The Angola Educational Assistance Fund (AEAF) was established in 1996 by Citizens Energy as a non-profit organization to facilitate the establishment of the Catholic University of Angola (UCAN). Its mission is to assist the university in carrying out its programs to support high quality academic education in Angola. It does so by building capacity within UCAN and the surrounding local community, by encouraging collaborations with other higher education institutions abroad and in Angola, and by promoting the involvement of governments and the private sector. Among its activities are fundraising and grant solicitation, world-wide representation on behalf of UCAN, coordination of collaborative agreements with universities and colleges in the United States and other countries, and support of research activities and educational trainings in Angola.