About Us

The NUFDI Fund does not receive any government funding whatsoever. It is supported solely by members of the Iranian-American community and allies who support the cause of human rights and democracy in Iran.

The NUFDI Fund's largest expenditure is its staff payroll. Many members of the team have left leading international firms and Washington think tanks to mobilize the Iranian-American community and advocate for the Iranian people's cause and have taken significant salary cuts to work for the NUFDI Fund. Despite this, we believe that for a Washington-based organization, quality work requires a full-time dedication to the cause and thus are proud to—for the first time in our community's history—have an Iranian-American organization with a physical office and a full-time staff in the nation's capital. Furthermore, within its ultimate goal to mobilize the Iranian-American community in support of a human rights and democracy-focused U.S. foreign policy towards Iran, the NUFDI Fund has a project-focused approach to our work. The NUFDI Fund's resources support its ongoing projects, from The Iran Conference to The Norooz Gala and Fereydoun Magazine.

The NUFDI Fund is not an opposition group. It is an Iranian-American civic organization dedicated to engaging and mobilizing the Iranian-American community in support of U.S. foreign policy towards Iran based on human rights and democracy. As such, it does not take positions on some Iran-related political issues such as the country's post-Islamic Republic form of government except that that government and its form should be decided by the Iranian people in a free, fair referendum.

The NUFDI Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization. Its sister organization, the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI), is a 501(c)(4) non-profit, non-partisan organization.

The NUFDI Fund opposes war with Iran. We believe that the path to establishing a stable democracy in Iran and ensuring regional and American national security is non-violent disobedience by the Iranian people, supported by the United States and the international community.

The NUFDI Fund was initially founded in 2003. Like many other Iranian and Iranian-American organizations its activities were mostly volunteer based. In March of 2020, the organization was re-launched with a new mission and its first full-time staff member. Today, its team continues to grow.