Foundation for Economic Education

What Foundation for Economic Education does

The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) is a U.S.-based nonprofit educational organization founded in 1946 by Leonard E. Read, headquartered in Irvington-on-Hudson, New York (with an Atlanta presence indicated in firmographic records), and operating with 11–50 employees. It is the original free-market education organization in America, with a mission to inspire, educate, and connect future leaders with the economic, ethical, and legal principles of a free society. FEE serves four primary persona segments: students and young leaders, educators and teachers, the general public, and education entrepreneurs, through digital content and in-person programs.

FEE's product surface spans student programs (Hazlitt Fellowship, Hackathon, Seminars, Summer Campus), teacher resources (Book a Speaker, Curriculum Resources, Teacher Fellowship, Financial Intelligence Certification), competitions (Economics Olympiad), a publication (The Freeman, distributed via Substack), digital content (Analysis & Opinion, In Liberty, FEE Shows including FEE Explains, Out of Frame, and Common Sense Soapbox), digital archives (Freeman Archives at freeman.fee.org), an online store, and the Education Entrepreneurship Lab (EEL) with the Emerging Voices Program for Storytellers. The underlying technology is a multi-site digital publishing and learning platform (fee.org, teachers.fee.org, freeman.fee.org, store.fee.org) augmented by social media channels and an email newsletter, with no disclosed AI/ML components.

FEE operates as a donation-supported nonprofit. Revenue streams include recurring donations and contributions via fee.donorsupport.co, one-time store sales of books, eBooks, and merchandise, and attention/engagement-driven campaigns such as the 2026 'Affordability Showdown' — a national quiz and game show competition in Atlanta with a $1,000,000 prize. Most content, programs, and educational resources are provided free of charge; the Financial Intelligence Certification represents one of the few formal paid offerings. The go-to-market model is community-led, relying on content marketing, social distribution, events, and alumni networks rather than traditional sales motions.

Name

Foundation for Economic Education

Legal name

Foundation for Economic Education

Website

https://fee.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1946 that delivers free-market economic education through digital content, fellowships, teacher programs, student competitions, and the Education Entrepreneurship Lab, serving students, educators, and education entrepreneurs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Education and Free-Market Publishing

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Economics, Finance & Funding Policy Research (EDADADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Literacy, Budgeting & Personal Finance (EDAMAHAE), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Economic education
• Free market publications
• Teacher curriculum resources
• Student fellowship programs
• Financial literacy certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: FEE relies on donations from supporters to fund its educational programs and content creation. The organization maintains a dedicated donation portal at fee.donorsupport.co.
2. Store Sales: FEE operates an online store (store.fee.org) selling books, merchandise, and educational resources.
3. Campaign and Event Revenue: FEE generates attention and engagement through high-profile campaigns such as the 'Affordability Showdown' quiz competition with a $1 million prize, which serves as a fundraising and awareness-building initiative.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) is a US nonprofit educational organization that publishes digital content (articles, analysis, opinion pieces, video shows, eBooks, and The Freeman magazine) and runs in-person and online educational programs covering free-market economics, financial literacy, and US history. Its offerings span student programs (Hazlitt Fellowship, Hackathon, Seminars, Summer Campus), educator resources and certifications (Book a Speaker, Curriculum Resources, Financial Intelligence Certification, Teacher Fellowship, Economics Olympiad), and the Education Entrepreneurship Lab, all sustained primarily by donor contributions.

Product overview

The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) operates as a multi-platform educational organization offering a unified ecosystem of content, programs, and resources focused on free-market economic education. The organization provides digital content publications (Analysis & Opinion, In Liberty, FEE Shows, The Freeman magazine) alongside in-person and digital programs (Hazlitt Fellowship, Hackathon, Seminars, Summer Campus, Teacher Fellowship, Education Entrepreneurship Lab with its Emerging Voices storytelling program). Educational resources include the Learning Center digital platform, curriculum resources, Financial Intelligence Certification, Economics Olympiad, and Book a Speaker services. This architecture combines online content delivery, professional development programs, student initiatives, and educator resources into an integrated approach to economic education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hazlitt Fellowship: Fellowship program for students
• Hackathon
• Seminars
• Summer Campus
• Education Entrepreneurship Lab
• The Freeman
• Economics Olympiad
• Financial Intelligence Certification

