About

Mission

Fostering cultural exchange and unity, the Iranian Heritage Foundation is dedicated to promoting the diverse tapestry of Iranian culture through the mediums of art and music. Our mission is to cultivate understanding, appreciation, and connections within within the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign community and Champaign County. We strive to we empower individuals to embrace their heritage, contributing to a more inclusive and culturally enriched society.”

The organization is non-profit and registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as a tax-exempt entity.

Our History

The earliest records of the Daily Illini in 1907 shows enrollment of an unidentified student in college of Agriculture from Persia, since then Iranian students have been attending the University of Illinois. Since at least 1961, Iranian students have formed at least 6 student organizations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The earliest records shows establishment of Iranian Student Association (1961-1982) which was a resource group for students from Iran. Since then other organizations, Iranian Moslem Student Organization (1978-1985), Iranian Cultural Association (1988-1991), Iranian Student Association (1989-1995) ,Persian Cultural Association (1999-2012), Iranian Cultural Association (2012-2022), Iranian Music Heritage (2020-2022) and currently Iranian Heritage Foundation (2022-current) promotes the awareness and exploration of Persian or Iranian arts and cultures.

Iranian Orgs Publications at University Library Archive

Iranian Illini Since 1907

Learn More About 1961

Our Team


Current Officers

Abbas Bataleblu, Ph.D. Student in Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering

Somaye Babaei, Ph.D. Student in Bioengineering

Faeze Borhani, Community Member

Ali Ebrahimpour, Ph.D. Student in Computer Science

Zahra Heydari, Ph.D. Student in Civil Engineering

Mehrdad Mohammadi, Ph.D. Student in Statistics

Mahsa Rahimi, Community Member

Mehrnoosh Zohourian, Community Member

Erfan Namaki, Ph.D. Student in Music Education

Sheeva Sheikhfarshi, Ph.D. Student in Urban Planning

Hamed Razavi, Master’s Student in Urban Planning