Arab American Institute

What Arab American Institute does

The Arab American Institute Foundation (AAI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, civil rights advocacy organization headquartered at 1600 K Street NW in Washington, D.C., organized in 1985 to represent approximately 3.7 million Arab Americans across the United States. AAI's functional mandate spans three pillars: strengthening democracy (voting rights, decennial census advocacy), protecting civil rights and civil liberties (educational opportunity, equal protection, hate crime prevention, immigration, discriminatory enforcement), and standing for human rights (Palestine and the Arab World). Its core products and programs include the Yalla Vote voter mobilization campaign (launched 1998) with a national bilingual Arabic/English election protection hotline (844-YALLA-US); leadership development through a paid internship program ($1,000/month stipend or college credit), year-long mentorship cohorts, and the monthly Generations professional networking series; the U.S. Census Bureau's only Census Information Center dedicated to Arab Americans; data reports and precinct-level voter analyses; and American Attitudes polling conducted with John Zogby Strategies.

AAI's go-to-market is community-led civic engagement rather than commercial sales. The organization is led by Dr. James J. Zogby (President) and Maya Berry (Executive Director), with research and advocacy content distributed via the aaiusa.org website, email action alerts, multi-platform social media, virtual community briefings, the annual Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards gala, and partnerships ranging from National Voter Registration Day to on-the-ground community partners (student organizations, Arabic grocery stores, restaurants, community centers) across the 12 states where 75% of Arab Americans reside. The revenue model is donations and contributions from individuals, members, and institutional supporters, supplemented by gala sponsorships ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 and a merchandise line at aaiusa.shop. Programs, content, and services are free to the public.

Name

Arab American Institute

Legal name

Arab American Institute Foundation

Website

https://aaiusa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Arab American Institute Foundation is a 501(c)(3) civil rights advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. that represents approximately 3.7 million Arab Americans through voter mobilization (Yalla Vote), leadership development, census research, and federal policy advocacy on civil rights and human rights.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Rights Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA), Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)

Keywords

• Civil rights advocacy
• Voter mobilization
• Leadership development
• Demographic research
• Policy analysis

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, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and contributions: AAI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on donations from individuals, members, and supporters to fund its operations and programs including civic engagement, policy advocacy, and leadership development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Arab American Institute is a national civil rights advocacy organization that mobilizes the 3.7 million Arab Americans in the United States through voter engagement (Yalla Vote), leadership development (internship, mentorship, Generations), policy research, and census-based demographic analysis. Its core deliverables are civic engagement programs, demographic data products, polling research, and advocacy campaigns on civil rights, civil liberties, and human rights issues, all delivered free of charge and funded through donations and sponsorships.

Product overview

The Arab American Institute (AAI) is a civil rights advocacy organization offering a portfolio of civic engagement and research products rather than a unified technology platform. Core offerings include Yalla Vote (voter mobilization), leadership development programs (Internship, Mentorship, Generations), data research products (Data Reports, Census Information Center, American Attitudes Polling), and policy advocacy initiatives. These products work together to organize Arab American constituencies, strengthen democracy, protect civil rights, and defend human rights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Yalla Vote Premier Arab American voter mobilization campaign providing voter registration, education, election protection, and disinformation-combat services. Includes a bilingual Arabic/English election protection hotline (844-YALLA-US / 844-925-5287) that provides real-time voter support on intimidation, suppression, language assistance, polling locations, and voter ID requirements. For the Arab American community nationwide.
• Summer Internship Program Ten-week internship program in Washington, DC for college students and recent graduates interested in public affairs, civic engagement, and policy. Participants earn either college credit or a $1,000 monthly stipend, gaining hands-on experience at a national civil rights organization.
• Mentorship Program Year-long mentorship program convening Arab American professionals from foreign policy, academia, business, and sciences fields, with regular in-person or virtual meetings to support professional development and community connection.
• Generations Series Monthly networking series bringing together Arab American professionals in Washington, DC to celebrate, learn, and network, featuring guest speakers and cultural events.
• Data Reports and Research Data-based reports on Arab American community demographics, voting patterns, hate crime targeting, and issues impacting the community, including precinct-level voter analysis and demographic fact sheets by state.
• Census Information Center U.S. Census Bureau-designated center providing custom research, demographics on the Arab American community, and access to Census Bureau data tools and trainings for underserved populations. The only Census Information Center dedicated to Arab Americans.
• American Attitudes Polling Polls measuring American attitudes toward Arabs, Muslims, Arab Americans, Israel, Palestine, and related policy issues, conducted in partnership with John Zogby Strategies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60%+ turnout in 1981 San Diego all-mail ballot election (vs typical low special election turnout) — the voter mobilization model that inspired Oregon's vote-by-mail system
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brennan Center for Justice: Nonpartisan policy and law institute focused on voting rights, democracy, and civil liberties — directly comparable to AAI's Yalla Vote and civil rights advocacy portfolio, though operating primarily through litigation and policy research rather than community mobilization.
• Japanese American Citizens League (JACL): Ethnic-community civil rights nonprofit with a long history of civic engagement, civil liberties advocacy, and policy representation — comparable to AAI in mission, structure, and historical lineage as a community-defining advocacy organization.
• Anti-Defamation League (ADL): National Jewish civil rights and advocacy organization with similar structure: 501(c)(3) nonprofit, polling and research arm, policy advocacy in Congress, and a constituency-based mission that includes hate-crime monitoring — directly comparable to AAI in mission and operating model.
• UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza): Hispanic-focused civil rights advocacy nonprofit with a very similar operating model: voter mobilization, policy research, leadership development programs, and demographic data analysis on its target community — the closest structural parallel to AAI in scale and program mix.
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC): Asian-American civil rights coalition with policy research, advocacy, and voter engagement programs — structurally analogous to AAI as an ethnic-community civil rights umbrella organization in Washington, D.C.
• Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR): Muslim-American civil rights organization focused on advocacy, hate-crime response, and community engagement — overlapping heavily with AAI on civil liberties, discrimination, and religious/ethnic identity protection, with comparable donor-driven nonprofit structure.

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: Historic U.S. civil rights and urban advocacy organization with policy research, voter mobilization, and workforce programs — broader in scope than AAI but directly comparable as an established civil rights nonprofit with national policy influence.
• NAACP: The preeminent U.S. civil rights organization, comparable to AAI as an ethnic-community civil rights nonprofit conducting voter mobilization, policy research, and litigation advocacy, but operating at materially larger scale and with broader name recognition.

Emerging players

• Center for American Progress (CAP): Progressive policy think tank producing demographic research, polling, and policy analysis — comparable to AAI's research and polling arm, but operating at larger scale and across broader policy domains rather than a single ethnic community.
• Muslim Advocates: National Muslim civil rights organization focused on policy advocacy, legal support, and combating discrimination — comparable to AAI's civil rights work on adjacent faith/ethnic communities, though with a more litigation-heavy approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arab-american-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Arab American Institute