American Mustache Institute
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| Type | Mustache Advocacy |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Website | www |
The American Mustache Institute (AMI) is an advocacy organization and registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit originally based in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2013, it moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
When founded in 1965, AMI was the only organization in the world working towards facial hair advocacy. AMI’s full-time staff supports more than 700 global chapters which advocate for greater acceptance of mustaches in the workplace and throughout modern culture.
Efforts by AMI have included a 2007 campaign against "widespread and unacceptable discrimination in the workplace and society", as chronicled by media including the Daily Telegraph and The Learning Channel. In December 2007, AMI lobbied the Royse City, Texas School District on behalf of student Sebastian Pham, who had been forced by a teacher to shave his mustache, which in the opinion of Pham's family and AMI had violated his civil liberties. Additionally, the New York Times cited AMI as an example of modern online community building.
Part of the organization’s charter includes supporting communities in which it works, and therefore AMI created a charitable fundraising mechanism in 2006 for organizations such as Challenger Baseball, a baseball league for disabled children. AMI's first charitable fundraiser—'Stache Bash 2006 — was held in July 2006. The event raised awareness of the issue of mustache acceptance, supported mustachioed Americans, and raised funds for Challenger Baseball. The organization held its second ‘Stache Bash in 2007, and just prior USA Today wrote the event was part of AMI's efforts to "protect the rights of, and bias against, mustached Americans." As part of 'Stache Bash 2007, AMI also conducted voting for the “Greatest Sports Mustache” of all time, which was won in a popular vote by former Major League Baseball player Keith Hernandez as announced by AMI in August 2007. Ultimately, the event raised enough funds to allow Challenger Baseball to add six new teams for the 2008 campaign.
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