American Institute For Foreign Study Foundation

Make a Donation

Request a Brochure

Welcome to The AIFS FOUNDATION

Encouraging International Understanding Through Cultural Exchange

Tolerance & Humanity

Established in 1967 with the assistance of the late Senator Robert Kennedy to promote intercultural understanding.

Donate now

Academic Year in America

One of the most respected international high school exchange programs in the United States.

Learn More

Summer Institute for the Gifted

Programs for gifted and talented youth ages 5-17

Learn More

American Institute For Foreign Study Foundation

The American Institute For Foreign Study Foundation helps people from many nations and cultures gain global competencies through firsthand, human interaction and opportunities to travel and study abroad. AIFS Foundation is a public charity that was established in 1967, with the assistance of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

Our Mission

To provide educational and cultural exchange opportunities that foster greater understanding among the people of the world.

Programs for Learning

AIFS Foundation programs encourage individuals, schools and communities to participate in opportunities for foreign exchange.

AIFS Foundation Grants

The AIFS Foundation offers grants and scholarships to help individuals and schools gain access to the benefits of cultural exchange and international education.

Make a Donation to Bring the World Together!

Our goal is to raise funds to enable more deserving youth to learn about the world, other people and cultures, and to make the world a little smaller and a lot more enlightened. We hope you will consider joining our mission.

Over $400,000

in grants and scholarships awarded since 2019!

Over $1,500,000

awarded by the AIFS Foundation in the past 6 years.

Become a catalyst for international understanding.

Donate Today!

How does study abroad
make a difference?

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.

Employment

97%

97% of study abroad students find employment within 12 months of graduation.

Education

90%

90% of study abroad alumni get into their 1st or 2nd choice grad school.

Job Market

84%

84% of study abroad alumni claim their studies abroad helped them build valuable skills for the job market.

Adaptability

80%

80% of study abroad students report that study abroad allowed them to better adapt better to diverse work environments.

Positive Impact

70%

70% of study abroad alumni claim that because of study abroad they are more satisfied with their jobs.

Independence

95%

95% of study abroad alumni say the experience resulted in a positive impact on their ability to be independent.

AIFS Foundation Grants

The AIFS Foundation gives grants and scholarships annually to advance our mission. The Foundation is particularly proud of the scholarships that are awarded to youth from underserved populations to have the life-changing experience of traveling and studying abroad.

Donations provide an invaluable source of financial aid to these students who otherwise could not pay for the cost of participating in a study abroad program. Our scholarship students provide us with feedback annually that confirms the benefits of the experience in providing more hope, knowledge and inspiration in their lives.

We partner with individuals and organizations that want to help promote globalization of our youth and to promote understanding between cultures.

Scholarships

Partner with us

Contribute to the AIFS Foundation to establish a new scholarship program to support your interests. We can customize a scholarship program to meet your goals.

Partnerships

A Program of the AIFS Foundation

AYA is one of the most respected high school / homestay programs in the United States. Since its founding in 1981, Academic Year in America has enabled more than 35,000 foreign students to come to the United States.

Students

Learn More!

From our AYA Blog

“Each nation has different obstacles and different goals, shaped by the vagaries of history and of experience. Yet as I talk to young people around the world I am impressed not by the diversity but by the closeness of their goals, their desires and their concerns and their hopes for the future.”

—Robert F. Kennedy