EIN 38-2926822

Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty

IRS 501(c) type
501(c)(3)
Num. employees
45
Year formed
1990
Most recent tax filings
2022-12-01
Description
The Acton Institute strives to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles.
Total revenues
$13,230,695
2022
Total expenses
$11,795,621
2022
Total assets
$29,496,446
2022
Num. employees
45
2022

Program areas at Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty

Education:The Programs and Education Department of the Acton Institute equips current and future leaders in education, religion and business through quality educational programming by articulating the moral basis for a free economy that creates an environment in which all have the opportunity to flourish. These programs are open to all who are interested, but special consideration is given to those with a proven track record of effectuating change and influencing those in their institutions, communities, and denominations both nationally and internationally.The Institute's educational programming includes both large and small conferences. Acton's flagship event, Acton University, an annual four-day conference that explores the foundations of a free society, draws over 800 participants from nearly 90 countries. Many of those who attend Acton Institute conferences, including Acton University, receive financial support to cover expenses such as room and board, conference fees, and travel in cases of need. The staff of the Education Department also invests considerable time in cultivating ecumenical networks of religious leaders, students, educators, and businesspeople in order to expand the Institute's reach, develop strategic partnerships, and remain connected to the needs and demands of the Institute's constituencies.
General Education and Communications:The Institute reaches out to business leaders, policymakers, students, and religious and community leadership groups through lectures, media products, web and social media, and various writings. The 2022 annual dinner celebrating 32 years of the Acton Institute was held in Grand Rapids to promote outreach and to thank supporters for their partnership. The dinner and program festivities included discourse with prominent public speakers and Institute supporters. Over 500 participated, representing many states and several foreign countries. We host a busy slate of activities and events in our local facility for discussions of a variety of topics related to our work, including our flagship Acton Lecture Series. Acton Institute also operates a bookstore to promote and sell its own publications, in addition to outside publications, related to our mission and program outreach areas. These educational materials were sold, distributed and exhibited at a variety of events throughout the world.Our rich and robust web presence centers on the Acton website (www.acton.org), and includes other Acton sites such as Religion and Liberty Online as well as a great deal of current and historical Acton-produced content. The Institute has a broad and growing presence in social media. This platform has steadily increased the scope and frequency of Acton's outreach to the general public.The Communications Department manages the growing family of Acton websites, blog, podcasts, and social media which use leading technology to integrate text, audio, and video content in easily accessible formats and venues to promote Acton's message to web users. It publishes the print and digital editions of the redesigned Religion & Liberty. The Communications Department also connects Acton experts with print and broadcast journalists covering faith and policy issues.
Research:The Institute's academic investigations are conducted by its Research Department. The work produced at Acton Research includes the disciplines of philosophy, economics, theology, and history, among others, and it includes the contributions of both in-house research fellows and of invited scholars. Additionally, the materials and research produced at the Acton Institute are delivered locally in Grand Rapids as well as at national and international conferences with the goal of reaching the scholarly community at large.The Research Department publishes books, journals, monographs, and occasional papers, along with essays at respected and scholarly online outlets. The Journal of Markets & Morality is a semi-annual refereed journal that provides a forum for scholars from many disciplines to engage issues concerning the morality of the marketplace. The Christian Social Thought Series examines, in each volume, a key economic issue facing Christians. Non-Christians have also written articles and books addressing relevant themes of interest to the Acton Institute, such as liberty, religious freedom, and the free economy.The Research Department also manages Acton's academic scholarship programs. Fellowships are awarded to provide financial assistance to promising doctoral candidates, graduate students, and seminarians who are advancing an understanding of the connection between economic liberty and religious values. Free Market Mini-Grants help fund university course development and faculty research in market economics at colleges, universities, and seminaries in the United States and Canada. The Freedom and Prosperity Grant promotes research by scholars internationally into the relationship between freedom and prosperity using the Atlantic Council Freedom and Prosperity Indexes. The annual Novak Award recipient is presented with a prize to acknowledge and reward new research on the relationship between religion, economic freedom, and the free and virtuous society.Lastly, the Research Department manages a number of programs, including (1) small specific conferences for scholars and graduate students that mostly are held in Grand Rapids, (2) larger conferences for scholars, graduate students, public intellectuals and leading religious figures, and (3) an academic colloquium held annually in Grand Rapids, (4) helps oversee the scholarly and programmatic outreach of Acton's Rome office.Internationally, we have held conferences on various topics such as economic liberty, economic history, poverty and development, Catholic social teaching, war and peace, Protestant social thought, Judaism and the economy, property rights, monetary policy, and limited government.
Media:The Media Department promotes Acton's message through various media products and outlets. The distribution of our feature-length films continued across the U.S. and internationally, including translation into several languages. Acton's media products were distributed with a focus on digital platforms. They can be found on familiar platforms such as Amazon and iTunes, in addition to others. A curriculum and related website about enterprise solutions to poverty in the developing world (PovertyCure) continued to be promoted. Many schools and universities have incorporated this resource into their curriculums. The project seeks to build a network of likeminded organizations as well as to promote a proper understanding of the human person and society. The media projects will encourage solutions that create opportunity and unleash the entrepreneurial spirit. Acton's documentary Poverty, Inc. has earned more than 45 film festival awards to date, including the $100,000 Templeton Freedom Award. The film has screened more than 500 times in 28 countries. It's impact continues and it streams on multiple platforms.Production on Acton's newest documentary film The Hong Konger commenced in 2021 and was completed in 2022. It received multiple film festival screenings and awards. The planned release for the film is April 2023.

