TCF Allocated A Total of $6.3 Million Grants and Direct Disbursements

Image 2011 was a year of growth for the Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF), both in terms of the new programs that TCF undertook and the grants it awarded to numerous organizations and individuals that share the vision of TCF. In 2011, TCF allocated a total of $6,303,366 in grants and direct disbursements to pursue its mission. An exciting development in 2011 was the move of TCF to its prestigious new location in Washington, DC. The TCF office in the nation's capital joins the Boston and Istanbul offices with a growing team of professionals, interns and volunteers, who implement the mission and undertake the expanding international work of the Turkish Cultural Foundation.

A new TCF initiative on Turkish culinary culture was brought to life in Istanbul in 2011: The TCF Culinary Arts Center (Yemek Sanatlari Merkezi - YESAM), housed at ARMAGGAN located in the historical neighborhood of Nuruosmaniye. YESAM joins the Natural Dyes Research and Development Laboratory-DATU, another cultural heritage project of TCF that was established in Istanbul in 2010.

The TCF programs and grants that create people-to-people cultural exchanges also grew last year, facilitating cultural, artistic and educational connections between tens of thousands of people. Our various educational programs and public educational resources benefitted millions of individuals across the globe.

In 2011, TCF continued to contribute to advancing scholarship in Turkish cultural and art history through its programs, particularly the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art, which supports young and established scholars who conduct research on these topics. At the end of 2011, the research phase of a multi-year study on the influence of Turkish and Ottoman culture on Europe undertaken by Prof.Dr.Nurhan Atasoy, TCF Senior Scholar in Residence, and Dr.Lale Atasoy was completed. The research project, sponsored by TCF, culminated in the publication of a new book by the scholars. Impressions of Ottoman Culture in Europe: 1453-1699, which was published by ARMAGGAN Publications in February of 2012.

We would like to thank everyone who participated in our work to enhance knowledge on the contributions of Turks and Turkey to humanity, on Turkish art and culture today, and to foster cultural, artistic and educational exchanges across the world. We hope that the Turkish Cultural Foundation makes but a small contribution to creating a better appreciation about our shared human and cultural heritage and, hence, to advancing peace and understanding.

In 2011, TCF funds were distributed as follows:

The following chart provides an overview on how TCF funds were allocated in 2011. For a full listing of all Foundation grants please visit TCF website at www.turkishculturalfoundation.org.

EDUCATION & SCIENCE

Ayasli Research Center at Middle East Technical University (METU)

In May 2011, TCF and METU signed a protocol paving the way for the establishment of the Ayasli Research Center. Under the protocol, TCF began the building of the solar powered facility in 2011. It was completed and donated to METU Electrical Engineering Department in March 2012.

The 3,400 m building is a pioneering example of energy sensitive buildings and will supply its own electricity through solar energy. It houses 19 research labs, 2 clean rooms, an anechoic chamber and an antenna tower, as well as seminar and meeting rooms and reading areas.

METU is recognized as a premier institution of higher learning in Turkey. METU has a long-standing relationship with American universities and currently offers educational exchange programs with 48 American universities. It is also the alma mater of TCF founders, Drs.Yalcin and Serpil Ayasli.

Scholarships and Fellowships

TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art

In its fourth year, the Turkish Cultural Foundation Fellowship in Culture and Art was awarded to 14 scholars. The program aims to provide support to students, researchers and scholars who conduct research and publish on the art and culture of Turkey, with a special emphasis on studies related to the preservation of Turkey's artistic and cultural heritage. Since the Fellowship program was established in 2008, a total of 20 post-doctorate and 32 Ph.D. dissertation fellowships have been awarded.

Other Research Fellowships

Impressions of Ottoman Culture in Europe: 1453-1699

TCF continued to support research and education on Turkish art and culture carried out in a multi-year research project by its Senior Scholar in Residence, Dr. Nurhan Atasoy. Under the patronage of the Turkish Cultural Foundation, Dr. Atasoy has continued in 2011 to conduct research toward the publication of her new book, Impressions of Ottoman Culture in Europe: 1453-1699. The research phase was completed at the end of the year and the book was published in Turkish and English by ARMAGGAN Publications in early 2012. The book explores the impressions of Ottoman material culture on Europe in the early modern age when the expansion of Ottoman territory created common borders and intensive political, diplomatic and trade ties with Europe.

