The federation exists to "promote and preserve the spiritual, historical, cultural and social traditions of all Sephardic communities as an integral part of Jewish heritage" in the United States, and the goal of its founding conference was to "dedicate itself to revitalize the Sephardi culture and heritage in the U.S. and to aid the underprivileged population of the State of Israel". Its role in the Center for Jewish History is to serve as the only partner totally focused on the Jews of the Iberian Peninisula, North Africa, the Balkans, Middle East and Asia. In 2000, when the Center for Jewish History opened to the public, the federation opened what was then the only dedicated Sephardic exhibition space in
North America in the center's new location. When the
U.S. Senate began to look into the issue of Jews fleeing Arab areas in the Middle East, the federation was involved with their research about the more than 800,000 Jews that chose to leave their homes at the time. In connection with a number of other groups worldwide, the federation has been involved with efforts to obtain information from those affected. The American Sephardi Federation is the founder of the NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival which honors important sephardic personalities with the Pomegranate Award. Since 2017, they have also been hosting the annual New York Ladino Day which "aims to celebrate and elevate Ladino culture in New York and throughout the world". ==History==