American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Our Mission:

American Friends promotes networking, exchange, and creative collaboration among scientists, scholars, artists, and other professionals in the United States and Germany, consistent with the goals of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Our Goals and Guiding Philosophy:

To achieve our mission, we seek to:

1. Expand the pool of future Humboldtians from the United States as part of a worldwide network of excellence; and encourage and support continued collaboration and exchange among Humboldtians;

2. Provide, develop and steward resources for the intellectual and cultural support of past, present, and future Humboldtians and for the programs of American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

3. Encourage high-level exchange on intellectual subjects of mutual interest and promote intercultural understanding and communication between the United States and Germany;

4. Counsel the Foundation on future opportunities and directions, programmatically, structurally, and strategically; and

5. Raise Germany’s visibility as a center for research and a site for professional growth and development;

We believe in the importance of investment in the individual and of an international community of scientists, scholars, artists, and other professionals in a world in which science, scholarship, and intellectual inquiry are truly global in nature. For these reasons, Humboldtians are at the center of our work and of the Foundation’s mission. The recipients of the Foundation’s awards and fellowships are acknowledged leaders in their fields, understand the benefits of research and professional development undertaken with others, are eager to explore the social, professional, and cultural rewards of life abroad and especially in Germany, and share a spirit of adventure. Their lifelong commitment to collaboration and cultural exploration – in the company of Humboldtians and others – makes them special ambassadors of German intellectual life to the United States and vital partners in the missions of American Friends and of the Humboldt Foundation.