World Affairs Council of San Antonio

What World Affairs Council of San Antonio does

The World Affairs Council of San Antonio is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization chartered in July 1982 and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It operates as one of 96 local affiliates of the World Affairs Councils of America network, with a mission to promote public understanding of world affairs and U.S. foreign policy among San Antonio and South Texas residents. The organization runs a diversified programming portfolio including a Distinguished Speaker Series, Ambassador Luncheon Series, Diplomat Salons, Foreign Diplomat Receptions, Fulbright Roundtables, and an annual International Citizen of the Year Award Gala, alongside youth engagement through the Academic WorldQuest competition (national reach of 4,000+ high school students), a Young Professionals program, an internship pipeline, and four $2,500 annual scholarships administered through the San Antonio Area Foundation.

The Council is supported by a 1-10 person staff and a Board of Directors composed of senior local figures including the Mayor of San Antonio, sitting ambassadors, and executives from HEB, Frost Bank, Jackson Walker LLP, Morgan Stanley, AT&T, and Norton Rose Fulbright. Revenue is generated through individual and corporate membership subscriptions (pricing not publicly disclosed), event ticket sales, charitable donations, and scholarship fund contributions. Key partnerships include the San Antonio Area Foundation (scholarship administration), the San Antonio Fulbright Association (Fulbright Roundtables), Keystone School (multiple national Academic WorldQuest wins), and over 30 foreign consulates across Texas that participate in the annual Consular Reception. The organization was named Council of the Year by WACA in 2024, recognizing it as the top-performing council in the national network.

Name

World Affairs Council of San Antonio

Legal name

World Affairs Council of San Antonio

Website

https://wacofsa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The World Affairs Council of San Antonio is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization, founded in 1982, that delivers foreign-policy programming, lectures, diplomat events, and youth competitions to San Antonio and South Texas community members, corporate sponsors, and students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic and Foreign Policy Education Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Government & Public Sector Conferences (MPAGAGAH), Government & Public Affairs (External Relations) (EDALAOAJ)

Keywords

• Foreign policy education
• International affairs programs
• Civic education services
• Diplomatic engagement programs
• Global citizenship programming

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

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. Individual Memberships: Annual memberships for individuals interested in world affairs and foreign policy education. Members receive access to programs, events, and networking opportunities.
2. Corporate Memberships: Sponsorships and corporate memberships providing business networking opportunities and visibility at events.
3. Event Revenue: Revenue from ticket sales to programs including the Distinguished Speaker Series, Ambassador Luncheons, Diplomat Salons, and the annual International Citizen of the Year Award Gala.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors to support educational programs, scholarships, and operational costs.
5. Scholarship Fund: Donations specifically designated for scholarship programs supporting students pursuing degrees in International Affairs or related fields.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The World Affairs Council of San Antonio is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers public educational programming on world affairs and U.S. foreign policy through a portfolio of lectures, luncheons, salons, gala events, youth competitions, scholarships, and internship opportunities. Revenue is generated via individual and corporate memberships, event ticket sales, donations, and corporate sponsorships, with members receiving access to programs and exclusive networking with diplomats and international thought leaders.

Product overview

The World Affairs Council of San Antonio is a non-profit educational organization (501(c)(3)) providing a unified platform of global citizenship education programs. The core offerings center on educational programming including the Distinguished Speaker Series, Ambassador Luncheon Series, Diplomat Salons, Foreign Diplomat Reception, International Citizen of the Year Award Gala, and Fulbright Roundtables. Youth engagement programs include Academic WorldQuest competition, Young Professionals programming, a Scholarship Program offering up to four $2,500 annual scholarships, and an Internship Program. The organization operates membership tiers (Individual and Corporate) to fund its mission of promoting public understanding of world affairs and U.S. foreign policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Academic WorldQuest: A flagship youth education program of the national network of World Affairs Councils. It is a team competition testing high school students' knowledge of international affairs.

Products and services

• Distinguished Speaker Series

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4,000 high school students participate annually in Academic WorldQuest across the U.S.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Affairs Councils of America (WACA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe World Affairs Council of San Antonio is a member of the World Affairs Councils of America, a national network of 96 local councils. This membership provides access to shared programming resources, national events, the Academic WorldQuest competition framework, and connectivity to other councils across the U.S.
• Keystone SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeystone School students have won the national Academic WorldQuest competition multiple times (2016, 2017, 2022), representing San Antonio at the national competition in Washington D.C. The school serves as a key partner in the Council's youth education initiatives.
• San Antonio Area FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Council has invested its scholarship fund with the San Antonio Area Foundation, which manages the scholarship program and distributions for students pursuing degrees in International Affairs or related fields.
• RackspaceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRackspace hosted the 2017 Academic WorldQuest competition venue, providing space for the local competition event.
• San Antonio Fulbright AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Council collaborates with the San Antonio Fulbright Association to present Fulbright Roundtables, exclusive events connecting Global Leader members with speakers who have international relations experience.
• U.S. Mission to ChinaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDiplomat Julie Kavanagh, who served as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to China, participated in Council programming as a Diplomat in Residence speaker.
• San Antonio Consulates and Foreign CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Council hosts an annual Foreign Diplomat Reception honoring regional diplomats and consulates, convening members with international representatives from Miami, Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio. Over 30 countries are represented.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• World Affairs Council of Charlotte: Another large WACA-affiliated council offering comparable programming including travel programs, speaker series, and Young Professionals tracks in a different but similar mid-sized US city. Closely aligned operating model and membership structure.
• World Affairs Council of Philadelphia: Large WACA-affiliated council in a major US metropolitan market offering comparable speaker, salon, and travel programming to a similar professional and civic membership base.
• World Affairs Council of Austin: Closest geographic peer in Texas offering similar speaker series, luncheons, salons, and young professional programming for international affairs engagement. Shares the same WACA national network, member model, and event-based revenue mix.

Broad incumbents

• World Affairs Council of America: The national umbrella network of 96 local World Affairs Councils; comparable as the parent association and peer-level operator of large-scale civic foreign-policy education programming, leadership summits, and the Academic WorldQuest competition.
• Council on Foreign Relations: The preeminent US-based nonpartisan foreign policy membership organization offering speaker events, briefings, and publications. Operates at a much larger national scale but addresses the same mission of public engagement with world affairs and US foreign policy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wacofsa
• Facebookfacebook.com/wacofsa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-world-affairs-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World Affairs Council of San Antonio