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 range of philanthropic and cultural activities, provides opportunities for advancement to Italian-American students through various scholarship and grant programs. The Foundation organizes New York City's annual Columbus Celebration and Columbus Day Parade, which has celebrated Italian-American heritage on New York's Fifth Avenue since 1929, but the Columbus Day Parade started officially in 1945. In 2024 was the 80th year of celebration.

History

Founded by Judge S. Samuel Di Falco and

Generoso Pope Generoso Pope (April 1, 1891 – April 28, 1950) was an Italian-American businessman and the owner of a chain of Italian-language newspapers in major American cities. Family Generoso was born with the name Generoso Antonio Pompilio Carlo Papa ...

in 1944, the Foundation was established to memorialize and foster the contributions that their Italian forefathers brought to the United States. The building was designed by Boston architectural firm Peabody & Stearns and completed in 1893 for Charles L. Colby, one of the wealthiest men in New York City. A close friend of John D. Rockefeller Sr., Colby oversaw Rockefellers' extensive railroad interests and sat on the board of directors of the

Northern Pacific Railroad The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...

, among others. In 1967 the Swedish Consul General sold the property to the Foundation.

Philanthropic achievements

The Columbus Citizens Foundation's primary activity is awarding scholarships to students of Italian heritage. In addition to its scholarship activities, the Foundation has a tradition of raising funds for specific projects, often humanitarian in nature.

Columbus Day Parade

The Columbus Citizens Foundation oversees and executes New York's Annual Columbus Day Parade on

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...

which features over 40,000 participants and over one million spectators. Former Grand Marshals of the Columbus Day Parade include:

Maria Bartiromo Maria Sara Bartiromo (born September 11, 1967) is an American conservative journalist and author who has also worked as a financial reporter and news anchor. She is the host of ''Mornings with Maria'' and ''Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street'' on t ...

;

Antonin Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectual an ...

;

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;

Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (; born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, ; November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "the Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career ...

and

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...

Membership

At present, the Foundation's Membership includes over 550 men and women of Italian heritage representing the fields of law, medicine, government, business, education, and the arts.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official Website
Columbus Citizens Foundation

on the design and construction of the Colby House Italian-American organizations Organizations established in 1944 Christopher Columbus