Policies that support entrepreneurship and small business development in countries around the globe continue to play a significant role in long-term economic growth and investment activity. In March, the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center announced the launch of the Entrepreneurship Policy Initiative (EPI), in partnership with the John Templeton Foundation.
A five-year, $10 million grant from the Foundation will support the initiative as part of the Atlantic Council Freedom and Prosperity Center’s ongoing work focused on economic growth and opportunity. EPI will examine policies affecting entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in countries around the world, with an emphasis on economic growth, investment, and business formation.
The initiative will evaluate how regulatory and economic frameworks in each country shape entrepreneurship activity, private-sector development, and long-term economic conditions across global markets to help identify policies that support business growth and expand economic opportunity.
Driving Economic Growth Through Entrepreneurship Policy
EPI will strengthen its impact by developing and implementing a global entrepreneurship policy tracker and a global coalition for entrepreneurship policy.
The tracker will support comparative analysis across more than 100 countries, helping identify barriers to business formation, investment, and entrepreneurship. The initiative will evaluate policy conditions across global markets and provide data on business environments and entrepreneurship policy.
The global coalition for entrepreneurship policy will support the next generation of leaders in entrepreneurship policy through its fellowship program. The coalition will also bring together researchers, advocates, policymakers, and private-sector partners to help carry out the initiative’s broader mission.
To support oversight and transparency, Babson College will lead an independent academic board to oversee EPI’s data governance and methodology, supported by artificial intelligence tools to optimize efficiency and data collection and processing.
Together, these efforts are intended to provide policymakers, researchers, and business leaders with data and analysis related to entrepreneurship policy, business formation, and long-term economic development.
The Atlantic Council’s Work to Advance Global Prosperity
Founded more than 60 years ago, the Atlantic Council has remained committed to its mission to advance international cooperation and address global policy challenges. Founded in 2021 by Michael Fisch, the organization’s Freedom and Prosperity Center is a nonpartisan research institute focused on improving the quality of life for individuals and marginalized communities worldwide through impartial, evidence-based research. The institute’s work centers on supporting equitable policies across economic, political, and legal systems that promote prosperity and opportunity.
As a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee Member at the Atlantic Council, as well as founder and Chairman of the Freedom and Prosperity Center’s Advisory Council, Michael Fisch continues to be actively involved in supporting the organization’s long-term goals.
At the 2026 Atlantic Council Global Prosperity Forum, Michael spoke about the organization’s research efforts, including its Freedom and Prosperity Indexes, which track 164 countries to measure global prosperity and economic conditions across global markets.
These principles are the foundation of the Atlantic Council and the Freedom and Prosperity Center, which underscore the importance of the EPI initiative and new collaboration with the John Templeton Foundation. The initiative is intended to deepen understanding of entrepreneurship policy and the conditions that support long-term economic opportunity and business formation.