Atlas Network is please to announce that State Policy Network (SPN) has won the 2025 North America Liberty Award. The award recognizes SPN’s innovative contributions through their documentary project UNDIVIDE US, which tackled political polarization head-on and reached millions of Americans with a message of reaching across the divide with civil conversation that can inspire everyday citizens and civil society organizations around the country.

To confront the extreme partisanship shaping American society and equip Americans to overcome this conflict, UNDIVIDE US analyzed the current political climate through the lens of six focus groups across three American cities, building on the work of SPN Senior Executive Vice President Tony Woodlief in his book I, Citizen. In November 2023, UNDIVIDE US made its debut at the Big Apple Film Festival in New York City, exactly one year before the 2024 election. In the months that followed, the documentary was selected for a total of 16 film festivals, with over 150 confirmed screenings nationwide and sponsorships from organizations across the ideological spectrum. Most notably, UNDIVIDE US was named the top film at the Through Women’s Eyes film festival in Sarasota, Florida.

Not just “kumbaya” content

The message of UNDIVIDE US isn’t to “find middle ground”; it is about finding the courage to engage in civil discourse, even if that means agreeing to disagree with fellow citizens. To that end, the film has changed hearts and minds: 76 percent of viewers say they are now more likely to engage with people who share different viewpoints. In partnership with other organizations, SPN also hosted community screenings to change public opinion on the ground—from churches and colleges to civic organizations. For instance, after working with the Center for Independent Thought to host an UNDIVIDE US webinar for high school teachers, SPN found that 84 percent of viewing teachers report feeling more confident guiding student discussions about controversial topics, with 95 percent vowing to use the constructive techniques outlined in the documentary.

More information about UNDIVIDE US can be found here.

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, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. Its grand prize, the Templeton Freedom Award, is presented annually at Atlas Network’s Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner in New York City. This year, the prize program will award $320,000 in grants to high-achieving organizations, with Templeton Religion Trust recently increasing its investment in the program to $1.23 million over three years.

“At a time of bitter partisanship, State Policy Network stepped up for American democracy and laid out a vision for stronger, healthier civil discourse, making SPN a worthy winner of this year’s North America Liberty Award,” said Brad Lips, CEO of Atlas Network. “In the United States, we all need to do our part to heal persistent divisions and find ways to disagree respectfully. UNDIVIDE US is a case study that can appeal to all Americans, regardless of party affiliation. SPN’s groundbreaking documentary has already changed countless hearts and minds in local communities, and nonpartisan think tanks everywhere can build on the momentum of UNDIVIDE US to inspire even more change for the better.”