The ASEAN Foundation was established in December 1997 by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers in fulfillment of the decision of the ASEAN Leaders. It is a non-profit ASEAN organ under the ASEAN Charter and is mandated to collaborate with the relevant ASEAN bodies to support ASEAN Community building by promoting greater awareness of the ASEAN identity, people-to-people interaction, and close collaboration among the business sector, civil society, academia, and other stakeholders in ASEAN.
The ASEAN Foundation has implemented various activities promoting ASEAN awareness among the youth, currently grouped into the following four program thematic areas: 1. education, 2. arts and culture, 3. media, 4. Environment and 5. community building.