In August of 2015, the Massachusetts Albanian American Society (MAASBESA) and the Albanian American Women’s Organization – Motrat Qiriazi (AAWO) announced their partnership to develop the Global Albanians Foundation (GAF) as a joint initiative to be financed by Albanians living abroad and others who wished to support Albanian not-for-profit organizations (NGOs). At the time over 20 donors pledged $1000 each, and 17 organizations received grants of $1000 each (7 Albania, 7 Kosovo, 2 Montenegro, 1 Macedonia).
In May 2018, together with Germin, the idea of the Global Albanians Foundation was presented at Germin’s Diaspora Flet Conference in Prishtina. An Albanian Diaspora Philanthropy Action Plan was prepared by a team of persons from many countries that was assembled by Germin, and, based on that, the idea to formally establish the GAF in the USA was well received. After the conference, Germin and the GAF worked closely together to further develop the concept of Albanian Diaspora Philanthropy.
In June 2018, the GAF was legally established as a separate organization in the USA, and it received its tax-exempt status in the United States in February 2019. This provided the legal foundation for the GAF to begin to work on a larger scale with the large Albanian Diaspora to provide sustainable financing through crowdfunding and online donations for high impact and innovative Albanian not-for-profit organizations. We strongly believe that the not-for-profit sector in the Western Balkans plays a critical role in strengthening and advancing their civic, economic, and social development.