ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

The Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit entity
as established by the US Internal Revenue Service.

It is supported by donations from its members, individuals, private and public entities and grants.

To meet its mission and objectives, the Foundation's instruments and objectives include:

Scholarships:
Academic Institutions located in Western PA offer a number of academic programs that study the European Union, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. There is considerable enrollment in these programs, however, there are no courses where the relevance of Greece in the modern Eastern Europe is discussed. The Foundation believes that an international exchange program between Greek institutions of higher education and local academic institutions will fill this gap. The Foundation will therefore provide scholarships aimed at fostering the exchange of academics and researchers to and from Greece to study in subjects like democratic institutions and free-market development in the Balkans (using the Greek experience as a successful model), technological innovation and successful domestic and regional policy at all levels (using the Greek experience).

Grants:
The Foundation will provide considerable funding to institutions of higher learning in Western PA that will be targeted to foster research and courses that will discuss, analyse, dissect and improve the Greek experience in regional economic, foreign and public policy that can be beneficial not only for Greece's neighborhood, but could be of considerable value to Western PA as the region strives to move away from traditional heavy industry into the 21st century of high-technology and services. In this regard, Greece has already experienced the transformation and has implemented important programs that our own region will face in the next decade.

Academic exchanges:
No scholarship or grant alone would be useful unless human interaction is involved. The Foundation therefore, will dedicate logistic and financial support to cover the travel and accommodation of internationally-known academicians and researchers from Western PA to Greece and vice versa for promoting research and developing ties between Greece and our region, in the context outlined in the Mission of the Foundation.

Language courses:
The Foundation will foster and develop means and activities that will enhance the teaching of the modern Greek language, on both an accelerated basis for functionality as well as a more traditional academic foundation by promoting courses in the local institutions of higher learning, through specialised community college programs and, if necessary, through programs that the Foundation will develop and will offer to the Western PA community.

Exhibits:
Art and music are among the universal languages that link peoples and nations. Greece offers unprecedented art through its history along with music that developed over three millenia and that influenced Western art. The Foundation will support local initiatives that strive to bring treasures of art from Greece, including modern Greek music, to Western PA, to be open to the public free of charge. Initially, the Foundation can collaborate with local museums, however, over time, the Foundation intends to acquire its own permanent space that will be a Cultural Center and that can serve as a place of temporary and permanent art exhibits along with space for musical and literary events, speakers and performers. Furthermore, the Foundation also intends to make a strong priority an exhibit of Greek immigrants' contributions to local Western PA life as well as how products from Western PA shaped Greece's industrial revolution and how they continue to impact Greece's role as a regional coordinator of technological development of the Balkans.

Expositions and trade shows:
As stated earlier, the Foundation intends to strongly pursue significant exchange between our region's technological and service sector with that of Greece. Towards this objective, a number of trade shows featuring Greek products and technology as well as local products and technology can take place under the Foundation's support. This, we believe will further strengthen and rationalise the conceptualisation of research into effective practices beneficial for Western PA, Greece and the Balkans as illustrated in the preceding programs.

Community outreach:
The Greek community of Western PA ranks among the most benevolent in charitable causes and community development. The Foundation proposes to act as a "one-stop shop" that will link Western PA charities aimed at local activities with Greek-American philanthropy whose aims are community outreach and development. Additionally, the Foundation will partner with county and local government to identify areas in which its expertise and logistics can benefit communities of Western PA.

Civic Service:
It will be the Foundation's objective to encourage and facilitate volunteer activity of Greek-Americans in American service organisations, charities, community outreach programs and local educational institutions.