Armenian Educational Foundation Awards $1.6 Million in Scholarships in Record-Breaking 2025

The 75-year-old organization's most impactful year on record - supporting 1,100+ students across Armenia, Javakhk, Lebanon, and the United States

Read the Full 2025 Annual Report

GLENDALE, CA - In the year it marked its 75th anniversary, the Armenian Educational Foundation (AEF) reached a new high-water mark: more than $1.6 million in scholarships awarded to over 1,100 students across four regions, as part of a record $2.8 million raised in 2025. For an organization founded in 1950 on the conviction that education is the surest path to the preservation and flourishing of Armenian identity, the numbers tell a story of a mission realized - and a community standing behind it.

AEF's scholarship programs span Armenia, the Javakhk region of Georgia, Lebanon, and the United States, reaching Armenian students wherever they live and learn. In Armenia alone, hundreds of university students received support that allowed them to pursue degrees in medicine, engineering, law, and the sciences - fields that will shape the country's future. In Javakhk, where ethnic Armenian communities face particular economic hardship, AEF scholarships have long been a lifeline for students who might otherwise forgo higher education altogether. Lebanese Armenian recipients navigated extraordinary circumstances amid ongoing instability in their country; AEF's continued commitment there speaks to a belief that no political crisis should interrupt a student's potential. In the United States, AEF supported Armenian-American students who carry the dual mission of professional achievement and cultural continuity.

Graduates Who Give Back

AEF's Class of 2025 - 488 strong - graduated with more than diplomas. Within the cohort, 64 percent were employed, and 66 percent were working directly in their field of study. Equally significant is what these students gave back while still in school: together, 1,045 AEF students contributed 125,400 hours of volunteer service in 2025, reinforcing a culture of civic engagement that the organization has championed since its founding.

Engineering, Innovation, and Armenia's Next Economy

In 2021, AEF launched its Engineering Labs initiative with a vision of preparing Armenian students for the demands of a technology-driven global economy. By the close of 2025, the program had trained 410 students, backed by $170,000 in dedicated investment. Building on that momentum, 2025 also saw AEF launch its first-ever Startup Acceleration Program - a new initiative designed to support Armenian student entrepreneurs as they take their ideas from concept to reality.

Schools Rebuilt, Supplies Delivered

AEF's work extends well beyond the university level. The organization continued its school renovation program, with $5.4 million invested across approximately 200 village schools in Armenia - replacing crumbling infrastructure with safe, modern learning environments. More than 32,000 K-12 students received school supplies through AEF's distribution programs.

A Gala That Reflected 75 Years of Purpose

In the fall of 2025, AEF gathered its community at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles for a 75th Anniversary Gala that drew nearly 600 guests. The evening raised $1.1 million - a single-night total that underscores the depth of commitment the Armenian-American community feels toward AEF's mission.

"Thanks to AEF's scholarship, my educational journey has been truly transformative. With your support, I became Co-Founder of BioGen Initiative, the first Armenian 3D medical printing lab." - Emanuel Ghandilyan, Yerevan State Medical University

Ghandilyan's story is singular in its specifics and representative in its arc. Across AEF's scholarship programs, students are not merely earning degrees - they are founding companies, pioneering research, and returning to serve communities in Armenia and beyond.

Thirty Years of Cumulative Impact

Since AEF's modern scholarship era began in 1995, the organization has invested $19.1 million in Armenian education, including $9.4 million in scholarships alone. The 2025 milestone is the product of three decades of disciplined, community-driven philanthropy.

Looking Ahead

As AEF enters its next 75 years, the organization remains guided by the same founding principle: that education is the most enduring investment a community can make in itself. The work continues.

Read the Full 2025 Annual Report

About the Armenian Educational Foundation

Founded in 1950, the Armenian Educational Foundation (AEF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing education for Armenians around the world. Through scholarships, school renovation, educational supplies, and innovative programs, AEF has invested $19.1 million in Armenian education since 1995. AEF is headquartered in Glendale, California. Learn more at aef.org.