Atlas Network is proud to present the 2023 North America Liberty Award to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). The award was accepted by FIRE Executive Vice President Nico Perrino at FreedomFest in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) was founded with the mission to uphold and safeguard the First Amendment rights of all Americans, ensuring justice for those who have experienced violations while protecting the freedoms of future generations.
With their Expanded Litigation Program, which has expanded from a single staff member in 2014 to an accomplished team of 18, FIRE actively pursues the advancement of First Amendment law under nonpartisan motives. FIRE has made particularly noteworthy progress in the defense of campus rights, such as academic freedom, student journalism, and freedom of association.
In recent years, they have expanded their scope to accept cases such as that of the Keystone Party, an independent party whose case they won after it faced an unjust ban from gathering signatures on public land. To date, FIRE’s Expanded Litigation Program has won 23 cases, reformed 38 campus policies impacting tens of thousands of students and professors, secured $2.9 million in damages and fees, and filed 76 amicus briefs.
“It is with great pleasure that we recognize the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression with the 2023 North America Liberty Award,” said Brad Lips, CEO of Atlas Network. “The right to free expression is essential to our liberal democracy, and it's been worrisome to see it increasingly under attack. As other organizations have stepped back, FIRE has stepped up. After achieving so much on U.S. campuses, I am thrilled to see FIRE taking on a broader agenda to confront the full array of illiberal threats to free speech."
The North America Liberty Award is part of the “Templeton Freedom Award” prize program sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust—named for the late investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton. In addition to North America, the program sponsors awards in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East & North Africa. Its grand prize, the Templeton Freedom Award, is presented annually at Atlas Network’s Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner in New York City. In 2023, the prize program will award $270,000 in grants to high-achieving organizations that make innovative contributions to economic freedom and human progress.
More information about the Regional Liberty Awards can be found here.
