Turkish-American Associations

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In alphabetical order:

American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages (AATT)
AATT members are teachers of Turkic languages; universities, including language schools in government services; and other related educational institutions. AATT is dedicated to the enhancement of study, criticism, and research in the field of Turkic languages, literature, and linguistics. It seeks to improve and advance the teaching methods of modern and historical Turkic languages. AATT develops guidelines and standards for proficiency-based teaching of Turkic languages, publishes bibliography of teaching materials, and organizes workshops for teachers.

American Friends of Turkey (AFOT)
Founded in 1982, AFOT is based in Washington, DC. It is a charitable organization with programs and activities to promote greater public awareness and understanding of Turkey’s history, culture and modern day society; and in doing so, to build bridges between the American and Turkish peoples.

American Research Institute (ARIT) – U.S. Office
ARIT is a non-profit educational institution dedicated to promoting North American and Turkish research and exchanges related to Turkey in all fields of the humanities and social sciences. ARIT provides support for these scholarly endeavors by maintaining research centers in Istanbul and Ankara, and by administering programs of fellowships to support research in Turkey at doctoral and advanced research levels. In the U.S., ARIT sponsors lectures in collaboration with the American Turkish Council, the New York chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum. ARIT institutional member, the University of Pennsylvania, houses the ARIT U.S. office in the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology in Philadelphia.

American Turkish Council (ATC)
ATC is a business association which is dedicated to effectively strengthening US-Turkish relations through the promotion of commercial, defense, technology and cultural relations. Its diverse membership includes Fortune 500, U.S. and Turkish companies, multinationals, non-profit organizations and individuals with an interest in U.S.-Turkish relations. Guided by member interests, ATC strives to enhance the growing ties between the U.S. and Turkey by initiating and facilitating efforts to increase investment and trade between the two countries.

American Turkish Society (ATS)
Founded in 1949, ATS is the oldest American-Turkish organization in the U.S. which aims to serve any corporations/individuals with an interest in Turkey and U.S.-Turkish relations. ATS aims to build an understanding and a positive image of Turkey among Americans; serve the Turkish community in America; encourage tourism to Turkey; support artists and their art; and share the history, culture and art of Turkey.

Anatolian Artistans (AnARt)
Based in Washington Metropolitan area with coordinators in Turkey, AnARt is a small but growing organization supplemented by a network of expert consultants. Raising awareness about the Turkish arts and culture is an integral part of AnARt’s activities.

Assembly of Turkish American Association (ATAA)
The founding principle of ATAA was the need to create cohesion and cooperation between the large numbers of social/cultural Turkish American organizations around the US. The main objectives of ATAA are two-fold. One is to create an informed national Turkish American community that can help foster US-Turkish relations and take an active part in promoting a balanced and truthful picture of Turkey in the US. The other is to educate Americans in government, the media and the public at large about Turkey and issues that concern Turkish Americans. In pursuit of its mission and objectives, ATAA undertakes a number of activities including educational workshops, seminars and conferences on a variety of political, social and economic issues facing Turkey, and cultural events to promote Turkey’s rich cultural heritage, as well as educational seminars for American teachers. See also: ATAA Component Associations.

Atatürk Society of America (ASA)
Founded in Washington DC in 1995, ASA is an independent non-profit organization with the objective of promoting Atatürk’s political legacy as a contribution to universal freedom and peace. Given this objective, the ASA organizes scholarly lectures, grants research fellowships, maintains a resource and reference center, and makes representations regarding the benefits of Atatürk’s political principles for world’s prosperity and peace.

Bridge to Turkiye (BTF)
Bridge to Turkiye Fund was established in 2003 by Turkish Americans driven to make a difference, to improve life and to cultivate social change for the common good.  BTF’s commitment to these ideals stems from our basic desire to Give-Back to our native land for the many opportunities we have gained from her.  BTF’s capacity building programs in Turkey, provide opportunities for the Turkish-Americans and Friends of Turkey to reconnect with their roots and ties in Turkey, while encouraging global civic responsibility.

Institute of Turkish Studies (ITS)
Founded in 1982, ITS is located at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service of the Georgetown University. As the oldest and largest school of international affairs in the country, ITS is the only non-profit, private educational foundation in the U.S. that supports the development of Turkish Studies in American higher education. Its major objectives are: To support individual scholars, especially younger members of the academic profession in the United States for advanced research on Turkish history and culture, as well as contemporary political, social, and economic developments in Turkey; assist american universities in developing their library resources, programs of study, scholarly conferences, and outreach activities in the field of Turkish Studies; support publishing of books and journals that contribute to American scholarship on Turkey and broaden the understanding and knowledge of Turkish history, society, politics, and economics in the U.S.; and promote better understanding of Turkish politics, economy, and society through conferences and lecture series.

Intercollegiate Turkish Students Society
Founded in 1997 as a volunteer students organization, ITSS aims to increase communication and cooperation among Turkish student associations in the U.S. and Canada. Its major aims are to provide an exchange of information, experience and resources; support students before-during-after their school education; better implement lobbyist activities; better promote peaceful relations among societies with the motto of “Peace at home, Peace on the world.”

