Crimean Tatar Foundation USA Establishes the Crimean Tatar Academy of Arts and Sciences
/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2026 | New York, New York
Crimean Tatar Foundation USA Establishes the Crimean Tatar Academy of Arts and Sciences — The First Academic Institution of Its Kind in the Crimean Tatar Diaspora
NEW YORK — Crimean Tatar Foundation USA (EIN 93-3792517), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the leading institutional advocate for the sovereign rights of the Crimean Tatar nation in the United States, today announced the establishment of the Crimean Tatar Academy of Arts and Sciences (CTAAS) — the first academic institution of its kind in the history of the Crimean Tatar diaspora.
The Academy has been established by resolution of the Board of Directors of Crimean Tatar Foundation USA and will operate as an official division of the Foundation. Zera Karashaisky Mustafaieva, Founder and Member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, has been appointed Founder and President of the Academy.
Mission and Significance
The Crimean Tatar Academy of Arts and Sciences is dedicated to advancing scholarly research, policy analysis, and academic publication on the history, culture, language, law, and autochthonous rights of the Crimean Tatar nation. The Academy will serve as the authoritative academic voice of the Crimean Tatar nation in international discourse — before universities, governments, and international institutions including the United Nations.
The establishment of the Academy represents the culmination of sustained institutional work. Since its founding, Crimean Tatar Foundation USA has built an academic infrastructure that includes scholarly monographs published under ISBN and catalogued with the Library of Congress, an institutional affiliation with Purdue University, a documentary series reaching over 1.5 million viewers, engagement with members of the United States Congress, and an application for consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Statement of the Founder and President
“The Crimean Tatar nation maintained the independent sovereign state — the Crimean Khanate — for 342 years, with its own dynasty, legal system, currency, universal literacy, and foreign diplomacy. A nation of this civilizational stature requires an academy equal to its heritage. The Crimean Tatar Academy of Arts and Sciences is that institution — and it will ensure that the scholarly and juridical legacy of our nation enters every room where its future is decided.”
— Zera Karashaisky Mustafaieva
Founder and President, Crimean Tatar Academy of Arts and Sciences
Founder and Chair of Academic Research and Policy, Crimean Tatar Foundation USA
Visiting Scholar, Brian Lamb School of Communication, Purdue University
Academic Programs
The Academy will maintain a publishing program of scholarly monographs, working papers, and policy briefs; a Visiting Scholar Program developed in partnership with accredited universities; and an Academic Council composed of distinguished scholars and legal experts. The Academy will conduct its work in English, Crimean Tatar (Qırımtatar tili), and Ukrainian.
About Crimean Tatar Foundation USA
Crimean Tatar Foundation USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of Crimean Tatar cultural heritage and the advancement of the autochthonous rights of the Crimean Tatar nation. The Foundation has participated in the ECOSOC Partnership Forum at the United Nations, engaged with the United States Congress, and produced original scholarship that has entered formal international legal discourse.
Media Contact:
Zera Karashaisky Mustafaieva
Founder and President, Crimean Tatar Academy of Arts and Sciences
zera@crimeantatarfoundation.org
www.crimeantatarfoundation.org
2250 East 4th Street, Brooklyn, New York, NY 11223