PARSA Community Foundation

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation, the PARSA Community Foundation encourages Persian culture in the U.S., encourages civic engagement through voter registration and nonprofit infrastructure building, and promotes social entepreneurship internationally. It was founded in 2005 with H.A.N.D. Foundation support, inspired by the work of the Global Philanthropy Forum. Its founder and chairperson is Noosheen Hashemi.

It does not make grants in Iran, but is involved with the Iranian diaspora community.

In 2008, it made grants to:

• Promises Films and Javane, Young Iranian American Theater Company, both based in Berkeley, California
• Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago in Chicago
• Smithsonian Institution of Washington, D.C.
• Khayam Persian School Foundation in Irvine, Calif
• Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History, New York City
• Bay Area Iranian-American Voter Association in Burlingame, Calif.
• Department of Social Anthropology at the University of St. Andrews at St. Andrews, Scotland
• School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London in London.