From www.forbes.com

China’s Cathay Institute is a 2011 winner of a Templeton Freedom Award for Excellence in Promoting Liberty. The prizes were endowed by the late, great money manager Sir John Templeton and are distributed through the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, an NGO in Washington D.C.

Cathay’s work involves support for the private business sector in China, which is in constant conflict with the state-capitalist machine under the dominion of the Communist Party. Here’s what the Atlas release said about the honor:

Cathay Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA) founded the Capital Freedom project in 2006, which aims to assess the status, problems and perspectives of corporate capital freedom in China. The project produces a yearly report on the overall progress of and hindrances to, corporate capital freedom in China. The Capital Freedom project includes workshops and training seminars that educate the next generation of leaders. To date, these events have been attended by over 820 government officials, entrepreneurs, journalists and students. A part of this project is the Capital Freedom Index, referenced frequently by national and international business media on the internet and in journals.

More information about Cathay–which is not affiliated with the Cathay Pacific airline–is available from Atlas.

Winner of a related Templeton prize for promotional efforts was the Centre for Civil Society in India. For a rundown of all the honorees, go here.