The APEC Education Foundation (AEF), a non-profit, grant-making organization, was established in 1995 as an expansion of the Leaders' Education Initiative of the first APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Blake Island, the United States.

The mission of the APEC Education Foundation is to support APEC endeavors towards shared prosperity and community building in Asia and the Pacific by advancing education and human resources development in APEC economies.

To achieve the mission, the Foundation aims to promote research, scholarship and learning in Asia-Pacific region through programs of grants for projects and other special initiatives in the areas of APEC priorities.

In order to ensure a coordinated approach to common concerns, the Foundation works closely with the APEC Secretariat, the APEC Human Resources Development Working Group, the APEC Study Centers and other partners of APEC.