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Council on Foreign Relations · Cost

What Council on Foreign Relations costs

Dues, initiation and other published fees, each with its source and verification date, and an estimate of the first year built only from the disclosed figures.

A private dining room behind a velvet curtain
Illustration

An initiation fee is paid once. Dues recur — usually annually, sometimes monthly. Many chapter-based organizations charge chapter dues on top of national or global dues, and retreats, travel and events are almost always extra. A figure marked “reported” came from a publication, not from the organization.

Published and reported fees

CostAmountNoteProvenance
Annual dues $3,520–5,810 a year Business-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 2026High confidenceSource ↗
Annual dues $820–1,340 a year Nonbusiness-category life membership, effective 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026: $1,340 New York area, $1,210 Washington area, $820 national. Under CFR By-Law III, nonbusiness members are faculty at accredited educational institutions, people in public service, staff of voluntary organisations, and accredited writers, commentators, journalists and media correspondents. Verified September 2026High confidenceSource ↗
Annual dues $2,030–3,610 a year Business-category term membership, effective 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026: $3,610 New York area, $3,210 Washington area, $2,030 national. Nonbusiness term dues are $870, $770 and $520 respectively. Verified September 2026High confidenceSource ↗
Initiation fee Not publicly disclosed; the published dues schedule names no initiation fee. Source ↗
Other cost $50,000–100,000 a year Corporate membership, a separate programme from individual membership: Gold $100,000, Silver $75,000, Bronze $50,000. Verified September 2026High confidenceSource ↗

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.

What the first year adds up to

Cost calculator →
$4,665first year, disclosed components only
$13,995three years, if nothing changes
1components counted
Annual dues
$4,665 a year

Not counted because undisclosed or variable: Annual dues (2 alternative tiers, not added), Initiation fee, Other cost (per year, varies, not added). Ranges are taken at their midpoint. This is an arithmetic sum of published figures, not a quotation.

Compared with similar organizations

OrganizationLowest published duesType
The Economic Club of New York$1,400 a yearInvitation-only community
The Business Councilnot disclosedInvitation-only community
The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.not disclosedInvitation-only community
Renaissance Weekendnot disclosedInvitation-only community
The Economic Club of Chicagonot disclosedInvitation-only community
The Real Estate Roundtablenot disclosedInvitation-only community
 Lowest disclosed recurring figure per organization, before chapter and event costs; currencies as published. Cheaper is not better — the cost buys different things. Less expensive alternatives →
Last verified: 6 September 2026 Report an error on this page

Sources

  1. Council on Foreign Relations — home, Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 1
  2. About CFR — Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 1
  3. Membership | Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 2
  4. Individual Membership | Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 2
  5. Stephen M. Kellen Term Member Program | Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 2
  6. CFR Annual Membership Dues, effective 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026 (PDF), Council on Foreign Relations, July 2025. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 2

Source tiers follow the published hierarchy: 1 official site · 2 official membership materials · 3 application documents · 4 annual reports · 5 government filings · 6 reliable business publications · 7 credible interviews · 8 other reputable secondary sources. Sources and data policy.