American Academy of Diplomacy

What American Academy of Diplomacy does

The American Academy of Diplomacy (AAD) is an independent, non-profit association founded in 1983 and headquartered at 1101 17th Street NW in Washington, D.C. It comprises over 430 former senior US ambassadors and high-level government officials, and its stated mission is to strengthen American diplomacy by leveraging the experience of its members to support the Department of State, USAID, and other national security agencies, while educating students and the public on diplomatic practice. The organization operates as a membership-based professional association: members pay annual dues, supplemented by charitable donations processed through the Democracy Engine platform. Specific dues pricing is not publicly disclosed.

AAD's core offerings are non-commercial: Ambassador Forums hosted at partner universities (including Michigan, Georgia Southern, UC Riverside, Nebraska, Texas Tech, William & Mary, and Miami), DC-based seminars, the American Diplomat podcast with supplemental educational guides, an intern program, and an FSOT Career Track Virtual Series for aspiring Foreign Service Officers. The Academy also administers four prestigious annual awards — the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Award for Excellence in Diplomacy, the Henrietta Fore Development Award, the Douglas Dillon Book Award, and the Arthur Ross Media Award for distinguished journalism on foreign affairs — culminating in the Annual Awards Luncheon held at the Department of State.

The Academy pursues an advocacy and education mission rather than a technology or commercial product mission. It has no proprietary technology, software, or AI components; its distribution is built on a Wix-hosted website, multi-platform social media presence, and event-based programming. Partnerships include co-programming with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Thursday Luncheon Group. Revenue is generated through subscription-style membership dues and donations; no venture, private equity, or parent-company backing is identified, and the organization is governed autonomously by a Board of Directors.

Name

American Academy of Diplomacy

Legal name

American Academy of Diplomacy

Website

https://academyofdiplomacy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Academy of Diplomacy is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit association of over 430 former senior US ambassadors and government officials that strengthens American diplomacy through university forums, awards, podcasts, and policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), International Affairs (928120)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Diplomacy, Cultural Diplomacy & Strategic Communications (BPAIAIAE)

Keywords

• Diplomatic professional association
• Foreign policy advocacy
• Ambassador forum programs
• Diplomatic awards ceremony
• Foreign service career resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The Academy generates revenue through membership dues paid by former senior ambassadors and high-level government officials who join the organization.
2. Donations: The Academy accepts donations through Democracy Engine platform, enabling supporters to contribute financially to the organization's mission of strengthening American diplomacy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The American Academy of Diplomacy is a non-profit membership association of over 430 former senior US ambassadors and high-level government officials. It delivers its mission through ambassador speaker and forum programs at universities, DC seminars, podcasts and educational guides, an intern program, policy publications, and annual awards ceremonies (Walter and Leonore Annenberg Award, Henrietta Fore Development Award, Douglas Dillon Book Award, and Arthur Ross Media Award), with funding from membership dues and donations.

