Arab America Foundation

What Arab America Foundation does

The Arab America Foundation (AAF) is a 501c3 non-profit educational and cultural organization established in 2019 and headquartered in Washington DC at 1629 K St. NW, Suite 300. Founded by Warren David and Dr. Amal David and inspired by Kahlil Gibran's Al Rabitah movement from a century earlier, the Foundation's mission is to promote Arab heritage, educate Americans about Arab identity and culture, and connect Arab Americans with each other and other communities across the United States. It operates against the backdrop of a U.S. Arab American population of nearly four million—over two-thirds of whom are concentrated in eleven states (California, Michigan, New York, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Washington DC)—and the fragmentation of that population across more than 1,500 ethnic, religious, and political organizations.

The Foundation's core programmatic offerings include: (1) the National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM) initiative launched in 2017, which coordinates proclamations from states, counties, municipalities, and school districts and has secured Presidential proclamations, a Congressional resolution, and permanent state legislation in Illinois, Oregon, Virginia, Indiana, and California; (2) the annual Connect Empowerment Summit, a two-day conference drawing 400+ attendees from 20+ states; (3) the Rising Leaders suite of recognition programs (40 Under 40, 30 Under 30, 20 Under 20); (4) Educational Curriculum Kits, Library Kits, School Kits, and Diversity Training Services distributed to school districts, libraries, municipalities, and law enforcement; (5) the Arab American Inclusion (AAI) Certification for corporations; and (6) the ArabAmerica.com digital media platform and Arab America E-News email newsletter. The organization has no proprietary technology platform and operates through standard digital media and grassroots volunteer infrastructure.

AAF's revenue model relies on three streams: individual donations and charitable contributions, the paid 'Become a Cousin' membership program, and corporate sponsorships and partnerships tied primarily to the Summit and Heritage Month initiatives. Distribution is executed through a grassroots network of 250+ volunteers across 26 states organized into 21 state teams, complemented by direct institutional engagement with school districts, municipalities, government entities, and corporations. The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Issam Andoni, with leadership including Vice Chairman Linda Mansour, Treasurer Ibrahim Hamideh, Co-Founders Warren David and Dr. Amal David, and six additional board members drawn from energy, legal, academic, medical, and entrepreneurial backgrounds.

Name

Arab America Foundation

Legal name

Arab America Foundation

Website

https://arabamericafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Arab America Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit that promotes Arab American heritage, educates Americans about Arab identity, and connects the U.S. Arab American community through National Arab American Heritage Month, the annual Connect Empowerment Summit, leadership recognition programs, and educational curriculum kits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Advocacy

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH), Intergovernmental Education Cooperation & Bilateral/Multilateral Programs (EDADALAA)

Keywords

• Cultural heritage promotion
• Community education
• Diversity training
• Heritage month campaigns
• Non-profit advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation is a 501c3 non-profit that relies on donations from individuals and organizations to fund operations and programs including National Arab American Heritage Month celebrations, leadership initiatives, and educational outreach.
2. Cousin (Paid Membership): Paid membership program called 'Become a Cousin' offering benefits including discounts on select educational and cultural events, business/professional networking access, and exclusive engagement opportunities.
3. Sponsorships and Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsorship opportunities for the Connect Empowerment Summit and National Arab American Heritage Month initiatives, including diversity workshop certification for companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Arab America Foundation is a non-profit 501c3 educational and cultural organization that promotes Arab American heritage, educates Americans about Arab identity and culture, and connects Arab Americans with each other and with diverse organizations across the U.S. It delivers this through the annual National Arab American Heritage Month initiative, the Connect Empowerment Summit, leadership recognition programs (40/30/20 Under age cohorts), educational curriculum kits, diversity training for institutions, and a paid membership program.

