AEF programs are designed to address the needs of Armenian students in Armenia and Diaspora and they have changed throughout the years to better fit the current need of Armenian students. Prior to 1988 all AEF’s programs were focused on the needs of Diaspora. AEF provided funding to build Armenian day schools in the Middle East, in Southern California and established the Modern Armenian History Chair at UCLA.

At AEF our projects are funded either by endowment funds, that have specific “directives” to fund projects, or AEF raises funds to cover other specific programs.

Directed Diaspora funding are provided to different Armenian schools in Lebanon and college Scholarships in the US that are provided through the Tufenkian Endowment. AEF’s US scholarship committee, which is comprised mostly of educators, reviews the applications submitted and selects the top students to receive $3,000 scholarship each.

For Non-Directed Diaspora funding, instead of competing with various Armenian organizations to raise funds for the same project, AEF identifies projects that have no other funding. Examples are: Program to help at risk students conducted by Committee for Armenian Students in Public Schools (CASPS), funding the costs of Naviance software for Armenian high school students that helps them with their career planning and college search that increases the number of their college applications and acceptance rate, and allocation of funds to Armenian schools in Lebanon.

Presently, AEF offers the following scholarships to Armenian private school students:
• AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School – Joseph Perumian Memorial Scholarship
• Ferrahian Armenian High School – Nora Sahagian scholarship
• Chamlian Armenian School – Nora Sahagian Scholarship
• Armenian Mesrobian High School – Jack Arakelian scholarship
• Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian High School – Alex Pilibos Memorial Scholarship