logoThe Asia Foundation is a private, non-profit, non-governmental organisation working to advance the mutual interests of the United States and the Asia Pacific region. Utilising its 44-year presence throughout Asia, The Asia Foundation collaborates with partners from the public and private sectors to build leadership, improve policy and regulation and strengthen institutions with a view to fostering greater openness and shared prosperity in the Asia Pacific region. Priorities include long-term, complex issues that cross national borders, such as: effective law, governance, and citizenship; open regional markets and local economic opportunities; equal partnership and participation of women in all levels of society; and peace and stability within the region. With a network of 15 offices throughout the Asia Pacific and the United States, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level through leadership and institutional development, exchanges and dialogue, technical assistance, research, and policy engagement. The Foundation's scope of work is wide and far-reaching. In the past five years alone, the Foundation has provided substantial assistance for the development of legislative systems in 16 countries and has supported more than 800 public interest, non-governmental organisations in the region. Since 1954, the Foundation's Books for Asia programme has distributed more than 34 million books to Asian institutions. And of the more than 65,000 Asia Foundation grantees, many are today's leaders in Asia - including heads of state, ministers, judges, legislators, business and academic leaders, journalists, and leaders of non-governmental organisations. The Asia Foundation is funded by contributions from corporations, foundations, individuals, governmental organisations in the USA and Asia, and an annual appropriation from the US Congress.