Ottoman Greek Studies

TCF awarded scholarships to three Turkish graduate students in Greek Ottoman history who are enrolled in the Ottoman Studies Program at the National Hellenic Research Foundation. The following students received this scholarhip in 2011: Gürer Karagedikli of Bilkent University, who is writing a doctoral thesis on Edirne in the 16th and 17th centuries; Filiz Yaşar of Hacettepe University, who is a scholar on Chios and Medieval Paleography and also specializes in Ottoman tax ledgers; Sehnaz Sismanoglu Simsek of Boğazici University, who is preparing a doctoral thesis on Karamanlidika literature.

Related to this area of studies, TCF also provided a fellowship to Dr. Evangelia Balta, Director of the National Hellenic Research Foundation, to carry out a research project on the Ottoman Archival material on Karamanlidika literature and printing which will be used to update and republish the Karamanlica Bibliography. With TCF funding support, Dr. Balta published her book on Relics of the Ottoman Empire. Another book related to her TCF funded research, titled Histories of Karamanlis and Karamanlidika Prints, will be published in April 2012.

Turkish Language and Culture Studies

Stanford University

A second-year grant was awarded to Stanford University as part of a multi-year TCF commitment to underwrite a full-time Lecturer position in Turkish Language and Literature at the University. Offered by Burcu Karahan Richardson, also a recipient of the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art in 2010, three Turkish language courses, three thematic courses on Turkish literature and two independent courses on advanced Turkish were presented under this program in 2010-2011.

Ottoman Studies Foundation – Intensive Ottoman and Turkish Summer School

In 2010, TCF awarded a five-year grant to the Intensive Ottoman and Turkish Summer School (IOTSS) in Cunda, Turkey, administered by the Ottoman Studies Foundation. Co-sponsored by Harvard and Koç University, the school attracts students from all around the world and provides instruction in reading and translating Ottoman Turkish texts in both manuscript and printed form.

The 15th Session of IOTSS was attended by 21 students from universities in the United States, Turkey, Germany, the United Kingdom and Norway. The second-year grant by TCF was allocated to tuition scholarships for two students: Natasha Asik, who studies at the School of Oriental and Asian Studies (SOAS) at the University of London, and Stefan Peychev of the University of Illinois.

TCF funding also partly underwrote the expenses of the school's teaching staff. The 2011 session of the School was taught by Dr. Evangelia Balta, National Hellenic Research Foundation; Prof.Selim Kuru, University of Washington, Dr.Yorgos Dedes, SOAS, University of London; Domenico Ingenito, University of Oxford's Wadham College and the Oriental Institute; Gregory Key, University of Arizona; and Prof.Nurcan Abaci, Bursa University.

Primary Education

Turkish American Community Schools

Turkish Cultural Foundation is committed to supporting education in Turkish language and heritage for Turkish American children. In 2005, TCF established the Turkish American School Grant to support local Turkish American organizations who want to establish a community school. Since 2005, TCF has supported the establishment or expansion of 24 Turkish American community schools nationwide. In 2011, the Turkish American Association of Central Ohio received the TCF school grant.

Turkish American community schools received additional support from TCF in the form of free Turkish and bilingual classroom resources. Among the publications offered by TCF, Anatolia Before You (Senden Once Anadolu), published by the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara with support by TCF, a CD-version curriculum guide on Turkey, Turks and Turkey prepared by Professor Justin McCarthy of Louisville University, with support from TCF, the TCF produced DVD of "Karagoz" Shadow Puppet Theater and a bilingual book and music series titled Musical Tales of the World by Sebnem Oral, were gifted to 11 Turkish American community schools.

Aid Foundation for Elementary Schools
(İlköğretim Okullarına Yardım Vakfı-ILKYAR)

For the second year, TCF sponsored summer camps for elementary school educators who teach at regional boarding schools in Turkey. The camps were organized by ILKYAR, a Turkish NGO that provides programs and aid to these schools in rural areas of Turkey. The camps took place on June 27-July 4 on the campus of the Middle East Technical University in Ankara.

Vocational Training

Glass Furnace Foundation (Cam Ocağı Vakfı)

The TCF grant allowed the Glass Furnace Foundation to offer a one-year paid apprenticeship for a young glass artist and supported the participation of seven Turkish students in the international summer glass workshops of the Foundation.

Last modified onSaturday, 06 May 2017 10:07