PALCUS is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia. It was founded in 1991 by a group of successful, forward-thinking Portuguese-Americans with the purpose of providing a singular national voice that would advocate for the interests of Portuguese-Americans in the United States. At the center of their vision was to establish and maintain channels of communication between the government of the Republic of Portugal, via the Embassy of Portugal to Washington, D.C., and the U.S. congressional delegation representing Portuguese-American communities.