What Acton Institute does

The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is an ecumenical, nonprofit research organization founded in 1990 by Kris Alan Mauren and Rev. Robert A. Sirico, headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a European subsidiary (Istituto Acton) in Rome, Italy. Its mission is to articulate a moral and theological foundation for the free enterprise system and to promote the benefits of free markets across religious communities, business professionals, and students, working across Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The organization runs a diversified portfolio of publications (Religion & Liberty quarterly magazine, the peer-reviewed Journal of Markets & Morality, Spire, Religion & Liberty Online, and Acton Books), three weekly podcasts (Acton Line, Acton Unwind, and Radio Free Acton), feature films, on-demand video (Acton On-Demand), and an international events calendar anchored by the annual Acton University conference in Grand Rapids and regional events such as Acton Experience Brasil.

The institute operates with an annual budget of $12 million and 50+ employees, funding its activities through donations and charitable contributions from individual and institutional supporters aligned with its free-market-and-faith mission. Content and programs are delivered free of charge, with ancillary merchandise and book sales through the Acton Shop. Distribution spans acton.org (the central hub for content, event registration, and donations routed through give.acton.org), major podcast platforms, YouTube, social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn), and a multi-city lecture and conference series. Supporting programmatic units include the Emerging Leaders Program, Acton Research, the Collins Center, the Center for Social Flourishing, the PovertyCure initiative, semester internships, and Acton Grants & Awards. The organization holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating with a perfect score and has maintained continuous operations since founding, with the 36th Annual Dinner scheduled for November 2026.

Name

Acton Institute

Legal name

The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty

Website

https://acton.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Acton Institute is a Grand Rapids-based nonprofit research organization founded in 1990 that promotes the moral and theological foundations of free enterprise to religious communities, business leaders, students, and academics worldwide through publications, podcasts, films, and international events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Research and Policy Publishing

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Religious liberty research
• Free market economics
• Nonprofit publishing
• Faith and economics education
• Academic conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

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 Charitable Contributions: As an ecumenical, nonprofit research organization, Acton Institute's primary revenue comes from donations and charitable contributions from supporters who believe in its mission of promoting free enterprise to religious communities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is an ecumenical, nonprofit research organization that promotes the moral foundation of free enterprise to religious communities, business people, students, and educators. It delivers its mission through publications (quarterly magazine, peer-reviewed journal, books), audio/video media (weekly podcasts, feature films, on-demand video), and in-person events including the flagship Acton University conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan and international conferences in Rome and Brazil.

Product overview

Acton Institute is a nonprofit research organization (not a technology company) that operates a diversified portfolio of publications, media content, and educational programs. Its core offerings include print and digital publications (Religion & Liberty magazine, Spire, Religion & Liberty Online, Acton Books, and the peer-reviewed Journal of Markets & Morality); audio/video media (the Acton Line Podcast, Acton Unwind Podcast, Films, and Acton On-Demand); and in-person/digital events (Acton University, Lecture Series, Conference Series, and regional events like Acton Experience Brasil). Supporting programs include the Emerging Leaders Program, Acton Grants & Awards, Collins Center, PovertyCure initiative, Center for Social Flourishing, Acton Research, and Semester Internships. There is no unified software platform or SaaS product—these are distinct content and event products under a single institutional brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Acton University: Flagship global conference held annually in Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Religion & Liberty
• Spire
• Acton Line Podcast
• Acton Unwind Podcast
• Journal of Markets & Morality
• Radio Free Acton

