The Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute was founded in 1981 to educate, communicate, promote, and sustain the traditions, values, teachings and culture of Orthodox Christianity.  The PAOI is an affiliate of the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley.

The Institute is an interOrthodox endeavor representing the diversity of Orthodoxy in America.  In 1992, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople designated the Institute as “patriarchal” making it the only center of learning in the United States with this designation. It is also the only center of learning in the United States offering a degree in Orthodox Studies outside of the Orthodox Seminaries