The Niagara Foundation is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

, founded in 2004, dedicated to the mission of fostering civic conversations and sustained relationships between people of different cultures and faiths, and part of the

Alliance for Shared Values The Alliance for Shared Values (AfSV) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit umbrella organization and a major part of the Gülen movement, or ''Hizmet''. Goals and organization The president of the organization is Alp Aslandogan. Member gro ...

. Niagara has branches across the Midwest including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Iowa, but is headquartered in Chicago. On October 3, 2013, the Niagara Foundation branch in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

held a Turkish American business development forum. The Niagara Foundation is associated with the

Gülen movement The Gülen movement () or Hizmet movement () is an Islamist fraternal movement. It is a sub-sect of Sunni Islam based on a Nursian theological perspective as reflected in Fethullah Gülen's religious teachings. It is referred to by its membe ...

and its honorary president is

Fethullah Gulen Fathallah, Fathalla or the Turkish variant Fethullah is a Romanization of Arabic, transliteration of the Arabic given name, فتح الله (''Fatḥ Allāh''), built from the Arabic words ''fath'' and ''Allah''. It is one of many List of Arabic t ...

. Which lead to Turkey freezing Niagara Foundation's assets in December 2021.

Key people

The former President of the Niagara Foundation, Şerif Soydan, and its Vice President Hilmi Çınar were present for the signing of the "sister airport" agreement between Chicago's airports and the

Istanbul Atatürk Airport Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With a population over , it is home to 18% of the population of Turkey. Istanbul is among the largest cities in Europe and in th ...

in Turkey. Çınar was also a member of the 2012 Chicago NATO Host Committee and he also spoke at an Elgin

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

(

Elgin, Illinois Elgin ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook and Kane County, Illinois, Kane counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located northwest of Chicago along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River. As of the 2020 United Stat ...

) development meeting about trade with Turkey. Soydan is on the board of advisors to the

Catholic Theological Union Catholic Theological Union (CTU) is a Catholic graduate school of theology in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was formed in Hyde Park as a union of schools from three Catholic religious institutes and has since been sponsored by 23 institu ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and

Robert Morris University Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris (financier), Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the American Revolution". It enr ...

Moon Township, Pennsylvania Moon Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 27,261 at the 2020 census. Located northwest of Pittsburgh, the township is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and ...

. These academic relationships are also fostered by Niagara's internship program, which has hosted international students from universities around Chicago.

Activities

Niagara carries out its mission through programs and events in three centers: *Niagara Foundation’s Center for Academic Affairs works in collaboration with universities and scholars, offering platforms for discussion, organizing conferences, and publishing academic reports, such as the Chicago Gulen Conference in 2010 and Study Turkiye, which is a competitive program that takes professors on annual trips to Turkey. *Niagara Foundation’s Center for Cultural Exchange & Interfaith Collaboration encourages pluralism by providing opportunities for people from all cultures, communities, and faith groups to be engaged in dialogue with events such as the Abrahamic Traditions Dinner, the Chicago Interfaith Gathering, intercultural trips to Turkey for local leaders, and many more. *The Center for Public and Global Affairs, which offers platforms for speakers to spotlight trends, analyze important issues, exchange ideas, and participate in productive interactions that promote innovative global and public policy solutions. Speakers at the Niagara Forum have included US Senator

Dick Durbin Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Dem ...

Lori Healey Lori Thomas Healey (1959 – May 3, 2025) was an American urban planner who served as former Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley's chief of staff, chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority and who also managed the co ...

, Executive Director of the NATO Host Committee and Graham Paul, Consul General of France and John Kass among others.

Peace and Dialogue Awards

Niagara Foundation grants the "Dialog and Peace Award" each year to individuals or organizations that "have demonstrated strong commitment to serving their community while maintaining a global mindset." The awards were founded in 2006 and have honored the

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

, Mark Owen Webb (professor of philosophy at

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...

Henry Bienen Henry Samuel Bienen (born May 5, 1939) is an American academic and administrator. He was named President of the Poetry Foundation in 2015, and is President Emeritus of Northwestern University, where he served from 1995 to 2009. Life and career B ...

(President Emeritus, Northwestern University), Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, and US Secretary of Education (previously CEO,

Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment, fourth-large ...

)

Arne Duncan Arne Starkey Duncan (born November 6, 1964) is an American educator and former professional basketball player who served as the 9th United States secretary of education from 2009 to 2015 and as Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools ...

References

{{Authority control Non-profit organizations based in Chicago Interfaith organizations Organizations established in 2004 2004 establishments in Illinois