American Foreign Academic Research

What American Foreign Academic Research does

American Foreign Academic Research (AFAR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, that provides pre-collegiate students (primarily 9th-12th grade) and archaeology enthusiasts with hands-on archaeological field experiences. Founded by Mat Saunders in 2006 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 2007 with backing from Allen Douglas, AFAR operates four international field school programs — Cahal Pech in Belize (19+ years), Zorita Castle in Spain (since 2014), Tróia in Portugal (since 2018), and Mieza in Greece (since 2017) — where students work alongside credentialed professional archaeologists on excavation, mapping, illustration, and artifact processing. The organization has served over 400 student participants since inception and assisted more than 100 students through a scholarship program capped at 20% of field season costs.

AFAR's revenue model combines field school tuition ($6,779 per student for Belize, $6,850 for Spain, $7,750 for Portugal), conference registration fees ($525 per participant for Maya at the Mouse), charitable donations, and scholarship contributions. Distribution is hybrid: direct-to-consumer applications via the GoAFAR website (a Squarespace-hosted site), school-based cohort partnerships (notably Davidson Day School where Saunders teaches), and three conference series — Maya at the Playa (2007-2022), Maya at the Lago (2011-2022), and Maya at the Mouse (launched February 2025 at Walt Disney World). The Mayanist, an open-access peer-reviewed academic journal launched in 2020, extends the organization's scholarly footprint beyond its operational programs.

The underlying technology is minimal: a Squarespace website, downloadable PDF journal issues, and a documentary film project (afarproject.com). There is no proprietary software stack, mobile app, API, or AI/ML capabilities. AFAR's competitive position rests on a talent moat (site directors include Dr. Jaime Awe, former Director of the Belize Institute of Archaeology and 2022 SAA awardee, plus Directors of Publications Maxime Lamoureux-St-Hilaire and several European-academic site directors) and a niche brand reputation in Maya archaeology circles built over 19 years and 25 hosted conferences. The business is effectively an education-tourism nonprofit with philanthropic support, serving a small but loyal customer base with limited scalability levers and no visible digital expansion.

Name

American Foreign Academic Research

Legal name

American Foreign Academic Research

Website

https://goafar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

American Foreign Academic Research (AFAR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing pre-collegiate students with hands-on archaeological field school experiences at sites in Belize, Spain, Portugal, and Greece, complemented by Maya archaeology conferences and an open-access academic journal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Archaeological Field Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Field Schools & Experiential Academic Programs (Archaeology, Ecology, etc.) (EDAIAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Experiential & Field-Based Study Abroad (Research, Field Schools, Practicums) (EDAIAAAD), Faculty-Led & Research/Field Study Expeditions (THAKAGAK), Short-Term Secondary Immersion & Cultural Exchange Trips (EDAIAHAD), Cultural Heritage, Arts & Archaeology Service Programs (EDAIAGAH)

Keywords

• Archaeological field schools
• Maya archaeology research
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Pre-collegiate education programs
• Academic archaeology conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Davidson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AFAR provides pre-collegiate archaeological field school programs at heritage sites in Belize (Cahal Pech), Spain (Zorita Castle), Portugal (Tróia), and Greece (Mieza), where students work alongside professional archaeologists learning excavation, mapping, illustration, and artifact processing. The organization's offerings are complemented by three Maya archaeology conference series and The Mayanist, a peer-reviewed open-access academic journal published twice yearly. Programs are delivered as paid experiential learning experiences combining fieldwork, classroom sessions, seminars, and cultural excursions.

Product overview

American Foreign Academic Research (AFAR) operates as a nonprofit educational organization offering a portfolio of archaeological field school programs and Maya archaeology conferences for pre-collegiate students. The core offerings include field school programs at sites in Belize (Cahal Pech Maya site), Spain (Zorita Castle), Portugal (Tróia Roman ruins), and Greece (Mieza). These are complemented by three conference series: Maya at the Playa (2007-2022), Maya at the Lago (2011-2022), and the Maya at the Mouse Meetings (launched 2025). AFAR also publishes The Mayanist, a peer-reviewed open-access journal, and administers scholarship programs for student participants. The organization is headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Mayanist: A peer-reviewed journal in open-access on the archaeology, epigraphy, ethnohistory, linguistics, and anthropology of the Maya, edited by Maxime Lamoureux-St-Hilaire and C. Mathew Saunders.
• Maya at the Playa
• Maya at the Lago
• Maya at the Mouse Meetings

