Free-Market Nonprofit Directory

Years ago when I stumbled into the liberty movement, I was only aware of a handful of national policy organizations based in our nation’s capital. Big institutions such as American Enterprise Institute and Cato Institute were on my radar, and while I assumed there were a few other organizations fighting to advance free market principles, I had no idea just how vast the landscape of liberty-advancing organizations was. And in the years since I joined the free-market nonprofit sector, the movement has grown exponentially.

The reality is that the liberty movement isn’t just a handful of think tanks in Washington, DC! There are countless organizations advancing liberty in unique ways, including:

National policy organizations based in Washington, DC
National policy organizations located outside the Beltway/virtually
State-based policy organizations
Litigation centers
Advocacy and coalition organizations
Education and talent development organizations
Media organizations
Capacity building institutions
University-affiliated centers
International organizations

Below we briefly dive into each type of organization and provide a few examples of such organizations. We hope this information is helpful as you navigate a career in the liberty movement.

If you notice information that is missing/needs to be updated, or if you would like your free-market nonprofit to be included on this list, please drop us a note.

National policy organizations based in Washington, DC

As you can imagine, there are dozens and dozens of Washington, DC-based policy organizations. Here are just some of the ones Talent Market has worked with:

American Consumer Institute

American Enterprise Institute

Archbridge Institute

Capital Research Center

Cato Institute

Competitive Enterprise Institute

Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies

Employment Policies Institute

Heritage Foundation

National Center for Public Policy Research

National Taxpayers Union Foundation

Tax Foundation

National policy organizations located outside the Beltway/virtually

The landscape of national think tanks doesn’t end when you get outside the Beltway. In fact, there are a plethora of policy organizations spread around the country, including many that operate virtually. Here are just some of the ones we have assisted:

Acton Institute

American Institute for Economic Research

Americans for Fair Treatment

Foundation for Excellence in Education

Foundation for Government Accountability

Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity

Independent Institute

Institute for Policy Innovation

International Center for Law and Economics

Manhattan Institute

Property and Environment Research Center

State-based policy organizations

In addition to organizations focused on national policy issues, there are organizations in every single state focused on state-based policy. For a comprehensive list, visit State Policy Network’s directory: https://spn.org/directory/. Here are some of the state-based policy organizations Talent Market has assisted:

Alaska Policy Forum

Badger Institute

Beacon Center

California Policy Center

Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy

Cascade Policy Institute

Center of the American Experiment

Common Sense Institute

Commonwealth Foundation

Empire Center

Empower Mississippi Foundation

Free State Foundation

Frontier Institute

Garden State Initiative

Georgia Center for Opportunity

Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Goldwater Institute

Illinois Policy Institute

Independence Institute

James Madison Institute

John Locke Foundation

Kansas Policy Institute

Libertas Institute

Mackinac Center for Public Policy

Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Nevada Policy

Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Palmetto Promise Institute

Pelican Institute

Pioneer Institute

Platte Institute

Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity

School Choice Wisconsin

Show-Me Institute

South Carolina Policy Council

Sutherland Institute

Texas Public Policy Foundation

The Buckeye Institute

Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy

Washington Policy Center

Yankee Institute for Public Policy

Litigation centers

One of the most exciting aspects of the free-market movement is the proliferation of litigation centers focused on increasing liberty. While some of these centers are based in Washington, DC, many are spread around the country and/or operating virtually. We are pleased to have worked with many litigation centers, including:

Center for American Liberty

Center for Individual Rights

Fairness Center

Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute

Institute for Free Speech

Institute for Justice

Kansas Justice Institute

Landmark Legal Foundation

Liberty Justice Center

Mountain States Legal Foundation

National Right To Work Legal Defense Foundation

New Civil Liberties Alliance

NFIB Small Business Legal Center

Pacific Legal Foundation

Public Interest Legal Foundation

Upper Midwest Law Center

Washington Legal Foundation

Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty

Advocacy and coalition organizations

Numerous liberty-oriented organizations utilize advocacy and coalitions to advance the principles of liberty. Here are just some of the advocacy and coalition nonprofits Talent Market has helped:

Accuracy In Media

American Conservation Coalition

American Council of Trustees and Alumni

American Legislative Exchange Council

Center for Independent Employees

Davidsonians for Freedom of Thought & Discourse

Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression

FreedomWorks Foundation

MIT Free Speech Alliance

Open Discourse Coalition

Parents Defending Education

People United for Privacy Foundation

Princetonians for Free Speech

The Buckley Institute

Education and talent development organizations

A multitude of nonprofits engage in education and talent development to advance liberty. Below are some of our clients that fall into this niche:

America’s Future

Benjamin Rush Institute

Bill of Rights Institute

Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation

Center for Independent Thought

Claremont Institute

Federalist Society

Foundation for Economic Education

Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge

Institute for Humane Studies

Intercollegiate Studies Institute

Jack Miller Center

Leadership Institute

Network of enlightened Women

Students for Liberty

The Fund for American Studies

Young America’s Foundation

Young Voices

Media organizations

The media industry might be dominated by authoritarians, but there are nonprofits fighting to make the voices of liberty heard. Here are some of the media organizations Talent Market has assisted:

Daily Caller News Foundation

Franklin News Foundation

Moving Picture Institute

National Review Institute

Reason Foundation

Capacity building institutions

Behind the well-oiled machine that is the liberty movement, there are a handful of organizations providing key support and services to free-market nonprofits. Here are some of those organizations:

Atlas Network

DonorsTrust

Philanthropy Roundtable

State Policy Network

Talent Market

University-affiliated centers

While the words liberty and academia don’t seem to fit together anymore, there are actually a number of market-oriented nonprofits affiliated with institutions of higher education. Here are a few university-affiliated centers:

Ashbrook Center, Ashland University

Center for Growth & Opportunity, Utah State

Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism

George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center

Hoover Institution, Stanford University

Institute for Faith & Freedom, Grove City College

Kirby Center, Hillsdale College

Law & Economics Center, George Mason University

Mercatus Center, George Mason University

Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy, Chapman University

International organizations

While Talent Market’s work is exclusively focused on US-based nonprofits, there are organizations around the globe advancing free-market principles. In fact, Atlas Network serves more than 300 international organizations in more than 100 countries. For more information on these organizations, visit the Atlas Network website.

Claire Kittle Dixon
Executive Director

Claire runs the day-to-day operations of Talent Market, manages searches for clients, and oversees the organization’s fundraising communications, technology, administration, and cat-herding efforts…
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Katy Gambella
Director of Outreach

Katy oversees Talent Market’s outreach to young professionals and manages the outreach team. She also manages searches and executes outreach directly herself…
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Stephanie Keaveney
Senior Manager of Outreach
Stephanie splits her time between managing talent searches for free-market nonprofits, maintaing Talent Market’s social media presence, and engaging in outreach to young professionals interested in liberty-oriented careers…
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Lydia Ocampo
Outreach Manager
Lydia manages searches primarily for entry and mid level roles in the liberty movement. She also engages in outreach to expand Talent Market’s network, including giving presentations on career development and the opportunities available in the liberty movement…
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Bailey Drouant
Outreach Manager
Bailey assists free-market nonprofits with their hiring needs by helping them manage the search process from start to finish. She also engages in outreach to expand Talent Market’s network…
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Talent Market is a nonprofit. We’ll wait here while that sinks in. We know it’s a crazy concept, but it’s been working like a charm since 2009.

Talent Market’s mission is to promote liberty by providing talent for critical roles within the free-market nonprofit sector.

We provide consulting and recruiting services at no cost to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that clearly and directly focus on advancing the principles of economic freedom, free enterprise, free trade, free speech, property rights, rule of law, and limited regulation. (We do not work with political organizations, organizations with mission statements that do not clearly advance free-market principles, organizations that focus on social issues, or organizations that have a focus outside of the United States. We are not a job board. )

Talent Market believes that the road to prosperity is paved with freedom and that the success of our movement hinges on the talent that will take us there.