Grants made by Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty

GranteeGrant descriptionAmount
Sacred Heart Academy Education FoundationOrganization Support$154,960
Donors TrustOrganization Support$150,000
Woodlawn FoundationOrganization Support$56,776
...and 3 more grants made

Who funds Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty

Grants from foundations and other nonprofits
GrantmakerDescriptionAmount
The Robert D and Patricia E Kern Family FoundationFwe Focused Programming, Conferences$1,600,000
Donors TrustFor General Operations$1,421,900
John Templeton FoundationThe Povertycure Center at the Acton Institute$867,000
...and 63 more grants received totalling $7,666,574

Personnel at Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty

NameTitleCompensation
Stephen BarrowsChief Operating Officer$181,362
Kevin AugustynVice President of Development$144,369
Alejandro ChafuenManaging Director of Interim$175,260
Tom VogtDirector of Finance$114,258
Eric KohnDirector of Communications$128,080
...and 8 more key personnel

Financials for Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty

RevenuesFYE 12/2022
Total grants, contributions, etc.$11,861,238
Program services$320,483
Investment income and dividends$989,802
Tax-exempt bond proceeds$0
Royalty revenue$0
Net rental income$-2,641
Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets$120,698
Net income from fundraising events$-128,715
Net income from gaming activities$0
Net income from sales of inventory$69,830
Miscellaneous revenues$0
Total revenues$13,230,695

Form 990s for Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty

Fiscal year endingDate received by IRSFormPDF link
2022-122023-08-07990View PDF
2021-122022-08-01990View PDF
2020-122021-09-21990View PDF
2019-122021-02-18990View PDF
2018-122019-11-08990View PDF
...and 9 more Form 990s

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Data update history
October 25, 2023
Received grants
Identified 7 new grant, including a grant for $150,000 from Austin Ed Fund
September 28, 2023
Posted financials
Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2022
September 28, 2023
Updated personnel
Identified 1 new personnel
September 24, 2023
Used new vendors
Identified 1 new vendor, including
August 21, 2023
Posted financials
Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2021
Nonprofit Types
Social advocacy organizationsCharities
Issues
Human rightsReligion
Characteristics
ReligiousPolitical advocacyFundraising eventsOperates internationallyNational levelReceives government fundingEndowed supportProvides scholarshipsGala fundraisersTax deductible donations
General information
Address
98 E Fulton St 101
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Metro area
Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI
Website URL
acton.org/ 
Phone
(616) 454-3080
Facebook page
ActonInstitute 
Twitter profile
@actoninstitute 
IRS details
EIN
38-2926822
Fiscal year end
December
Taxreturn type
Form 990
Year formed
1990
Eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (Pub 78)
Yes
Categorization
NTEE code, primary
X01: Religion-Related Alliances and Advocacy
NAICS code, primary
813319: Social Advocacy Organizations
Parent/child status
Independent
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