Each year, NIAF honors an Italian region that exemplifies the spirit of excellence and progress. In 2025, the Foundation celebrated Lazio. In 2026, Lombardia takes the stage — Italy's engine of enterprise, design, and innovation.

True to its mission as a bridge between Italy and the Italian American community, NIAF will use the occasion to present a donation on behalf of victims of Cyclone Harry in Southern Italy — a gesture of solidarity from Italian Americans across the United States.

The evening will also include a special tribute to Filippo Mazzei, the Tuscan intellectual whose ideas on natural equality helped inspire Thomas Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration of Independence — a reminder of Italy's enduring gift to American democracy.