One hundred years after the NAF was founded in New York City, Atlanta will become the 10th NAF chapter in the US. Its mission will be to “build bridges between the Netherlands and the Southeast United States by enabling the exchange of people and ideas that create appreciation, progress, and tolerance.”

The launch of the new NAF chapter is a recognition of the growing importance of Atlanta as a cultural and economic hub and is a testament to our strong roots in this community.

As the gateway to the Southeastern United States, Atlanta already hosts a successful Netherlands American Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Holland Club. A number of distinguished guests and speakers, including The Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander, will join us on November 16.

“The expansion of the Netherland-America Foundation to the Southeast with the new Atlanta chapter represents the interest of strengthening ties between our nations. The newly initiated activities will focus on how we learn more from our shared heritage and values (democracy, open societies, emphasis on freedom, individual responsibility) and move forward together. I am very grateful to the individual Dutch and American men and women in Atlanta taking up this initiative and they can count on our support,” said Ard van der Vorst, Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Atlanta. 

Bernard van der Lande, the inaugural Chair of the new NAF Chapter, also remarked: “We’re proud and excited to start the 10th NAF Chapter in the United States on the 100th anniversary of the NAF. It’s a testament to the growing importance of Atlanta as a cultural and economic hub, and we look forward to doing our part to contribute to future success and growth in region, as well as further strengthening the bonds between our two great countries.”