Iron Lady's US Charity a Lasting Legacy

Britain's first woman Prime Minister Lady Margaret Thatcher who passed away overnight will also be remembered for a charity Foundation she set up in the United States to advance transatlanic links through politics.

The Margaret Thatcher Foundation was formed in 1991 to advance the cause of political and economic freedom.

Margaret Thatcher was born on 13 October 1925 in Grantham, Lincolnshire. She died peacefully in London on 8 April 2013 aged 87.

Lady Thatcher's conservative ideas made a lasting impact on Britain with her dedication to free markets and opposing the power of trade unions. Her uncompromising style earned her the nickname, "The Iron Lady". She served as prime minister for more than a decade.

The Foundation website explains that the organisation has five broad goals:

1. To promote the widest possible acceptance of democracy, market principles, the rule of law, and strong defence
2. To encourage strong transatlantic links between Britain, Europe, and North Americ
3. To assist and encourage the peoples of the former communist countries and other oppressive regimes across the world as they adopt democracy
4. To foster greater contact between Western nations and those of the Middle East in the region's search for a lasting peace with security
5. To further free trade throughout the world

The Foundation says it has pursued an innovative and imaginative educational program.

"Drawing on Lady Thatcher's worldwide standing and expertise, it raised funds and helped to finance projects promoting Western business, legal, and technical education, particularly in former communist countries. It has collaborated with charities, schools, universities, and major cultural institutions, such as the Library of Congress," it says.

"The Foundation has also funded the distribution to university libraries around the world of The Complete Public Statements of Margaret Thatcher 1945-2000, a remarkable Oxford University Press CD-ROM offering the full text of every public statement Lady Thatcher has ever made, rendering her political thought and record in office the most accessible of any major political figure, alive or dead.

"Its most recent project has been the development of a website, placing a significant proportion of the disk and other public papers on line for educational benefit."

The Foundation says it raises funds wholly through private philanthropy. The Margaret Thatcher Foundation is incorporated as a nonprofit educational organisation in Washington, D.C.