Center for Democracy in the Americas

The Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA) is a non-partisan 501(c)3 institution dedicated to promoting a U.S. policy toward Cuba based on engagement and recognition of Cuba’s sovereignty. Since our founding in 2006, CDA has stood for the proposition that normalizing relations with Cuba is in the U.S. national interest and offers the best opportunity for Cubans to write the next chapter in their own country’s future.

We work to push U.S. policy forward through strategic advocacy, organizing travel to Cuba, and publishing policy research. CDA executive director Sarah Stephens has led over 60 research and fact-finding missions to Cuba for nearly 500 travelers, including prominent leaders in public policy, business, and civil society. Her bipartisan congressional delegations have included 54 members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

CDA supports policies that help foster dialogue and exchange between the U.S. and Cuba and increase the contacts between our societies. Cuba is at the center of our work because forging constructive U.S.-Cuba relations will have a beneficial and lasting impact on both U.S. and Cuban societies, and it sends an important signal to Latin America that the United States is ready to engage positively with the region, its problems, and its people.