The Asia Foundation in Taiwan


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Established in 1997, The Asia Foundation in Taiwan (AFIT) operates as a local affiliate of the Asia Foundation.

The Asia Foundation is a non-governmental, non-profit organization. Headquartered in San Francisco, the Foundation also maintains offices in Washington, DC and 14 countries throughout Asia. Since its establishment in 1954, the Asia Foundation has been devoted to fostering

cooperation and exchange between Asia and the United States, as well as promoting development aid projects, assisting the Asia Pacific region in raising Public Management technology, and advancing the creation of development-related structures and mechanisms.

In the early years of Taiwan's modernization efforts, the Asia Foundation relied on scholarship funding and contributions to assist in the development of Taiwan's human resources and the creation of a national social system. The efforts of the Asia Foundation helped Taiwan become the success story it is today; an illustration of development in Asia.

By the 1980s, the Asia Pacific region had achieved rapid economic growth and made great strides in social development. As a result of these changes, the Asia Foundation faced new challenges in regional development, leading the foundation to address a change in its roles and focus on gradually creating partnerships with other Asian Pacific countries through development and foreign aid.

The significant changes in the Asia Pacific region also raised the issue of the future status and role of the Asia Foundation in Taiwan. In 1997, the Asia Foundation in Taiwan (AFIT) was registered in Taiwan as an independent organization, thereby completing a transition into the new Asia Pacific environment for the Asia Foundation. AFIT and the Asia Foundation chartered a strategic alliance to strengthen AFIT programming activities and maintain relations with the U.S. and Asia Pacific offices.

Many international aid organizations are now realizing the benefits of this cooperative partnership between a foreign and local organization and are showing increased interest in adopting this model for their own purposes. Taiwan is presently the only past Asia Foundation recipient country to seek a re-alliance and maintain this unique cooperative relationship.
In accordance with agreements between the two organizations, the project aims of AFIT and the Asia Foundation are twofold: (1) strengthen the development of Taiwan's non-governmental, non-profit organizations; and (2) continue the Asia Pacific region's long-term economic growth by sharing the Taiwanese economic experience, and promoting Cross-Strait exchange.

AFIT Projects