Comparison · 17 material differences
AM&AA vs Council on Foreign Relations
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Professional association
Verified September 2026 AM&AA
Middle-market M&A advisers: investment bankers, CPAs, attorneys, valuation specialists, corporate financial investors and business advisers
Invitation-only community
Council on Foreign Relations
Senior figures in foreign policy and adjacent fields: government officials, scholars, business executives, journalists, lawyers and nonprofit leaders
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining: AM&AA: Young Professional membership is limited to those aged 35 and under in the early stages of an M&A career; Council on Foreign Relations: Term membership: aged thirty to thirty-six on 1 January 2027.
- Minimum age: AM&AA: No published minimum age; Council on Foreign Relations: Term membership: aged thirty to thirty-six on 1 January 2027.
- Accredited-investor status: AM&AA: No published accredited-investor status; Council on Foreign Relations: Restricted to US citizens (native born or naturalized) and permanent residents who have formally applied to become citizens.
- Industry restriction: AM&AA: Individual membership is for M&A and supporting trade professionals who practise independently; Council on Foreign Relations: No published industry restriction.
- Annual dues: AM&AA: $545 a year; Council on Foreign Relations: $3,520–5,810 a year.
Side by side
| AM&AA | Council on Foreign Relations | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Invitation-only community |
| Founded | 1998 (Established in 1998 to bring together CPAs, attorneys and corporate financial advisers working in middle-market M&A) | 1921 ("Since its founding in 1921, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has grown a membership of more than five thousand of the most prominent leaders in the foreign policy arena.") |
| Headquarters | Dallas, United States | New York, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Chapters are all in the United States plus a virtual chapter; the membership network spans 25 countries | United States, concentrated around its New York headquarters at 58 East 68th Street and its Washington office at 1777 F Street NW, with members elsewhere in the US and abroad; dues are banded by proximity to those two cities |
| Members | 1,100as of September 2026 | 5,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 24 | No chapters. CFR operates from New York and Washington, D.C. and convenes nearly a thousand events a year. |
| Primary audience | Middle-market M&A advisers: investment bankers, CPAs, attorneys, valuation specialists, corporate financial investors and business advisers | Senior figures in foreign policy and adjacent fields: government officials, scholars, business executives, journalists, lawyers and nonprofit leaders |
| Typical member | Members are M&A and supporting trade professionals: accountants, lawyers, investment bankers, valuation and due diligence specialists, and corporate financial investors working in the middle market. Individual membership is aimed at those who practise independently; corporate membership covers teams of five or more from one firm. | Members include top government officials, scholars, business executives, journalists, lawyers and nonprofit professionals. Life members are elected on intellectual attainment, involvement in international affairs and standing among peers; term members are elected each year from candidates aged thirty to thirty-six and serve a fixed five-year term. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | Young Professional membership is limited to those aged 35 and under in the early stages of an M&A careerIdentification and proof of age are required during the application processverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Term membership: aged thirty to thirty-six on 1 January 2027Graduate students are generally advised to wait until after completing their degree before applying.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum age | No published minimum age | Term membership: aged thirty to thirty-six on 1 January 2027Applies only to the Stephen M. Kellen Term Member Program; life membership has no published age band.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Accredited-investor status | No published accredited-investor status | Restricted to US citizens (native born or naturalized) and permanent residents who have formally applied to become citizensPermanent residents must email CFR a statement of their current citizenship and the date of their formal US citizenship application.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Industry restriction | Individual membership is for M&A and supporting trade professionals who practise independentlyverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published industry restriction |
| Invitation required | No | Yes |
| Sponsor required | No | Yes |
| Application process | Applicants complete an application through AM&AA's membership portal at amaa.wildapricot.org, or contact the association directly. Young Professional applicants must supply identification and proof of age. Corporate memberships are arranged by email with custom pricing. There is no published interview, sponsorship or committee review, but all members must accept the ethics and standards rules and the no-solicitation condition. | Candidates request an application, then submit it online with contact information, a CV, and nominator and seconder details. Life membership requires a written nomination from a current member plus three to four seconding letters; term membership requires a nomination plus two to three seconding letters. Letter writers receive submission instructions automatically once entered into the portal. Life membership deadlines are 1 March and 1 November, with decisions in late June and early March respectively; the term membership deadline is 10 January, with decisions in late June. The Board of Directors elects new members twice a year. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed: AM&AA publishes membership categories and conditions but no acceptance data | Not publicly disclosed. CFR publishes its criteria, deadlines and letter requirements but no acceptance rate or applicant volume. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $545 a yearIndividual membershipverified September 2026 · source ↗ | $3,520–5,810 a yearBusiness-category life membership, effective 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026: $5,810 for New York area members (residence or principal place of business within fifty miles of Manhattan City Hall), $5,310 for Washington, D.C. area members (within fifty miles of the Capitol) and $3,520 nationally.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed; the published dues schedule names no initiation fee.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Programme fee | $5,200 one-timeCertified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA) programme fee, which includes first-year membership and materialsverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Dues are billed in July, the first month of CFR's fiscal year, and may be paid annually or in two equal instalments. They cover goods and services including a year's subscription to Foreign Affairs and are stated not to be tax-deductible as a charitable contribution. The by-laws provide for suspension of privileges if a member is more than sixty days in default. |
| Membership term | Annual | Life membership for elected members; term membership runs for a fixed five-year term |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Monthly chapter events plus two annual conferences (Summer and Winter), and CM&AA certification courses run in person and virtually | Nearly one thousand events a year, including panel discussions, symposia, town halls, livestreams and members-only CEO forums; term members also have an annual conference and study trips |
| Peer forums | No confidential peer forums; members organise through chapters, including a virtual chapter, and deal-sourcing tools | Events, roundtables and workshops rather than standing small-group forums; term member breakout sessions are held not-for-attribution |
| Confidentiality | Members agree not to solicit fellow members without written board permission; no broader confidentiality policy was found | Term Member Conference breakout sessions are described as not-for-attribution; CFR publishes transcripts of many of its main events |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | No | Partial |
| Local chapters | Yes | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Partial |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Partial |
| Retreats | No | Partial |
| Travel | No | Yes |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Yes |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: AM&AA · Council on Foreign Relations