Who We Are

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The Columbus Citizens Foundation is a non-profit organization in New York City committed to fostering an appreciation of Italian-American heritage and achievement. The Foundation, through a broad range of philanthropic and cultural activities, provides opportunities for advancement to deserving Italian-American students through various scholarship and grant programs. The Foundation organizes New York City's annual Columbus Day Parade, which has celebrated Italian-American heritage on New York's Fifth Avenue since 1929.

The Foundation’s Members are prominent and successful Italian-Americans in their communities and beyond, who are proud of their heritage and their American citizenship. They are committed to improving the lives of Italian-American students, and their families, by providing scholarship funding that will help the students develop the skills and tools needed to succeed in life.

The Foundation’s most public activity each year is organizing New York City’s Columbus Celebration, including the Columbus Day Parade, which is the largest celebration of Italian-American heritage and achievement in the world. The celebration is organized by the Foundation’s Members on a strictly volunteer basis, donating their time and expertise to help create the Foundation’s Annual Gala Dinner, the wreath laying at Columbus Circle, the Columbus Day Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the Columbus Day Parade on Fifth Avenue.

The Columbus Day Celebration is a series of events that celebrate the culture and traditions of Italy, both in the United States and abroad, and is a fundraising initiative that benefits the Foundation’s philanthropic endeavors, one of which is its scholarship programs and their funding.