Turkish American Alliance for Fairness (TAAF)
TAAF is a non-profit organization dedicated to promote public understanding and fair treatment of issues of concern to Turkish-Americans, public education, and other civil activities in related matters. TAAF aims to promote, advocate, and advance issues and viewpoints of importance to Turkish-Americans; promote fairness in media, education, community affairs, government activities, and public opinion in regard to issues relating to Turkish-Americans and others with a Turkish heritage; counter incorrect, biased, and prejudiced statements and activities aimed at, or defamation of, those of Turkish heritage, arising either from race, religion, color, language, ethnic identity or from malicious intent; and promote/advocate equality as well as harmonious relations between those of Turkish heritage and other ethnic groups in the U.S.

Turkish American Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Maritime Trade® (TACCIM®)
Founded in 2000, TACCIM is a non-profit organization which promotes opportunities to increase business, trade and investments between the U.S. and Turkey. It provides information and assistance to members of the business communities in both countries about trade, industrial cooperation, investment, tourism and other opportunities in their respective market areas. TACCIM offers to organize support and conduct research, educational, social and cultural programs and developmental activities. It cooperates with other public organizations, governmental bodies, and public/private educational institutions in the creation and promotion of such educational, social and cultural programs and developmental activities.

Turkish American Scientists and Scholars Association (TASSA)
TASSA is an independent, non-profit, and non-political organization with the aim of increasing the communication and co-operation among its members and their counterparts. It will also initiate or participate in specific programs to improve the educational advancement opportunities, scientific exchange, and fellowship between the U.S. and Turkey.

Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF)
Founded in 2000,  TCF aims to promote and preserve Turkish culture and heritage worldwide, through original programs and cooperation with like minded organizations. TCF is a U.S. tax-exempt public charitable organization supported entirely by private donations, with offices in Boston, Washington DC, and Istanbul.

Turkish Philanthropy Funds (TPF)
Founded in 2007, TPF was created by a group of individuals who recognized the importance of assisting donors eager to give back to Turkey. TPF is the first diaspora organization of the Turkish-American community that employs the community foundation model, which is an application of one of the oldest traditions in human history: Helping your neighbor. At its most simple, TPF’s donor centric model allows donors to give “through” rather than giving directly to TPF.

In alphabetical order:

AmCham Turkey/American Business Forum in Turkey (ABFT)
The American Business Forum in Turkey (AmCham Turkey/ABFT) is a business association and NGO, comprised of 110+ U.S. companies with operations in Turkey. Founded in 2004 as an American Chamber of Commerce, AmCham is focused on promoting a positive business agenda and commercial environment in Turkey and on enhancing bilateral trade, investment, and relations between Turkey and the U.S. through committee activities, information exchange, access, publicity, business services and networking opportunities. It has been a tradition for the current U.S. Ambassador to Turkey to be the Honorary Chairman of the Chamber. For more information about AmCham Turkey/ABFT, please visitwww.amchamturkey.org or contact ABFT via info@amchamturkey.org

American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT)
Founded by a group of scholars representing American and Canadian universities In 1964, the American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) is a non-profit educational institution dedicated to promoting North American and Turkish research and exchanges related to Turkey in all fields of the humanities and social sciences. ARIT provides support for these scholarly endeavors by maintaining research centers in Istanbul and Ankara, and by administering programs of fellowships to support research in Turkey at doctoral and advanced research levels. ARIT programs enjoy financial support from U.S. agencies including the Department of State, Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Department of Education, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Turkish-American Association (TAA)
TAA is one of the oldest and most prestigious bi-national centers in Turkey. Over the past half century-plus, TAA has successfully carried out its purpose: “to promote understanding between Turks and Americans [and] to strengthen the friendship and cultural ties between the two countries.” TAA organizes lectures, panel discussions and conferences with prominent speakers to enrich public understanding on a wide range of issues. Other activities include exhibits, concerts, dance nights, receptions, special activity groups (ballroom dancing, patchwork, textiles, painting) and, for children, art, guitar, pre-ballet and classical ballet lessons. TAA also provides English and Turkish language classes, as well as test preparation and teacher training courses, and administers international tests. As an official Educational Testing Service center, TAA administers computer-based tests, such as TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), GRE (Graduate Record Exam), GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test), GED (General Education Development) and the USMLE (U.S. Medical Licensing Exam), and the paper-based SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), PRAXIS (teacher certification), GRE Subject and TSE (Test of Spoken English).

Turkish-American Business Association (TABA)
TABA is a non-profit organization founded in 1986. TABA Amcham’s mission, with its American Chamber of Commerce in Turkey identity, is to enhance business relations between the U.S. and Turkey, encourage investments to Turkey from the U.S., create value for its members and initiate cultural and promotional activities. The headquarters of TABA Amcham is in Istanbul and it has 5 branches throughout Turkey – in Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Denizli and Izmir. TABA Amcham is a member of the European Council of American Chambers of Commerce (ECACC) and a member of the Chamber of Commerce of USA (COCUSA).

Turkish-American University Association (TAUA)
TAUA was founded in 1952 by a group of American visiting professors from Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, and New York universities and by their Turkish counterparts from Istanbul University, Department of Law, Economics and Business Administration. It aims to develop cultural, social, educational and intellectual relations between Turkish citizens and Americans/other nationalities residing in Turkey. TAUA organizes lectures panels, symposiums and seminars on national and/or international levels; develops Turkish and English teaching programs for young adult professionals; welcomes visitors from abroad for orientation programs on various aspects of Turkey including history, archaeology, education, etc.; sponsors local or foreign cultural and artistic works on history, archaeology, arts and education. To be able to materialize the above-mentioned objectives, TAUA has established an academically qualified Language Center in 1953, which runs three semesters including conversation classes and TOEFL prep courses.