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Founder(s) | Stephen Mizwa |
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Established | 1925 |
Mission | Promotion of cultural and educational exchanges between the United States and Poland |
President | Marek Skulimowski |
Slogan | An American Center for Polish Culture |
Formerly called | Polish American Scholarship Committee |
Address | 15 E 65th St New York, NY 10065 |
Location | New York City |
Coordinates | 40°46′04″N73°58′17″W / 40.767762°N 73.9712577°W |
Website | www |
The Kosciuszko Foundation is a charitable foundation based in New York City. It was created by Stephen Mizwa to fund programs that promote Polish-American intellectual and artistic exchange.
The Polish American Scholarship Committee was established in 1923 by Dr. Stephen Mizwa to bring students to universities in the United States. Mizwa worked with the president of Vassar College, Henry Noble MacCracken, who had visited Poland. The two expanded the Scholarship Committee's mission to promote cultural and educational exchanges between the United States and Poland. In December 1925, the Scholarship Committee changed into the new Kosciuszko Foundation. [1]
The Foundation is named in honour of Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish general and patriot, who after unsuccessful battles in uprising for Polish freedom, migrated to North America and fought in the American Revolutionary War. The organization was founded in 1925, on the eve of the 150th anniversary of Kosciuszko's enlistment in the American liberation cause.
The headquarters are in a limestone neo-Renaissance three-story mansion built in 1917. The building was designed by Harry Allan Jacobs for James J. Van Alen, whose in-laws, the Astors, lived down the block. [2] The second-story ballroom functions as a gallery, as well as a lecture and concert hall for chamber-music and solo recitals.
The foundation provides scholarships and fellowships to Polish students, scholars, and artists. They were invited for research or educational stay by an institution of higher education in the United States. Several programs are also targeted at Polish musicians. Grants for U.S. citizens include research and study opportunities in Poland.
The foundation organizes cultural events for the Polish community. It is the largest public institution in North America dedicated solely to Polish art. Exhibitions are held that draw from the permanent collection of oils, watercolors, prints, drawings, ceramics, sculpture, tapestries and photographs. An annual Chopin Piano Competition showcases young talent. [3]
The foundation sponsors and publishes the biggest Polish-American and American-Polish dictionary, known as Kosciuszko Foundation Dictionary and published in a book and CD-ROM format. The recent version, titled New Kosciuszko Foundation Dictionary, was issued in 2003. Its editor-in-chief was a renowned Polish professor of the English language.
The foundation's Washington office provides a venue for local Polish-American events through a wide range of activities, including films, concerts, exhibitions, educational programs, publications, and seminars. It uses its website to provide information on events, collections and topics of interest to those who interested in Poland.
The Kosciuszko Foundation has regional chapters in:
Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish-Lithuanian military engineer, statesman, and military leader who became a national hero in Poland, the United States, Lithuania, and Belarus. He fought in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth's struggles against Russia and Prussia, and on the US side in the American Revolutionary War. As Supreme Commander of the Polish National Armed Forces, he led the 1794 Kościuszko Uprising.
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills. Via the program, competitively-selected American citizens including students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists, and artists may receive scholarships or grants to study, conduct research, teach, or exercise their talents abroad; and citizens of other countries may qualify to do the same in the United States.
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Władysław Teodor "W.T." Benda was a Polish painter, illustrator, and designer.
Oskar Halecki was a Polish historian, social and Catholic activist. Doctor Honoris Causa of the Polish University Abroad (1973).
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The Institute of International Education (IIE) is a 501(c) organization that focuses on international student exchange and aid, foreign affairs, and international peace and security. IIE creates programs of study and training for students, educators, and professionals from various sectors. The organization says its mission is to "build more peaceful and equitable societies by advancing scholarship, building economies, and promoting access to opportunity".
The Polish Museum of America is located in West Town, in what had been the historical Polish Downtown neighborhood of Chicago. It is home to numerous Polish artifacts, artwork, and embroidered folk costumes in its growing collection. Founded in 1935, it is one of the oldest ethnic museums in the United States and a Core Member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance, a consortium of 25 ethnic museums and cultural centers in Chicago.
The American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC) is a national non-profit, charitable, cultural and educational organization that serves as a network and body of national leadership among affiliated Polish-American cultural organizations throughout the United States.
The Józef Piłsudski Institute of America is a museum and research center devoted to the study of modern Polish history and named after the Polish interwar statesman Józef Piłsudski located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews is a museum on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. The Hebrew word Polin in the museum's English name means either "Poland" or "rest here" and relates to a legend about the arrival of the first Jews to Poland.
The Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) is a charitable and cultural organization that unites women of Ukrainian descent and affiliation. Since its establishment in 1945, the organization has launched numerous social welfare, culture, and education projects, aiming to support the Ukrainian people in Ukraine and diasporas. It works independently as a charitable and cultural organization and has been granted 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service.
The Nicolaus Copernicus Monument in Warsaw is one of the Polish capital's notable landmarks. It stands before the Staszic Palace, the seat of the Polish Academy of Sciences on Krakowskie Przedmieście. Designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen in 1822, it was completed in 1830. Thorvaldsen's original plaster model from 1822 and a smaller study from 1821 are both held by the Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen.
Stephen Paul Mizwa, Stefan Piotr Mierzwa was the founder and long-time president of the Kosciuszko Foundation, a Polish-American scholarly and cultural institution headquartered in New York City.
The Ludwik Zamenhof Centre is a cultural institution located in Białystok, Poland, at ulica Warszawska 19. It was founded at the initiative of the city's president (mayor) in celebration of the 94th World Congress of Esperanto that was held in Białystok from 25 July to 1 August 2009.
Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett is a scholar of Performance and Jewish Studies and a museum professional. Professor Emerita of Performance Studies at New York University, she is best known for her interdisciplinary contributions to Jewish studies and to the theory and history of museums, tourism, and heritage. She is currently the Ronald S. Lauder Chief Curator of the Core Exhibition and Advisor to the Director at POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw.
Tadeusz Kościuszko is one of the most honored persons in Polish history, in terms of places and events named in his honor.
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