Atlas Network

Jamil Assis' motivation to fight for free speech in Brazil is deeply personal—ensuring his children grow up where ideas can be freely discussed. Seeing his deaf wife face barriers to communication highlights why true access to free speech must include everyone.

Atlas Network Academy is growing! 🚀 We’re hiring an Online Learning Associate who will play a vital role in delivering world-class trainings to our partners. Visit hubs.la/Q048z2vQ0 for more info on how to apply.

Discovering a global tradition of free-market thinkers was a powerful realization.  That shared intellectual and moral foundation is a core strength of the Atlas Network. f.mtr.cool/rsunuvpbhe

Liberty means choosing to act, without waiting on the state. Free minds, ideas, and resources can come together to educate and build lasting change.

Applications OPEN! Join Atlas Network Academy in Accra, Ghana this July for three hands-on training programs designed to strengthen leadership, research, and fundraising capacity: 📊 Quantitative Research 360 📅 July 27–29, 2026 Build strong research questions, apply sound methods, and learn how to collect and analyze quantitative data. (Completion of the online Quantitative Research Certification course is required.)Applications open through March 20. 👥 Leader Lab 📅 July 27–29, 2026 An immersive program for new managers focused on leadership skills, team management, and introductory strategic planning. Applications open through March 30. 💡 Fundraising 360 📅 July 28–29, 2026 The capstone to Atlas Network’s fundraising certification, designed to help participants craft sustainable fundraising strategies, strengthen their value proposition, and cultivate donor relationships. Applications open through March 30. If you have team members looking to grow their research, leadership, or fundraising skills, we encourage you to share these opportunities internally.

Elena Leontjeva and Estonian partners helped defend a smarter, simpler tax model, proving that principled collaboration can shape global policy and expand economic freedom. f.mtr.cool/xgmnrfxaxo

And the winner is . . . Instituto Sivis (Brazil)! 🇧🇷 Congratulations to Jamil Assis and the Instituto Sivis team for winning the 2026 Latin America Smart Bets Competition held Feb. 26-27 in Lima, Peru. Their work strengthening democratic culture, civic engagement, and free expression captured the attention of our panel of judges and showcased the power of ideas in action. As a Smart Bets regional winner, Instituto Sivis will receive grant funding and a chance to go to NYC and compete for the $50,000 top prize at Liberty Forum and Freedom Dinner 2026 in New York City. By scaling the Voxius Center for Free Speech, Instituto Sivis will monitor free speech cases in the 2026 election cycle, turn this evidence into legal reform proposals, high-level trainings, and strategic media work, and convene trusted, off-the-record forums so that Brazil’s laws, courts, and public debate are re-anchored in liberal democratic principles that make robust free speech the normal expectation. “Smart Bets funding will transform Voxius from a promising initiative already delivering impact into Brazil’s leading hub on free speech . . . . By funding this integrated agenda of monitoring, legal reform, strategic communication... Smart Bets will play a catalytic role in resetting Brazil’s trajectory toward a durable pro-free speech ecosystem,” stated Assis. We’re excited to see this initiative scale its impact across Brazil and beyond. 👏

Congratulations to our Latin America Liberty Award winner 🎉 Instituto Liberal de São Paulo (ILISP) has been recognized for its groundbreaking project “Liberdade para Trabalhar” (Freedom to Work) — a nationwide effort removing bureaucratic barriers that prevent millions of Brazilians from earning a living. By advancing the implementation of Brazil’s Economic Freedom Law across 448 municipalities and 9 states, the project has expanded freedom to work for 129.4 million people. Cities adopting the reform have seen a 40% increase in job creation and an 89% rise in new businesses, demonstrating the transformative power of economic freedom. Through data-driven advocacy, nationwide regulatory mapping of all 5,570 municipalities, strategic partnerships, and sustained public engagement, ILISP has led one of the most ambitious bottom-up economic reform efforts in the world — proving that civil society can drive structural reform, empower entrepreneurs, and restore dignity through the freedom to work. 🎬 Now Streaming: Freedom to Work — From Survival to Success in Brazil Atlas Network completed a powerful documentary on the Freedom to Work project, highlighting the real people whose lives were transformed by these reforms. Watch the trailer and register below for a private screening of the film: hubs.la/Q045zQkG0 Join us in celebrating a model of reform that is expanding opportunity across Brazil.

Different countries. Different cultures. One unforgettable leadership journey. 🌍 During last year’s Executive Accelerator, Nguyễn Thùy Liên and Nycollas Liberato were paired as learning partners. That’s the power of leadership done right. The Executive Accelerator is designed to help participants: • Deepen strategic planning skills • Learn effective talent management and team leadership • Convert data-driven insights into action If you’re stepping into higher-level management, or ready to level up your strategic leadership, there are two weeks left to apply. 📍 Tyson’s Corner, VA 📅 August 14–20 🗓 Applications: Feb 16–March 15 💵 Free application | $500 program fee hubs.la/Q04435kZ0

