The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Foundation, Incorporated, was founded in the United States of America in 1959 by Swami Premananda. The purpose of the Foundation is to disseminate and represent the philosophy, ideal, life, service and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi as well as the cultural heritage of India. The Foundation is a legally independent, nonprofit cultural and educational organization.

It is the life mission of Gandhi which is the heart of the Gandhi Center. If the atmosphere and the purpose of the Center are revealed as such, it is only because of the genuine self-dedication of those who have given it life. Swami Premananda, Srimati Kamala and His Excellency, Ambassador T.N. Kaul dedicated the Gandhi Memorial Center on January 30, 1976. Dedicating the Center to Mahatma Gandhi, Ambassador Kaul said that Mahatma Gandhi belonged not only to India but to the whole world. America could also claim him as its own because of his universality. Swami Premananda stated that Mahatma Gandhi was India’s greatest contribution to the 20th century.

The Gandhi Memorial Center houses headquarters for the Foundation, a library and special meeting rooms for lectures and films depicting the life and activities of Mahatma Gandhi and the cultural heritage of India.

The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Foundation, Inc. is a 501c(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. The staff of the Foundation and the Gandhi Memorial Center are dedicated workers who serve without remuneration through the year.