What is CANF?

The Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing freedom and democracy in Cuba. Established in Florida in 1981, CANF is the largest Cuban organization in exile, with thousands of members across the United States and other countries, representing a cross section of the Cuban exile community as well as friends of Cuban freedom from around the world.  

CANF has offices in Miami, Washington D.C., and New Jersey and chapters in Los Angeles, the greater New York area, Chicago, several cities in Florida, Puerto Rico, New Orleans, and Texas. 

What does CANF Advocate?

CANF supports a non-violent transition to a pluralistic, market-based democracy in Cuba - one fostering economic prosperity with social justice - grounded in  the rule of law, and constitutionally guaranteed protection for fundamental human rights as well as the social, political, and economic rights of the Cuban people. 

CANF seeks to engage, support, and empower the Cuban people in ways that do not aid or legitimize the Castro regime. To that end, we advocate measures in direct support of Cuban civil society that fulfill the Cuban people's historic political aspirations and legitimate humanitarian needs, while maintaining  international political and economic pressure and isolation of the Castro regime.

What drives our work?

In 1959, Fidel Castro - who led the armed wing of a broad-based opposition movement against the Batista dictatorship - seized power in Cuba on behalf of a popular effort premised on the restoration of Cuba's constitutional democracy. Instead of holding promised free elections, Castro and a small circle of collaborators proceeded to discard the progressive  Cuban Constitution of 1940, abolished all political parties, and destroyed the autonomous institutions of Cuban civil society. 

Gone were the free press (including over 300 newspapers across the island) and freedom of expression,  the  autonomous universities and the academic freedom that thrived therein, many of the churches and all religious schooling (and the religious freedom that they fostered),  and the vast web of voluntary civic and professional  organizations that had abounded in Cuba since before independence.  Gone too were the independent labor unions and the hard-won labor rights codified by the Constitution of 1940, all political parties and all forms of democratic politics.

In the process of snuffing out every last spark of independence that remained in Cuban society, the new regime systematically did away with the customary rights Cubans had enjoyed since the dawn of the Republic, carrying out a ruthless campaign to silence all dissent. Challengers within the revolutionary armed forces and the leadership of the opposition were subjected to mock trials and summarily executed, relegated to Castro's gulag, or forced into exile.

Forging an alliance with the then-Soviet Union, Castro declared a communist-totalitarian state and placed himself at the helm of a reign of terror that has caused more than 100,000 Cubans to lose their lives and separated a nation by forcing almost two million Cubans into exile.

CANF embodies the struggle of so many Cubans -and friends of freedom alike - who seek to end more than forty years of totalitarian rule that has silenced, impoverished and brutalized the Cuban people. CANF unites thousands who, willing to share the benefits and blessings of living in free societies, act on their sense of duty to help bring freedom and a dream of a better future to the people of Cuba. 

What does CANF do?

CANF conducts and supports numerous and diverse activities, programs and initiatives to advance human rights in Cuba, educate public opinion on the plight of the Cuban people, dispel prejudice and intolerance against Cubans in exile and promote Cuban culture and creative achievements. 

Regular contact with independent groups and journalists and opposition figures as well as extensive information gathering and analysis allow CANF to offer an updated and comprehensive view of the situation in Cuba. Likewise, CANF provides a window to the outside world for Cubans on the island deprived of objective information and ideas from abroad. In addition to having our own radio station, La Voz de la Fundación,  for transmissions to the island,  we led the effort to establish  the U.S. Information Agency's Radio Martí (1985) and TV Martí (1990), the official U.S. broadcasting operations of uncensored and unbiased news and programming for the Cuban people. 

CANF assists non-violent pro-democracy activists on the island and provides a voice for the victims of oppression in Cuba by informing public opinion - particularly governments and human rights organizations -  on the systematic violation of human rights in Cuba.

We have taken the cause for a free Cuba to the halls of power worldwide. As the foremost Cuban exile organization in the United States, CANF delivers an organized and powerful Cuban-American voice in Washington. For two decades CANF has worked tirelessly to forge a broad bipartisan consensus on U.S. policy toward Cuba and has built bridges of close communication with the executive and legislative branches. Our influence extends internationally, where we raise awareness of Cuba's plight with world leaders and in capitals around the globe.

CANF's research, education, and information efforts are designed to enlighten the media, academia, policy makers, and public opinion - domestically and abroad - on Cuban issues. These efforts have led  Hispanic Business magazine to call CANF "the leading clearinghouse for information devoted solely to Cuba." 

Our numerous humanitarian programs provide active assistance to Cuba's oppressed, impoverished people and help break down barriers that separate free Cubans and those on the island. Many thousands of Cuban refugees fleeing tyranny have been welcomed, comforted, and assisted through our efforts. One of CANF's exodus support programs collected and distributed millions of dollars to reunite more than 10,000 Cuban refugees in third countries with family in the U.S. at no cost to U.S. taxpayers.

CANF's historic humanitarian efforts extend to other communities in times of need. Most recently, we collected and sent aid to victims of natural disasters in Central America. When Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992, within 24 hours CANF had mounted a massive relief effort and was shipping supplies to the devastated areas. The broad relief efforts, commended by the federal government, extended into the reconstruction phase.