Generous Gift from Richard J Stephenson to Grow FEE's One-Day Seminar Program

The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) has received a substantial gift from entrepreneur and FEE alumnus Richard J Stephenson to support the continued expansion of FEE’s life-changing One-Day Seminars. Already a leader in educating young people with the economic, legal, and political principles of a free society, FEE is expanding our One-Day Seminars to 200 annually in order to engage and inspire 30,000 high school students with the ideals of economic freedom, individual liberty, and personal character by the end of 2021.

Richard J Stephenson is a Global Merchant Banker and the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Cancer Treatment Centers of America; a distinguished Eagle Scout in America; 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Freemason; and a recipient of the prestigious Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Award for his leadership in business and philanthropy in the face of adversity. Mr. Stephenson has been recognized by many other organizations, and he also received FEE’s Leonard E. Read Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016, the highest honor presented to a FEE alumnus or alumna.

"As a 1963 alumnus of FEE’s educational programs, Mr. Stephenson truly understands the impact FEE has on young people."

“Mr. Stephenson’s entrepreneurship, his innovations in merchant banking and health care, and his advancement of liberty through his philanthropy, speak to the quality of his character and deep belief in the principles of a free society,” said Lawrence W. Reed, president of FEE. “As a 1963 alumnus of FEE’s educational programs, Mr. Stephenson truly understands the impact FEE has on young people. We greatly appreciate his generous support as we undertake this rapid growth of our One-Day Seminars.”

This major expansion of FEE’s One-Day Seminars will allow us to reach exponentially more students with the principles of liberty at a critical time when students are frequently exposed to the dangerous ideas of collectivism. It is crucial today that young people are effectively taught the facts about economic freedom.

Each One-Day Seminar provides 75-150 high school students with a powerful, in-person introduction to free-market economics, entrepreneurship, individual liberty, and personal character. By meeting students in their classrooms, FEE overcomes costly travel expenses and rigorous school schedules that could serve as barriers to student participation. Additionally, this allows FEE to better reach students in low-income, inner-city, and extreme-rural communities who are excited about expanded extracurricular educational opportunities but are rarely exposed to the principles of free markets and individual liberty.

“Thanks to the generous support of Mr. Stephenson, FEE is able to reach students at an unprecedented level."

FEE’s strategy of reaching students in the classroom plays a central role in inspiring the next generation with a worldview of freedom. “Thanks to the generous support of Mr. Stephenson, FEE is able to reach students at an unprecedented level by exponentially growing this unique program to 200 One-Day Seminars annually by 2021,” said Jason Riddle, FEE’s Vice President of Programs & Strategic Operations.

“Mr. Stephenson recognizes the unique need to effectively reach high school students with the ideas of free markets, individual liberty, and personal character,” said Richard N. Lorenc, FEE’s Executive Vice President. “The success we have seen the past few years with our One-Day Seminars in opening the eyes of high school students to the ideas of liberty encouraged us to strive for the ambitious goal of reaching 30,000 students within the next three years—and tens of thousands more students in the years beyond.”

FEE has been a leading non-profit organization in teaching the principles of a free society since its founding in 1946 by Leonard E. Read. Today, FEE focuses on introducing freedom as a life philosophy to young newcomers, striving to bring about a world in which the economic, ethical and legal principles of a free society are familiar, credible, and compelling to the next generation. FEE produces the annual FEEcon event, student seminars, free online courses, classroom resources, and engaging classic and contemporary content available at FEE.org and on social media. FEE is supported solely by contributions from individuals, private foundations, and businesses and by the sale of our publications. We invite you to advance liberty with us at FEE.org.