The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) today announced that its Affiliate Organization Program has grown to 50 member organizations, reaching the goal the Foundation set when it introduced the program in 2022. Spanning 22 states, the District of Columbia and Canada, NIAF affiliates now form a national network of charitable, cultural and fraternal organizations that share the Foundation’s mission to promote the Italian culture and heritage in America and to strengthen the bonds between the United States and Italy.
Launched in January 2022, the program partners NIAF with local and regional organizations whose communities exemplify both the achievements of our Italian immigrant ancestors and the enduring friendship between the two nations. Its signature benefit gives each affiliate the opportunity to nominate one qualified college student from its community to participate in The Ambassador Peter F. Secchia Voyage of Discovery, a two-week, all-expenses-paid educational and experiential journey to Italy valued at more than $5,000. Since the program began, 80 students have traveled to Italy through affiliate nominations.
“When we created this program, our goal was to give NIAF a genuine two-way connection with the organizations doing this work in their own communities every day,” said NIAF President and CEO Robert Allegrini. “Reaching 50 affiliates means we are hearing from Italian Americans in every corner of the country, and that makes us a stronger voice for them in Washington.”
Beyond Voyage of Discovery, affiliates may submit local events and news to be featured in NIAF’s eNotizie newsletter, which reaches more than 200,000 subscribers, and across the Foundation’s social media channels reaching nearly half a million followers. They also have the opportunity to co-host exclusive NIAF events in their local areas and their individual members receive discounted NIAF membership.
Affiliates range from the Columbus Citizens Foundation in New York and the Italian American Museum of
Los Angeles to the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans in Chicago, Festa Italiana Hawaii in Kailua and the Canadian Italian Business & Professional Association in Toronto and Hamilton. A complete list is available at NIAF.org.
NIAF continues to welcome new organizations into the program for an annual fee of $1,500.
To learn more about the NIAF Affiliate Organization Program, contact Anthony O’Boyle at [email protected] or visit NIAF.org.
