Mercatus Center at George Mason University

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is an independent non-profit research centre that describes itself as advancing classical liberal ideas and cultivating the talent to apply them. It conducts research, publishes policy work and runs talent and funding programmes. The centre was founded in 1980 and operates as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organisation. It is hosted at George Mason University and led by a faculty director who reports to the university provost, but states that it receives no financial support from the university or from the state of Virginia. Its funding comes from foundations, individuals and businesses. Its programme portfolio includes Emergent Ventures, a grant and fellowship programme for high-upside ideas, and Emergent Ventures India, the India-focused tranche of that programme. Other initiatives include Fast Grants, Marginal Revolution University, The 1991 Project and the Emerging Scholars Program. The centre also produces long-running economics podcasts and maintains a network of in-house and external scholars. Its work reaches applicants and readers worldwide rather than a single country.