AIFS Foundation Mission Statement

The AIFS Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) tax exempt public charity, was established in 1967 with the assistance of the late Senator Robert Kennedy to help young people from many nations and diverse cultures to understand each other better. The AIFS Foundation provides grants and scholarships to students for participation in study abroad programs and provides grants to high schools and institutions to encourage international and educational travel. The AIFS Foundation also sponsors the Academic Year in America program, which enables more than 1,000 international teenage students to spend a semester or academic year with an American host family while attending the local high school. The AIFS Foundation is designated by the U.S. Department of State to issue the J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa for the program.

The AIFS Foundation Mission is to provide educational and cultural exchange opportunities to foster greater understanding among the people of the world.

It seeks to fulfill its mission by:

• Organizing high quality educational programs at affordable prices to enable young people to live and study
  abroad.
• Supporting educational and travel opportunities for disadvantaged youth.
• Developing cooperative programs between organizations, both public and private, that share our goals.
• Providing grants to individuals for participation in culturally enriching homestay and educational programs.

Find out more about Foundation programs — Academic Year in America | American Youth Abroad — and how they are administered.