Alavi Foundation

What Alavi Foundation does

The Alavi Foundation is a New York-based nonprofit organization founded in 1976, operating for approximately fifty years with a mission to foster peace, justice, and understanding among all peoples of all faiths through scholarship grants, community programming, and creation of safe spaces for communities. Its sole documented product offering was a grant program supporting educational and community initiatives, distributed through what appears to be a small staff (11-50 employees) housed at 650 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1101 in Manhattan. The Foundation's most material asset was its interest in a 36-story office tower at 650 Fifth Avenue, which became the subject of forfeiture litigation beginning in 2008 over alleged concealed connections to an Iranian-controlled bank (Bank Saderat Iran) via a former partner, Assa Corporation.

Following more than 17 years of litigation — including six Second Circuit appeals in which Alavi prevailed — the Foundation entered a court-approved settlement with the U.S. government and private plaintiffs holding Iran-related judgments. Under the March 20, 2026 court order, all claims were dismissed with prejudice, the monitorship over the property was vacated, and the Foundation transferred all assets, including its interest in 650 Fifth Avenue, to a newly-created IRS-approved public charity pursuant to OFAC licenses and New York Charities Bureau consent. The Foundation categorically denied any allegation that it acted as an instrumentality of the Iranian government and did not admit liability in the resolution. The entity is currently winding down and will cease to exist once its affairs are concluded.

Name

Alavi Foundation

Legal name

The Alavi Foundation

Website

https://alavifoundation.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Alavi Foundation is a New York-based nonprofit founded in 1976 that promoted interfaith scholarship and community programming through grants. After 17+ years of forfeiture litigation over its 650 Fifth Avenue real estate, it is dissolving following a $318 million court-approved settlement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Philanthropy and Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

Keywords

• Nonprofit grant programs
• Community philanthropy
• Scholarship funding
• Charitable donations
• Interfaith community support

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Alavi Foundation was a nonprofit organization that provided grants, funding, and donations to communities, educational initiatives, and charitable causes. Its mission centered on promoting scholarship, creating safe spaces for communities to thrive, and fostering peace, justice, and understanding among peoples of all faiths. The Foundation operated for approximately 50 years and is currently transferring all assets to a newly-created IRS-approved public charity and dissolving pursuant to a March 2026 court-approved settlement with the U.S. government.

Product overview

Alavi Foundation is a nonprofit organization that offered grant programs and services to promote scholarship, create safe spaces for communities, and foster peace, justice, and understanding among all peoples of all faiths. The Foundation is currently transferring its assets to a newly-created IRS-approved public charity and dissolving its operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alavi Foundation Grant Programs Charitable grant programs that provided funding and donations to communities and educational initiatives, supporting scholarship, community development, safe community spaces, and interfaith understanding across peoples of all faiths. The programs were targeted at U.S.-based community groups, educational institutions, and charitable organizations aligned with the Foundation's mission.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Assa CorporationminorOthersFormer partnership that the Alavi Foundation regrets. Assa Corporation was unbeknownst to Alavi indirectly owned by an Iranian bank (Bank Saderat Iran). The Alavi Foundation has had no contact with Assa's ownership or management for nearly two decades, and all officers and directors who had any contact with Assa departed from and have had no affiliation with the Foundation for well over a decade.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Mott Foundation: Private foundation focused on civil society, education, and community development. Comparable as a community-focused grantmaking foundation operating grant programs similar to Alavi's scholarship and community-support work.
• Ford Foundation: One of the largest U.S. private foundations with a broad grantmaking portfolio spanning education, civil rights, and international peace. Directly comparable to Alavi as a general-purpose, NYC-headquartered grantmaking foundation serving public-benefit missions.
• New York Foundation: NYC-based community foundation funding grassroots organizations and social-justice initiatives. Comparable to Alavi as a geographically co-located, mission-aligned grantmaking foundation focused on community welfare.
• Open Society Foundations: Large grantmaking foundation supporting civil society, education, and cross-cultural understanding globally. Comparable to Alavi's stated mission of fostering peace, justice, and understanding among peoples of different faiths.
• Carnegie Corporation of New York: Major U.S. foundation with a strong focus on education and international peace, founded by Andrew Carnegie. Directly comparable to Alavi's scholarship and peace-promotion mission, with similar NYC headquarters and education-grantmaking orientation.
• Lilly Endowment: Large private U.S. foundation making substantial education and community-development grants. Comparable scale and grantmaking orientation to Alavi's scholarship and community-building programs.
• Islamic Scholarship Fund: Nonprofit providing scholarships and educational funding to American Muslim students. Comparable to Alavi's scholarship-focused grant programs and similar community-of-faith education mission.
• American Muslim Community Foundation: Faith-rooted community foundation supporting Muslim American communities through grants, scholarships, and charitable funds. Directly comparable to Alavi in combining community-development grantmaking with faith-based identity and interfaith outreach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AlaviFdn
• Facebookfacebook.com/thealavifoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thealavifoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Alavi Foundation