Our Mission

PALCUS is committed to serving the community through increasingly active government relations efforts, the promotion of a greater awareness of ethnic accomplishments and encouraging stronger ties between Portugal and the United States. In this role, we advance the community professionally, politically and culturally, while working to ensure that issues directly affecting our community are addressed through our network of government and community leaders.

History

PALCUS was founded in 1991 by a select group of Portuguese-American professionals who recognized the need to address issues of importance to the Portuguese-American community of the United States.  They sought to establish a consistent means of communication between the Embassy of Portugal and their representatives in the United States Congress.  Their efforts were fruitful in the early years with the establishment of the Dual Taxation Agreement (1996) and the Visa Waiver Program (1999).

As the organization evolved, however, it was soon realized that in order for PALCUS to be truly representative of the community and influence the Luso-American relationship as a whole, the organization needed to become a national entity by opening its doors to all members of the community across the country. It has expanded its programs to include internships for young college students,  a leadership recognition program, enhanced national and international relations, a school adoption program for the Portuguese language and community outreach activities.

Since 1991, PALCUS has grown from 92 individual members to over 300, and 14 institutional members. To date, PALCUS represents over one million Portuguese-Americans across the United States. With the help and support of members of the Luso-American community and others, we continue to grow every day. PALCUS consists of a Board of Directors, a Council of 100, and Office Staff.

Vision

In order to create singular national voice to advocate for the Portuguese-American and Luso-American communities-at-large, PALCUS was founded in 1991 as a 501(c)3 non-partisan, non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. with a mission of addressing domestic and international  concerns of the Portuguese-American community. PALCUS strives to conduct an expanding program of research, educational and public affairs activities on salient issues of interest to the Portuguese-American community and the Luso-American relationship.

 

Why PALCUS is Needed

• To provide a constant voice on Capitol Hill for the Portuguese-American community-at-large.
• To ensure that issues affecting the Portuguese community are addressed.
• To ensure that Portuguese-Americans and Portuguese residents in the United States receive all rights and benefits to which they are entitled.
• To assist Portuguese-Americans in furthering their success academically, professionally and culturally.
• To foster collaboration between the Portuguese government and the Portuguese-American community so that we may preserve the Portuguese culture and language in the United States.