Products and services

• Hazlitt Fellowship A fellowship program for students to learn about free-market economics and develop leadership skills.
• Hackathon An annual hackathon event for students focused on economic and technological innovation.
• Seminars Educational seminars exploring economic and philosophical principles through engaging presentations.
• Summer Campus In-person summer programs connecting students with economic education and free-market principles.
• Book a Speaker Service allowing educators to arrange FEE speakers for classroom presentations.
• Curriculum Resources Teaching materials and lesson plans for educators available through the Learning Center.
• Economics Olympiad Academic competition testing high school students' knowledge of economics.
• Financial Intelligence Certification Professional certification program for educators teaching financial literacy.
• Teacher Fellowship Fellowship program supporting educators in teaching free-market economic principles.
• Education Entrepreneurship Lab Program focused on empowering education entrepreneurs and fostering innovation in education policy, including the Emerging Voices Program for Storytellers, quarterly writing workshops, and a Discord learning community.
• The Freeman FEE's magazine featuring articles on economics, politics, and culture from a free-market perspective.
• Analysis & Opinion Digital commentary section featuring articles on economics, politics, education, and culture.
• FEE Shows Video programming including FEE Explains, Out of Frame, and Common Sense Soapbox series.
• eBooks Digital publications and eBooks available through the FEE store.
• Freeman Archives Historical archive of The Freeman publication spanning decades of free-market economic thought.
• The Learning Center Online learning management system and resource hub for educators at teachers.fee.org.
• FEE Store Online storefront at store.fee.org selling books, eBooks, and merchandise.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80 years of continuous operation and influence in free-market economic education
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NITI AayogminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026NITI Aayog and the Foundation for Economic Development (FED) released a joint report examining India's sports equipment manufacturing market and its export potential. This appears to be a different organization from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education) and should not be confused.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Enterprise Institute: Established think tank publishing research and commentary on economics, politics, and education. Similar in producing long-form analysis, opinion content, and educational programming with a free-market orientation.
• Heritage Foundation: Major conservative think tank with educational programming, policy research, and young-leader initiatives (e.g., Young Heritage). Comparable as a parallel ideologically-aligned policy organization with programs targeting students and educators.
• Cato Institute: Large libertarian think tank producing policy research, commentary, and educational content on free markets and individual liberty. Highly comparable as a parallel free-market educational and research institution with broader policy scope but similar donor-supported nonprofit model.
• Hoover Institution: Stanford-based public policy research center promoting principles of individual, economic, and political freedom. Comparable as a long-established free-market oriented educational and research institution with archival content libraries.

Direct peers

• Students For Liberty: Student-focused libertarian organization running campus programs, conferences, and local chapters to educate students on free-market ideas. Directly comparable as a free-market education organization primarily targeting students with similar fellowship and conference programming.
• Acton Institute: Think tank promoting principles of liberty, free markets, and moral foundations of capitalism through publications, courses, and student programs. Comparable as a smaller free-market educational nonprofit with similar content-publication and program-based model.
• Intercollegiate Studies Institute: Educational nonprofit focused on cultivating college students' understanding of American political and economic principles. Directly comparable as a long-standing free-market education organization with student fellowships, publications, and curriculum programs.
• Young America's Foundation: Conservative youth organization running student conferences, campus programming, and leadership seminars to educate students on free-enterprise principles. Directly comparable as a free-market student education organization with conferences and fellowship-style programming.
• The Fund for American Studies: Educational nonprofit running college programs, summer institutes, and journalism training that emphasize free-market and limited-government principles. Closely comparable as a free-market education provider running student programs and educator engagement.

Regional players

• George Mason University - Economics Department: Public university economics program known for its free-market orientation and affiliated faculty research on Austrian and public choice economics. Comparable as an academic institution that produces free-market economics education and research, though as a degree-granting university rather than a focused nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/feeonline
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@FEEonline
• Facebookfacebook.com/feeonline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foundation-for-economic-education
• Instagraminstagram.com/feeonline
• TikToktiktok.com/@feeonline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Foundation for Economic Education