The French-American Foundation is the principal non-governmental organization linking France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

at leadership levels and across the full range of the French-American relationship.

The purpose of the French-American Foundation is to strengthen the French-American relationship as a vital component of the trans-Atlantic partnership.

This mission is accomplished through a variety of initiatives that include multi-year policy programs, conferences on issues of French-American interest, and leadership and professional exchanges of decision-makers from France and the United States.

Founded in 1976, the Foundation is an operating organization that relies on outside financial support to carry out its mission and does not provide grants. It is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization.

Its sister organization is the French-American Foundation France.

Policy Advisory Council

The Policy Advisory Council enlists the contributions of leading academics, policy experts and other prominent thinkers on France, the United States and the trans-Atlantic relationship. This informal network of experts from both sides of the Atlantic provides intellectual leadership to further the Foundation’s mission of deepening understanding between France and the United States and serves as a forum for dialogue on crucial issues.

Annual Gala

The Annual Gala is the principal fundraising event of the French-American Foundation. Each year at the Gala, the Foundation presents its Benjamin Franklin Award to two individuals who have made significant contributions to the French-American relationship. The Comte de Vergennes Award is presented to longtime supporters of the French-American Foundation. Past honorees include: Anne Lauvergeon, Patricia Russo, Ambassador Anne Cox Chambers, Henri de Castries, John A. Thain, Hon. C. Douglas Dillon, Hon. Walter J. P. Curley, Médecins sans Frontières, Bernard Arnault, Michel David-Weil, The Forbes Family, Maurice Lévy and Frederick W. Smith.