We are a group of unique individuals who are passionate about the French language and cultural heritage.
Alliance Française of Charlotte, founded in 1949, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the state of North Carolina. We are part of the Alliance Française global network that dates from 1883 and spans 138 countries with over 1100 chapters.
Our mission
Our mission is to increase appreciation and promote the French language and Francophone cultures in order to foster exchanges and reinforce friendships between all francophones in the greater Charlotte area.
Why learn French?
French is the native language of over 170 million people on 5 continents and the second language of millions more. It is the most widely taught second language after English.
French is an official language in 29 countries and one of the official languages of the African Union, the European Union, the Council of Europe, FIFA, the International Court of Justice, Interpol, NATO, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, The United Nations and its agencies, the Red Cross, the International Postal Union, the International Olympic Committee and the World Trade Organization.
La Francophonie, an international organization of countries which include a prevalence of French speakers, has 54 member states. La Francophonie was created in 1970 as a forum where 4 Western countries, namely France, Belgium, Canada and Switzerland, could meet and give aid to poorer countries, and most importantly, to promote the spread of the French language and values. The purpose has now expanded to cover cooperation in 9 technical fields that are considered priorities: agriculture, energy, environment, culture, communications, scientific and technological information, language industries, legal cooperation and education. Members of la Francophonie have a combined population of about 600 million people.