Products and services

• Belize Field School Program (Cahal Pech) Multi-week pre-collegiate archaeological field school at the Cahal Pech Maya site in Belize, where students work alongside professional archaeologists learning excavation, mapping, illustration, and artifact processing. The $6,779 per-student fee includes roundtrip airfare from Charlotte NC, room & board, fieldwork training, seminars, workshops, excursions, transportation to & from airport, medical insurance, and administrative costs.
• Spain Field School Program (Zorita Castle) Pre-collegiate archaeological field school at the medieval Castle of Zorita de los Canes in Spain, an archaeological site once home to the Calatrava Order of Templar Knights. The $6,850 per-student fee includes roundtrip airfare from Charlotte, medical insurance, room & board, fieldwork training, seminars, workshops, and excursions.
• Portugal Field School Program (Tróia) Pre-collegiate archaeological field school at the Roman Ruins of Tróia in Portugal, the largest known fish sauce producing site in the Roman Empire. The $7,750 per-student fee includes accommodations in Tróia houses near the site, fieldwork training, seminars, workshops, excursions, and cultural programming.
• Maya at the Playa Conference Annual four-day conference on Maya archaeology held in Palm Coast, Florida from 2007 to 2022, drawing over 100 Maya experts and 600+ attendees cumulatively from 34 states and 12 countries. The conference served as a venue for scholarly presentations, networking, and public engagement with Maya archaeology research.
• Maya at the Lago Conference Annual four-day Maya archaeology conference hosted on the shores of Lake Norman in Davidson, North Carolina from 2011 to 2022. The conference also served as the training hub for AFAR summer field program students.
• Maya at the Mouse Meetings Conference series launched in 2025 at Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida, bringing together archaeologists, museologists, imagineers, and designers to explore how storytelling and design bring the Maya past to life. Registration is $525 per participant and includes 4 days of lectures, workshops, forums, catered lunches, and exclusive merchandise, limited to 90 participants.
• The Mayanist Journal Open-access peer-reviewed academic journal published twice yearly covering archaeology, epigraphy, ethnohistory, linguistics, and anthropology of the Maya, edited by Maxime Lamoureux-St-Hilaire and C. Mathew Saunders. Free downloadable PDFs are distributed to scholars worldwide.
• AFAR Scholarship Program Financial assistance program providing up to 20% of field season costs for qualified students with financial need. Since 2007, the program has assisted over 100 students in participating in AFAR projects.
• AFAR Documentary Film Projects AFAR produces documentary films about archaeological discoveries and cultural heritage, including the Maya at the Mouse documentary project, distributed via afarproject.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 students have participated in AFAR research programs since 2006
• +5 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ArchaeoSpain: Spain-focused archaeological field school founded by Catalina Urquijo, who also serves as AFAR's Program Director for Spain. Competes for the same student segment at overlapping Iberian sites and shares personnel, making it both a peer and a partner.
• Earthwatch Institute: Nonprofit that recruits paying volunteers and students to join scientists on field research expeditions worldwide. Closely mirrors AFAR's field-research-plus-education model, though it serves adults and corporate teams more than pre-collegiate students.
• Rustic Pathways: Operates service-learning and cultural immersion programs for high school students across multiple countries. Directly comparable teen-segment, multi-country experiential education model, though its curriculum centers on community service rather than archaeology.
• Where There Be Dragons: Experiential education provider running immersive multi-country programs for high school and college students, including archaeology and cultural heritage tracks. Comparable in target demographic, price band, and field-based pedagogy.
• Crow Canyon Archaeological Center: Colorado-based nonprofit running archaeology field schools for students and teachers, including teen programs. Directly comparable in mission (archaeological education + research + public engagement) and in mixing K-12 programming with adult enrichment.
• National Geographic Student Expeditions: Premium high-school travel programs combining fieldwork, photography, and cultural immersion with strong brand leverage. Comparable to AFAR's $6,000+ international summer programs targeting college-bound teens and parents seeking differentiated experiences.

Broad incumbents

• CIS Abroad: Multi-destination study abroad provider with experiential and field-based programs. Competes for the same parent-paid, college-credit-seeking high school audience but as a broad-spectrum provider rather than an archaeology specialist.
• Smithsonian Institution: Largest U.S. cultural and educational institution with significant archaeology programming, scholarships, and student programs. Overlaps with AFAR on public engagement and Maya scholarship but at vastly greater scale and as a museum operator.
• Royal Archaeological Institute: UK-based learned society promoting archaeological research and public lectures, including international study tours. Comparable scholarly mission and conference programming, though focused on academic members rather than pre-collegiate students.
• Archaeological Institute of America: Largest U.S. nonprofit for archaeology with nationwide lectures, teacher workshops, and study tours. Overlaps with AFAR on educational programming and Maya scholarship but operates at much larger scale and without pre-collegiate field schools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Foreign Academic Research