American University in Kosovo Foundation

The American University in Kosovo Foundation, Inc. (AUKF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based at 160 Old Roaring Brook Road in Mount Kisco, NY. It received IRS tax-exempt recognition in September 2004 under EIN 20-0105596, and the IRS classifies it as a single-organization support foundation (NTEE B11) tied to higher education.

AUKF exists to support and oversee RIT Kosovo (A.U.K), the Pristina-based college affiliated with Rochester Institute of Technology and formerly known as the American University in Kosovo. The foundation channels funding to the college and, through its Board of Trustees, plays a direct governance role: the board announced the unanimous appointment of Dr. Albina Balidemaj-Basha as President and Dean of RIT Kosovo (A.U.K).

In its own words via charity-sector profiles, AUKF works to advance democratization in the Balkans by supporting American-based education in Kosovo, and to deliver an American education to students from Kosovo and beyond through curricular, experiential, and research programs at RIT Kosovo.

Financially, the Mount Kisco entity functions primarily as a grantmaker. It reported about $1.72 million in revenue in its FY2023 IRS filing, and grant records show a largest grant of roughly $856,267 paid out, consistent with its role funneling support to RIT Kosovo rather than running U.S.-based programs.

AUKF is not a local community organization in Westchester; the public record does not document Albanian-American cultural programming in Mount Kisco. Its place in the Albanian-American landscape is transnational — a U.S. legal and financial backbone for an American-style university serving Kosovar and regional students.