The Friends of Universidad Francisco Marroquin (Friends of UFM) is a nonprofit organization that supports the work of the Universidad Francisco Marroquin (UFM), a nonprofit university based in Guatemala. The mission of UFM is to teach and promote the principles of classical liberalism. ¹

The Friends of UFM supports several initiatives at the Universidad Francisco Marroquin, including the ITA Scholarship program, the Antigua Forum, a video game center, and UFM Madrid. ²

The Friends of Universidad Francisco Marroquin is a former associate member of the State Policy Network, a coalition of free-market state-level policy organizations. ³

Activities

The Friends of UFM seeks support for the Antigua Forum, which was launched by UFM in 2012, in an effort to advance liberty, economic progress, and opportunity through action and initiative. ⁴ The Antigua Forum is an annual problem-solving event, which aims to turn initiatives into action plans by bringing together political leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts to find solutions to real-world problems. In addition to funds raised through the Friends of UFM, the Antigua Forum is funded by organizations like the Lovett and Ruth Peters Foundation, the State Policy Network, and the Atlas Network. ⁵

Friends of UFM seeks support for UFM’s video game center, originally launched in February 2018. UFM claims that video games have the capacity to transmit values using an international language and are more powerful than movies at embedding ideas and attitudes. UFM intends to use funding for its video game center to ultimately integrate video games into its undergraduate curriculum, creating projects that cross disciplines. ⁶

The Friends of UFM seeks support for UFM Madrid, which was established in 2018. The aim of UFM Madrid is to provide a disruptive, yet replicable educational model that teaches and promotes the principles of classical liberalism, including free markets, individual freedom, and personal responsibility. ⁷

Funding

Friends of UFM is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While Friends of UFM does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the John Templeton Foundation ($119,855 in 2016), ⁸ the Servant Foundation ($34,400 in 2020), ⁹ and the Charles Koch Foundation ($20,000 in 2019). ¹⁰

Board of Directors

Rodolfo Milani is the president of the Friends of UFM. Milani is a member of the Inter-American Institute for Democracy, the Miami Freedom Forum, the Cato Club Miami, and the Mont Pelerin Society. Milani is the chair of the Miami board of advisors of the James Madison Institute, the founder and chair of the Churchill Society of South Florida, and a trustee of the Hispanic American Center for Economic Research. ¹¹

Daniel Austin Green is the treasurer and secretary of the board of the Friends of UFM, a senior fellow at the Center for Civil Society, and sits on the advisory board of the Antigua Forum. Green formerly worked as program director at the Templeton Religion Trust and director of the Individual Freedom and Free Markets program at John Templeton Foundation, and is a former fellow at Liberty Fund. ¹²

Vidar Jorgensen is the chair of the Validation institute. ¹³

Hugo Diaz is the director of the Acton MBA program at Universidad Francisco Marroquin (UFM), a fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Central America Leadership Initiative, and sits on the advisory board of the Antigua Forum. ¹⁴

Luis Antonio Samayoa is also a member of the board. ¹⁵

1. “Home.” Friends of UFM. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://foufm.org/.
2.  “Home.” Friends of UFM. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://foufm.org/.
3. “Directory.” State Policy Network. Archived from the original, March 10, 2016. Accessed June 6, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20160310002537/http://www.spn.org/directory/char.F/organizations.asp.
4. “Antigua Forum.” Friends of UFM. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://foufm.org/antigua-forum/.
5. “Home.” The Antigua Forum. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://antiguaforum.ufm.edu/.
6. “Video Game Center.” Friends of UFM. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://foufm.org/video-game-center/.
7. “UFM Madrid.” Friends of UFM. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://foufm.org/ufm-madrid/.
8. John Templeton Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2016, Part XV, Line 3.
9. Servant Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2020, Schedule I, Part II.
10. Charles Koch Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019, Part XV, Line 3.
11. “Board of Directors.” Friends of UFM. Accessed June 6, 2023. https://foufm.org/board-of-directors/.
12. “Board of Directors.” Friends of UFM. Accessed June 6, 2023. https://foufm.org/board-of-directors/.
13. “Vidar Jorgensen.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidar-jorgensen-b9b18b4/.
14. “Board of Directors.” Friends of UFM. Accessed June 6, 2023. https://foufm.org/board-of-directors/.
15. “Board of Directors.” Friends of UFM. Accessed June 6, 2023. https://foufm.org/board-of-directors/.