American Institute for Yemeni Studies

The American Institute for Yemeni Studies. The American Institute for Yemeni Studies (AIYS) was founded in 1977 by McGuire Gibson to foster research and collaboration with international scholars and opened its first office in Sana’a in 1978. AIYS is a non-profit (501(c)3) consortium of scholarly institutions including universities, museums, and research centers and is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). AIYS promotes research on Yemeni Studies through annual fellowship competitions, for both U.S. and Yemeni scholars. We are the only U.S. organization that funds and supports Yemeni scholars in the Republic of Yemen. The institute is also a member of the Middle East Studies Association and regularly organizes panels at their annual meetings. The institute also works with the Aliph Foundation and the J.M. Kaplan Fund in conjunction with CAORC to fund and carry out cultural heritage restoration and preservation projects throughout Yemen. The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs supports AIYS programs through its umbrella grant for American Overseas Research Centers. AIYS also receives funding from private foundations to support cultural heritage preservation projects in Yemen