Product overview

The American Academy of Diplomacy (AAD) is a non-profit organization that strengthens American diplomacy through programs, publications, awards, and educational resources. Its core offerings include the Ambassador Speaker Series, which sends former senior ambassadors to universities for panels and discussions; Podcasts with supplemental educational guides; DC Seminars; Diplomatic Practice Courses for educators; and an Intern Program producing articles, videos, and panels. AAD also administers prestigious awards including the Douglas Dillon Book Award (for distinguished books on diplomacy), Arthur Ross Media Award (for journalism on foreign affairs), Walter and Leonore Annenberg Award, and Henrietta Fore Development Award, culminating in an Annual Awards Luncheon at the Department of State. Additional resources include publications, suggested readings, and books authored by members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ambassador Speaker Series A program that brings Academy members (former senior ambassadors) to various institutions for speaking engagements and panel discussions to raise awareness about U.S. diplomacy.
• University Ambassador Forums Multi-day programs hosted at universities (Michigan, Georgia Southern, UC Riverside, Nebraska, Texas Tech, William & Mary, University of Miami) featuring panels of Academy members for college students.
• DC Seminars Seminars held in Washington, D.C. focused on diplomatic practice and policy discussions.
• FSOT Career Track Virtual Series Virtual series providing career preparation resources and guidance for individuals pursuing careers in the US Foreign Service.
• American Diplomat Podcast Podcast featuring diplomatic discussions and interviews with Academy members, distributed via YouTube and supplemented by educational guides for educators and students.
• Intern Program Internship opportunity allowing students to work with the Academy on diplomatic topics, producing articles, panels, and media projects.
• Walter and Leonore Annenberg Award for Excellence in Diplomacy Annual award presented by the Academy to individuals for exemplary contributions to the field of American Diplomacy.
• Arthur Ross Media Award Annual award endowed by the Arthur Ross Foundation recognizing distinguished reporting and analysis on foreign affairs, given to journalists and commentators.
• Douglas Dillon Book Award Annual award recognizing books of distinction on the practice of American diplomacy.
• Henrietta Fore Development Award Award presented by the Academy for excellence in development.
• Annual Awards Luncheon Annual ceremony held at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. recognizing individuals for significant contributions to diplomacy, media, and development.
• Academy Membership Annual membership in the American Academy of Diplomacy for former senior US ambassadors and high-level government officials, with annual dues (pricing not publicly disclosed).

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CSIS to host discussions on diplomacy and development as pillars of national security. On April 3, 2024, the Academy hosted a discussion with Deputy Secretary of State Richard R. Verma at CSIS.
• Thursday Luncheon GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosted a Black History Month Program on February 8, 2024 titled 'Defenders of Democracy: Department of Defense, Department of State, and the Policy Advisors (POLAD) Program'
• Democracy EngineminorOthersThird-party donation processing platform used by the Academy to accept financial contributions from supporters

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Foreign Policy Association: Foreign Policy Association is a US membership-based, nonpartisan organization dedicated to foreign-policy education and public engagement, making it a closely comparable peer in mission and operating model to AAD.
• American Foreign Service Association (AFSA): AFSA is the professional association and union representing active and retired US Foreign Service employees, making it the closest direct peer to the American Academy of Diplomacy in mission, member base, and Washington-based diplomatic advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• Council on Foreign Relations: CFR is a major, well-established foreign-policy membership organization that convenes senior government officials, academics, and executives to shape US international policy. It overlaps with AAD in mission and elite membership composition but operates at a significantly larger scale.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Carnegie is a long-established, globally oriented think tank focused on diplomacy and international affairs, making it comparable to AAD in foreign-policy substance though operating at much greater analytical and budgetary scale.
• Brookings Institution: Brookings is one of the largest US think tanks with a substantial foreign-policy program that convenes senior officials and publishes on diplomacy, comparable to AAD in addressing US foreign-policy audiences.
• Atlantic Council: Atlantic Council is a major Washington-based foreign-policy institution producing analysis, convening leaders, and advocating for US international engagement, comparable to AAD in policy advocacy and Washington ecosystem positioning.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): CSIS is a prominent bipartisan foreign-policy think tank in Washington that regularly convenes senior officials and publishes on diplomacy and national security. AAD has a documented partnership with CSIS, reflecting overlapping audiences and complementary programming.

Others

• International Peace Institute: IPI is a New York-based international policy institute working on peace and security with strong engagement of former diplomats and officials, adjacent to AAD in audience and mission around strengthening diplomatic capacity.

Regional players

• Asia Society: Asia Society is a nonpartisan educational and policy organization promoting US engagement with Asia, overlapping with AAD in foreign-policy education and convening former officials, but with a regionally specialized focus.

Emerging players

• The Stimson Center: Stimson is a Washington-based think tank working on foreign policy and international security, comparable to AAD in subject matter and Washington ecosystem presence, though focused on policy research rather than retired-diplomat convening.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/acadofdiplomacy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChP94CSDDKT-Hi1ncahQiFA
• Facebookfacebook.com/acadofdiplomacy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-american-academy-of-diplomacy
• Instagraminstagram.com/acadofdiplomacy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Academy of Diplomacy