The world affairs councils around the country and the national association are independent non-profit organizations registered with IRS and their respective state tax authorities. Each local world affairs council and the national association is responsible for financing itself through dues and fundraising.

The aggregate total of all funds raised in the entire council system last year was $33 million, plus $4 million in in-kind services.

The council system has a tradition of independent financing. There is very little government funding in the system as a whole.

Funding Local Councils

Each local world affairs council raises the funds on which it operates.

Council financing starts with dues from members. Membership dues vary from $15 to $75 a year around the council world. Upper-level memberships however can go from $50 to $500 a year.

Most councils also collect event fees, money paid at the door to defray the actual cost of programs.

Councils raise additional funds through corporate memberships, corporate underwriting of programs, annual fundraisers, foundation grants, travel programs, playing WorldQuest, international visitor grants, sales of publications, donations, and interest. About 20% of the councils have endowments.

Funding the National Association

The national association collects annual dues from its member councils ranging from $200 per council up to a ceiling of $2,500. A council’s dues payment varies according to the number of members that it has, including corporate members.

The association annually delivers $20 in quantifiable benefits to the council system for every $1 collected in dues.

In addition, the association raises funds through corporate dues, national conference sponsorships and fees, an annual raffle, national leadership mission fees, Academic WorldQuest sponsorships, foundation grants, donations, and interest.

The association receives grants from time-to-time which allow it to regrant funds to individual councils for programmatic purposes.

The association receives no funds from the government.

National Funding Chart

The following chart shows where the aggregate funding for the national association and all 86 councils together comes from.