Albanian American National Organization (AANO)

The Albanian American National Organization (AANO) is a non-religious, non-political Albanian-American federation with a chapter based in Worcester, Massachusetts. AANO was founded on December 15, 1946 by 27 delegates from 9 US cities and was later chartered as a nonprofit in the State of New York in 1951. The Worcester chapter is one of nine across the United States and Canada, alongside Albany, Boston, Bridgeport, Chicago, Clearwater, Detroit, New York, and Toronto.

The Worcester chapter conducts local ethnic events and takes part in AANO's national functions. The most visible of those national functions is the annual convention, which the organization has held for decades; the 78th annual convention is scheduled for 2026, and the Albanian Community of Worcester has documented its participation in recent gatherings.

AANO members receive a subscription to the organization's newsletter, Trumbeta Shqiptare, and discounted admission to AANO events. People who do not live near a chapter can join as Members-at-large. The organization also awards annual scholarships to Albanian-American college students, and reports that hundreds of students have received assistance through AANO over the years.

Within the broader Albanian-American community, AANO functions as one of the older multi-chapter federations, and the Worcester chapter anchors that work in central Massachusetts through cultural programming, scholarship support, and convention participation.