Products and services

• Religion & Liberty Magazine A quarterly print and digital magazine covering the relationship between individual liberty and religious principles for general readers and scholars.
• Spire An Acton Institute publication produced as part of its diverse publications portfolio.
• Acton Books Books published by the Acton Institute exploring the connection between religion, liberty, and the free market economy.
• Journal of Markets & Morality A peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Acton Institute addressing the intersection of markets and morality for scholars and students.
• Acton Line Podcast The official weekly podcast of the Acton Institute bringing together writers, economists, and religious leaders to discuss promoting a free and virtuous society.
• Acton Unwind Podcast A weekly roundtable podcast discussing news and current events through the Acton Institute's lens on free and virtuous society.
• Acton On-Demand An on-demand video platform featuring lectures, discussions, and event recordings from the Acton Institute.
• Acton Films Feature films and documentary content produced by the Acton Institute exploring ideas that form and sustain a free and virtuous society.
• Acton University Conference The flagship annual global conference of the Acton Institute held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, promoting the benefits of free enterprise to religious communities.
• Lecture Series Public lectures hosted by the Acton Institute featuring scholars and experts on topics of religion, liberty, and economics.
• Conference Series Multiple conferences and events hosted by the Acton Institute throughout the year on religion, liberty, and economics.
• Emerging Leaders Program An educational program designed to develop future leaders who promote the benefits of free enterprise.
• Religion & Liberty Online The online edition of the Religion & Liberty publication with additional digital content for online readers.

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.

• Pontifical Gregorian University - Faculty of History and Cultural Heritage of the ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 November 2017Co-hosted conference on 'Globalization, Justice, and the Economy: The Jesuit Contribution' in Rome, bringing together leading thinkers to explore Jesuit contributions to early economics and political economy. The conference included simultaneous translation in English and Italian and was broadcast live online.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Hoover Institution: Hoover is a Stanford-affiliated public policy research center producing books, articles, and conferences on political economy and individual liberty. It is significantly larger and broader in scope than Acton but engages the same free-market intellectual tradition and similar academic audiences.
• American Enterprise Institute: AEI is an established center-right think tank that produces research, books, and events on free-market economics, similar to Acton's market-and-morality agenda. AEI is broader in scope and academic-oriented while Acton is more religion-and-ethics specific.
• Cato Institute: Cato is a major libertarian think tank producing research, books, and events that overlap with Acton's free-market and individual-liberty mission. It is broader in ideological scope (less religious) but addresses many of the same policy questions and competes for similar donor and academic audiences.
• Heritage Foundation: Heritage is a large, well-resourced conservative policy organization producing scholarship and convening events in Washington, D.C. It shares Acton's emphasis on free enterprise and engages religious constituencies, but operates at significantly greater scale and with a broader political agenda.

Direct peers

• Cardus: Cardus is a Canadian faith-based think tank producing research at the intersection of religion, civil society, and economics. It is the closest peer to Acton in mission and product mix - a smaller scale, ecumenical Christian research and events organization publishing original scholarship.
• Claremont Institute: Claremont is a conservative California think tank focused on the moral and political foundations of American constitutionalism. It overlaps with Acton in producing scholarly journals, hosting conferences, and engaging religious audiences on questions of liberty and virtue.
• Templeton Foundation: Templeton funds research and public engagement at the intersection of religion, science, and human progress, much as Acton funds and produces scholarship at the intersection of religion and economics. Both operate grant programs, host conferences, and publish content engaging religious and academic audiences.
• Atlas Network: Atlas Network is a global network of free-market think tanks; Acton's Distinguished Executive Fellow Alejandro Chafuen served as Atlas Network's President and CEO for 27 years. Atlas operates conferences, training, and grants for libertarian and classical-liberal organizations worldwide - closely overlapping Acton's mission and partner network.
• American Institute for Economic Research: AIER is a nonpartisan economic research institution that hosts scholarly research chairs (Samuel Gregg holds the Friedrich Hayek Chair there) and publishes books and articles; it overlaps Acton both in economists it associates with and in publishing free-market scholarship.
• Ethics and Public Policy Center: EPPC is a Catholic-oriented research institute exploring the moral foundations of public policy, directly mirroring Acton's premise that markets and liberty require religious and ethical grounding. EPPC and Acton share scholarly contributors and audiences in Catholic social thought.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/actoninstitute
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/actoninstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/actoninstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acton-instute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Acton Institute