Atlas Network is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2026 Latin America Liberty Award — recognizing outstanding achievements advancing economic freedom and human flourishing across the region. 🌎✨ This year’s finalists represent innovation, impact, and measurable change: 🇵🇷 Centro CRECE (Puerto Rico) Through Portraits of Prosperity, students explore entrepreneurship, free markets, and personal finance — then document local entrepreneurs through photography and film. Since 2022, the initiative has engaged hundreds of students and reached more than 13,000 people, turning economic freedom into lived experience. 🇨🇱 IdeaPaís (Chile) With Government Track Record, IdeaPaís evaluates presidential promises and public spending — transforming political rhetoric into measurable indicators and strengthening transparency and accountability nationwide. 🇧🇷 Instituto Liberal de São Paulo (Brazil) Through its Freedom to Work project, ILISP has helped implement Brazil’s Economic Freedom Law across hundreds of municipalities and multiple states, reducing bureaucracy and expanding opportunity for more than 129 million Brazilians. 🏆 The winner will be announced tonight at Latin America Liberty Forum in Lima, Peru — where the region’s leading freedom champions have gathered to exchange ideas, strengthen partnerships, and advance practical strategies that expand opportunity. Who will take home the 2026 Latin America Liberty Award? Stay tuned. 👀✨

Three bold ideas. Three leaders. One stage. The 2026 LATAM Smart Bets competitors are: Humanamente (Ecuador) Jorge Chuya Chávez is executive director and co-founder of Humanamente, an Ecuadorian policy and research centre focused on economic development, political insight, and public discourse—bringing rigorous evidence and fresh ideas to debates on freedom, markets, and societal well-being. Instituto Sivis (Brazil) Jamil Assis leads institutional relations for Instituto Sivis, a Curitiba-based nonprofit think tank dedicated to strengthening Brazilian democratic culture through research, civic education, and the defense of free expression and democratic values. Centro de Estudios Económico-Sociales (CEES) (Guatemala) Pablo Velasquez serves as executive director of the CEES in Guatemala City, a longstanding policy research organization committed to studying and promoting ideas of individual liberty, economic freedom, and the rule of law across the region. On Friday, Feb. 27, these leaders will pitch bold, high-impact solutions advancing freedom across the region. We look forward to seeing their ideas take flight.

History offers a sobering lesson: the fall of one authoritarian regime does not automatically produce a free society. If change comes to Iran — suddenly or gradually — will the institutions, norms, and public understanding needed to sustain liberty be prepared? To explore what this pivotal moment means, Atlas Network’s Executive Vice President, Dr. Tom G. Palmer, will be joined by Mohamad Machine-Chian — an Iranian public policy scholar, senior journalist at Iran International based in Washington, D.C., and a Reynolds Fellow at Atlas Network. We hope you will join us Sunday March 8, 2026 at 1pm ET. Register here to participate in the conversation. hubs.la/Q044Frcg0

At Atlas Network, our competitive internship program is built for impact. Interns don’t sit on the sidelines—they work directly with our team on meaningful, hands-on projects tailored to their interests. You’ll gain real insight into how a mission-driven nonprofit operates, receive consistent mentorship and feedback, and build professional connections that last far beyond the program. If you’re ready to contribute, grow, and help advance freedom around the world, we’d love to work with you. Click here for more information hubs.la/Q044F74x0

Red pill or blue pill? Refusing to pay a bribe cost him his business—but changed his path. That choice led to building practical projects that improve lives. hubs.la/Q044k_lB0

We are honored to announce that Carlos Augusto Chacón will deliver the Linda Whetstone Toast to Freedom at this year’s LATAM Freedom Dinner. As executive director of Instituto de Ciencia Política Hernán Echavarría Olózaga (ICP Colombia), Carlos has been a leading voice in defending private property rights, strengthening democratic institutions, and advancing economic freedom in Colombia. Under his leadership, ICP successfully challenged government overreach that threatened constitutional protections for landowners. It was an effort that reinforced due process, transparency, and the rule of law. Linda Whetstone believed deeply in the power of principled leadership and cross-border partnership. Carlos’s courage and commitment to advancing liberty across Latin America reflects that same spirit of conviction and collaboration. We look forward to raising a glass to freedom, and to the leaders who continue carrying Linda’s legacy forward.

A single workshop changed her horizon. After attending Think Tank 360 in Jakarta, Ichchha Khatiwada returned home inspired and launched LOLA EmpowerHer Labs, equipping women with strategic and entrepreneurial skills. That’s the impact of Atlas Network: turning ideas into action and leaders into builders. Donate today to make more stories like this possible hubs.la/Q0443J2V0

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We’re hiring an Executive Vice President of Finance and Strategy. This senior leader partners with the CEO and board to ensure strong financial stewardship and long-term sustainability behind Atlas Network’s global mission advancing freedom. Learn more via the link in the comments.

Freedom to work means food on the table. This is about dignity—not just cutting licenses or fighting corruption. Freedom to work means the chance to earn, create jobs, and put food on the table. hubs.la/Q0443NKJ0

Championing women’s leadership in the liberty movement, Izabela Patriota trains and connects rising advocates across Latin America and worldwide. Executive director of Venezuela’s premier liberty think tank, Rocío Guijarro advances economic freedom and property rights. Former congressman Enrique Ghersi is a distinguished jurist and free-market advocate shaping policy and legal reform throughout the region. See these and many more heroes for Latin American liberty in Lima! hubs.la/Q043JFCs0