Product overview

Arab America Foundation operates a portfolio of educational, cultural, and empowerment programs rather than a traditional technology product. The core offerings include the National Arab American Heritage Month initiative (launched 2017), the annual Connect Empowerment Summit conference, and the Rising Leaders suite of recognition programs (40 Under 40, 30 Under 30, 20 Under 20). Supporting offerings include Educational Curriculum Kits, diversity training services, membership (Become a Cousin), and the ArabAmerica.com digital media platform. The organization also provides proclamations, library kits, school kits, and legislative kits to support heritage celebrations nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Arab American Heritage Month Annual nationwide initiative promoting Arab American heritage during April through proclamations, events, and educational activities; coordinated via a grassroots network to gather proclamations from states, counties, municipalities, and school districts.
• Connect Empowerment Summit Annual national two-day summit bringing Arab Americans together for networking, leadership development, and cultural celebration, featuring sessions on entrepreneurship, women's empowerment, public service, youth leadership, and Arab heritage. Attended by over 400 participants from 20 states.
• 40 Under 40 Award Program Annual award program celebrating accomplished Arab Americans aged 30-39 who excel in their fields and promote Arab heritage and culture across education, law, public service, business, engineering, medicine, arts, and media.
• 30 Under 30 Award Program Annual award program recognizing accomplished young Arab Americans aged 20-29 who demonstrate success in their industries and commitment to promoting Arab heritage and empowering their communities.
• 20 Under 20 Award Program Award program celebrating Arab American students between ages 17-20 who have achieved success in academics, work/internships, community service, and extracurricular activities demonstrating leadership and commitment to Arab heritage.
• Educational Curriculum Kit Educational materials covering the history, religion, culture, contributions, and issues of Arab Americans, distributed to schools, libraries, and institutions throughout the United States. Available as Library Kit, School Kit, and Proclamation Kit.
• Become a Cousin Membership Program Paid membership program offering members discounts on educational and cultural events, business and professional networking opportunities, and exclusive engagement opportunities supporting the foundation's mission.
• Diversity Training Services Customized diversity training sessions delivered to school districts, libraries, municipalities, law enforcement agencies, and government entities educating them about Arab Americans and Arab heritage.
• Virtual Internship Program Spring virtual internship opportunities for individuals interested in Arab American affairs, media, and community organization, providing career development experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• National Arab American Heritage Month initiative launched in 2017 with just a handful of states recognizing it, growing to 26 states and 45+ governors issuing proclamations by 2022.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• Amazon HeadquartersnotableGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Amazon served as the venue host for the National Arab American Heritage Month 2023 commemorative event at their headquarters, demonstrating corporate partnership for community celebration.
• Westfields Marriott Washington DullescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial hotel partner for the Connect Empowerment Summit 2026, offering discounted room rates ($149/night) for attendees and serving as the event venue. Located at 14750 Conference Center Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life and History): Founder and steward of Black History Month (est. 1926), ASALH is the structural precedent and operating model for AAF's National Arab American Heritage Month — promoting heritage through education, proclamations, and an annual national theme.
• National Urban League: Historic civil rights and empowerment organization with comprehensive programs in education, workforce, and advocacy. Comparable in the civic empowerment and diversity-training dimensions of AAF's work, though far broader in scope and constituency.
• Japanese American Citizens League (JACL): National Asian American civil rights organization with established infrastructure for heritage education, advocacy, and youth programs. JACL is a model peer for AAF as a heritage-month-recognized ethnic advocacy nonprofit, though operating at much greater scale.
• National Italian American Foundation (NIAF): Major ethnic-heritage nonprofit promoting Italian American culture, education, and heritage month recognition. Functionally comparable model to AAF — heritage month advocacy, educational programs, scholarships, leadership awards — at significantly larger scale.
• Hispanic Heritage Foundation: National nonprofit promoting Hispanic heritage, education, and leadership through award programs (LOFT), scholarship, and heritage month activations. Comparable in mission structure and youth recognition programming (parallel to AAF's 40/30/20 Under initiatives).

Emerging players

• AMIDEAST: U.S.-based nonprofit focused on international education and workforce development across the Middle East and North Africa. Comparable in mission-adjacent areas (Arab cultural understanding, education programs) but operates internationally rather than domestically-focused like AAF.

Direct peers

• Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR): Largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., with significant overlap of constituents with Arab Americans. CAIR operates similar diversity training, education, and government engagement programs, often addressing overlapping community concerns.
• Arab American National Museum: The first and only Arab American museum in the U.S., affiliated with ACCESS. Operates adjacent cultural and educational programming around Arab American history, identity, and contributions — overlapping with AAF's educational curriculum and heritage mission.
• Arab American Institute (AAI): National Arab American policy and advocacy organization founded by James Zogby, focused on civic engagement and political representation. Closely comparable mission and target population to AAF, though AAI skews more policy/government affairs and AAF skews heritage/culture.
• American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC): The largest Arab American civil rights organization in the U.S., focused on advocacy, combating discrimination, and protecting civil liberties. AAF's Co-Founder Warren David is a former ADC president, and ADC is the most direct precedent for AAF's non-sectarian national advocacy positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/arabamericafoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arab-americare-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Arab America Foundation