• The Friars National Association Foundation was formed in 1977. It was founded by Buddy Howe who was then the Dean of the Friars Club.
• The Friars foundation a publicly-supported foundation, whose function is to review and evaluate grant requests and to award grants in the name of the Friars. The Foundation is the conduit through which the Friars accomplish one of its major goals: The betterment of our society, particularly in the area of the perfoirming arts. To achieve this objective, 75% of its grants are made for students' scholarship in the Performing Arts and to small Performing Arts groups. The remaining 25% of its grants are made to organizations helping the less fortunate.
• The Friars Foundation is an important contributor to the Performing Arts. Academia recognizes the Friars Foundation as an upfront organization due to their activist scholarship programs. Nine universities with solid performing arts departments have granted scholarships to qualified students. Over the past decade the Friars Foundation has been responsible for 360 Performing Arts scholarships. Many of these students are now employed on Broadway, Hollywood and wherever stages are being prepared for performances.

Whether we experience the thrill of a live performance or the delight of listening to a great symphony, we know how much power the arts have in changing society.

The Friars Foundation was established in 1977 as the charitable arm of the Friars Club. It is a publicly supported Foundation and is the conduit through which the Friars accomplish one of its major goals: the betterment of our society, particularly in the area of the performing arts.

The mission of the Friars Foundation is to help performing arts groups create excellent innovative and affordable programs for the enrichment, education, and enjoyment of diverse audiences and participants. The Foundation also helps prepare the next generation of performers and musical artists through scholarship programs for students studying the performing arts.

With the decrease in government subsidy for the performing arts the Friars Foundation is more than ever aggressively seeking to carry out its mission to foster the arts for future generations.

* Abbot Frank Sinatra once said: “Their continuous good work for charity rather than their great triumphs on the stages of the world is the true glory of this band of earthly angels known as the Friars.”