, discussions, and hands-on exercises, as well as opportunities to form lasting connections with like-minded peers. And now, after a six-year hiatus, FEE seminars are back and stronger than ever.
In summer 2025, FEE relaunched our seminars and hosted our first-ever hackathon, bringing together over 120 American and international students for a total of 10 impactful days. They heard from world-class speakers, wrote essays, used AI tools to solve real-world problems, engaged in debate, and learned how the power of free markets leads to human flourishing.
“It was one of the most intense and inspiring weeks of my life,” said Kayleigh Nina Pacheco Flores, a recent seminar attendee. “Each student brought a story, a vision, a fire. And in that diversity, I found clarity about the world I want to help shape.”
Graduates of FEE’s seminars are invited to dive deeper into the Liberty Pipeline, progressing from Transformative Experiences to Sustained Empowerment. After a rigorous application process, students accepted into the FEE Fellowship program receive structured mentorship and project-based learning that promote both intellectual development and community engagement. Through this advanced leadership training, FEE is creating tomorrow’s liberty champions.
By the conclusion of the John Templeton Foundation’s $1.5 million grant, hundreds of high-potential students will have engaged deeply with the freedom philosophy. FEE’s seminars and fellowships will help cultivate a new generation of public intellectuals and liberty professionals who can effectively advance free markets, individual flourishing, and human progress.
Creating 10,000 Bastiats
“When one of America’s most renowned philanthropic institutions invests in your cause, it changes everything,” said FEE President Diogo Costa. “Templeton receives hundreds of applications every year but funds only a handful. They chose FEE because they believe our approach to economic education works, and is as urgent as ever.”
The John Templeton Foundation’s investment in FEE affirms the importance of our work, and we invite you to join them. Click here to learn how you can partner with us in building the new Liberty Pipeline.
Leonard Read once envisioned “10,000 Bastiats” to promote sound economic education. With the John Templeton Foundation’s support—and yours—FEE’s Liberty Pipeline moves us closer to making that vision a reality.
Supported by grant #63625 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.