American India Foundation
{{Short description|American non-profit organization}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = American India Foundation
| type = Charitable trust
| founded_date = 2001
| founder = President Bill Clinton, Lata Krishnan, Rajat Gupta, Victor Menezes{{cite web | url=http://www.synergos.org/globalgivingmatters/features/0201aif.htm | title= Long Distance Philanthropy Brings Donors Closer to Home | access-date=2008-11-20}}
| key_people = Lata Krishnan (Co-Chair)
Harit Talwar (Co-Chair)
Nishant Pandey (CEO)
Mathew Joseph (India Country Director)
| headquarters = New York
| area_served = India and United States
| focus = Education, Livelihood, Public Health
| Non-profit_slogan =
| homepage = [http://AIF.org/ AIF.org]
}}
The American India Foundation (AIF, founded 2001) is a nonprofit American organization working in India.{{Cite web |title=Creating socio-economic change in India |url=https://aif.org/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=AIF |language=en-US}} It is one of the largest secular, non-partisan American organizations supporting development work in India.{{Cite web|url=https://www.macfound.org/grantees/2381/|title=American India Foundation - MacArthur Foundation|website=macfound.org|access-date=2020-03-27}}
It also runs the ServiceCorps Fellowship, renamed the William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service to India on May 11, 2009, which sends skilled young Americans in an immersive volunteer service program training and placing young professionals to support development organizations across India for 10 months.{{Cite web|title=William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India {{!}} UPENN CURF|url=https://www.curf.upenn.edu/content/aif-clinton|access-date=2021-01-18|website=www.curf.upenn.edu}}{{Cite web|title=William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India – UChicagoGRAD {{!}} The University of Chicago|url=https://grad.uchicago.edu/fellowship/william-j-clinton-fellowship-for-service-in-india/|access-date=2021-01-18|website=grad.uchicago.edu}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.profellow.com/announcements/william-j-clinton-fellowship-for-service-in-india-learning-about-grassroots-development-and-inclusive-leadership-in-india/|title=William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India: Learning about Grassroots Development and Inclusive Leadership in India {{!}} ProFellow|date=2018-11-12|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-27|archive-date=2020-03-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327211635/https://www.profellow.com/announcements/william-j-clinton-fellowship-for-service-in-india-learning-about-grassroots-development-and-inclusive-leadership-in-india/|url-status=dead}}
History
Founded in 2001 at the initiative of US President Bill Clinton following a suggestion from Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by a group of Indian-Americans responding to the Gujarat earthquake.{{Cite web|url=http://www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org/061702-sp-cf-rr-gn-gl-irq-afg-prk-rwa-bra-sp-wjc-addresses-council-on-foreign-relations.htm|title=Clinton Presidential Center "Council on Foreign Relations, 2002"|date=2007-09-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928195246/http://www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org/061702-sp-cf-rr-gn-gl-irq-afg-prk-rwa-bra-sp-wjc-addresses-council-on-foreign-relations.htm|access-date=2020-03-27|archive-date=2007-09-28}}
It has offices in New York City and California, twelve chapters across the U.S., and India operations headquartered in New Delhi.{{Cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-india-foundation-and-westbridge-capital-announce-four-year-partnership-300889243.html|title=American India Foundation and WestBridge Capital Announce Four-year Partnership|last=Foundation|first=American India|website=prnewswire.com|language=en|access-date=2020-03-27}}
AIF's Emergency Response
In cases of major national disasters in India, AIF has been involved in relief and rehabilitation efforts. It has undertaken several campaigns for relief and rehabilitation:
- In 2001, after the Gujarat earthquake
- In 2004, after the tsunami
- In 2005, after the Kashmir earthquake
- In 2019, after the Pulwama attack{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/kirenrijiju/status/1126045031888850944?lang=en|title=India's Minister of State for Home Affairs|last=Rijiju|first=Kiren|date=2019-05-08|website=@kirenrijiju|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-03-27}}
- In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic{{Cite web|url=https://aif.org/american-india-foundation-launches-covid-19-response-effort/|title=American India Foundation Launches COVID-19 Response Effort – AIF|date=27 March 2020 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-27}}
AIF takes a multi-phased approach to disaster relief: relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation. AIF's focus is the long-term rehabilitation of communities, and it dedicates most of its resources to this phase. In Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, AIF funded organizations in affected communities for up to three years following the earthquake so that NGO partners could identify long-term solutions to improve the lives of people affected by disaster.{{cite web |url=http://www.aifoundation.org/about/emergencies.htm |title=AIF Emergency Response |access-date=2008-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080522164957/http://www.aifoundation.org/about/emergencies.htm |archive-date=2008-05-22 |url-status=dead }}