Smart Bets
Program
Application Deadlines by Region:
- Latin America - December 1, 2025
- Europe - December 1, 2025
- Africa & MENA - May 1, 2026
- Asia - July 1, 2026
- North America - September 1, 2026
The Smart Bets Grant is Atlas Network's flagship program for discovering and supporting high-potential, up-and-coming think tanks. This initiative provides selected organizations with funding, mentorship, and exposure to help scale their impact.
New this Year: The Smart Bets program now includes a live pitch competition at Atlas Network's Regional Liberty Forums, where three selected organizations per region will compete for the Smart Bets title. Each regional winner, totaling five organizations, will advance to the final pitch competition at Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner (LFFD) in New York, where one organization will win an additional $50,000 prize.
Just like in baseball, where legendary champions have been known to call their shots, Smart Bets is about confidently backing future winners of the freedom movement.
Eligibility Criteria
The Smart Bets program focuses on Atlas Network partners that are relatively newer or smaller in size and/or budget but demonstrating strong potential, bold ideas, and early signs of success. To be eligible, the organization must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- (a) (for North American Organizations) an annual budget below $4 million dollars;
- (b) (for organizations outside North America) an annual budget below $1.5 million dollars;
- (c) majority-funded by government or quasi-government sources (e.g., National Endowment for Democracy or USAID);
- (d) 5 years old or younger;
- (e) less than 10 full time staff;
- (f) operating in extremely challenging environments as champions of freedom (e.g., Ukraine, Georgia, Vietnam).
To ensure we are helping a broad enough array of freedom movement organizations, excluded from consideration are:
- (a) organizations that have been recognized as a current-year Templeton Freedom Award or Regional Liberty Award finalist, OR
- (b) organizations that have been recognized by the Smart Bets program within the last year.
Smart Bets Offers:
Financial Support
Recognition and Exposure
Mentorship & Capacity Building
Selection Criteria
Stage of organizational development:
- (a) a high-potential, up-and-coming "rising star" organization with a small staff/budget that would benefit from increased recognition of its work; OR
- (b) organizations that are operating in difficult circumstances and are recently emerging as champions of free society values.
Atlas Network grantee performance:
- (a) An organization that has demonstrated significant impact with Atlas Network grant(s) and has remained fully compliant with all reporting requirements during the past 12 months; OR
- (b) an organization that has achieved impressive growth with startup funding and/or training investment from Atlas Network, and which has provided a compelling business plan setting ambitious goals in their sights.
Leadership assessment:
Each Smart Bet will be an organization that has impressed the Atlas Network team, through multiple touch points, with quality of leadership. In other words, top staff at the organization will have demonstrated that they can identify strategic and scalable opportunities for action; are committed to professionalism, transparency, and rigorous quality standards; and are able to self reflect on areas of needed improvement.
Engagement with Atlas Network programs:
- (a) Eligible organizations will have maintained active engagement with Atlas Network offerings, demonstrating a willingness to learn from coursework as well as gain insights from and collaborate with their global peers; AND
- (b) We have gotten to know the organization well through our various programs. Leadership at the organization has either participated meaningfully in Atlas Network Academy programming or supported the meaningful participation of their staff.
Your organization is on the cusp of something great. Let Smart Bets be the accelerator that propels you toward success.
Send a Letter of InterestReady to Become a Smart Bet?
Submit a Letter of Interest to be considered for the Smart Bets program, or sign in to access your existing application.