Since 1975, in America, one of the most active organisations in the representation and preservation of the Italian cultural heritage is certainly the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.. NIAF is the main representative body of the Italian-American community, as well as a real political, cultural and economic interlocutor of the highest importance, active above all in strengthening relations between the United States and Italy. NIAF promotes Italian culture and heritage through educational programs, scholarships, training trips and advocacy initiatives. Each year it distributes approximately one million dollars in scholarships and grants to students and cultural projects. The organization also supports artistic restorations, such as the frescoes of Costantino Brumidi in the Capitol of the United States, symbol of the Italian contribution to American history.
To celebrate all these activities, every year the annual gala of the National Italian American Foundation is organized. This is one of the most important events for the Italian American community. The 2026 edition will be held today, Thursday, April 23, at the Cipriani 42nd Street, renowned venue for events in New York that has already hosted the NIAF Gala for several years. The Gala has the function of raising funds to finance NIAF activities, as well as strengthening the network of contacts by engaging entrepreneurs, academics, political representatives and show figures. Part of the proceeds of the 2026 edition will be destined to these activities, in continuity with a line that over the years has supported university students and exchange projects between the two countries.
Like every year, this Gala will also see a series of figures that will be rewarded during the evening, all belonging to different areas, from business to culture. Giacomo Pitaro, president of ESPN, will receive the Dea Roma recognition for the contribution in the sports and entertainment sector, an area where the great American television networks play a central role in the construction of the global sports industry. Alfonso M. D’Amato, former U.S. Senator, will be rewarded for public service, while Frank Ruocco and Tom Cox represent the entrepreneurial side of hospitality and industrial services respectively. The literary prize will go to writer Linda Stasi, while Carlo Alberto Giusti will receive the A. Bartlett Giamatti award for academic friendship, a prize that recalls the figure of the former president of Yale University and commissioner of the Major League Baseball.
The event will be presented by actor and comedian Joe Piscopo, a well-known face of American television and always associated with the initiatives of the Italian American community. There is also an exhibition of the tenor Cristoforo Macchio. The 2026 edition also sees the Lombardy region as an organisational partner and “Regione d’Onore” of the evening, formula that NIAF uses to highlight, every year, an Italian territory through cuisine, institutional promotion and economic relations.
To participate in the Gala you can visit its website of the foundation.
This year the NIAF gala in New York comes from IlNewyorkese.
