The American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS) was established in 1995. Its central objectives are to promote US research and teaching on Sri Lanka and to build links between US and Sri Lankan scholars and institutions. It has 21 institutional and over 100 individual members.

As the professional association for US scholars and other professionals who are interested in Sri Lanka, AISLS operates a closed listserve that enables its members to exchange information. It also sponsors workshops and conferences in both the US and Sri Lanka, and carries out a program for the preservation and dissemination of research materials. It holds its Annual General Meeting at the Annual Conference on South Asia, Madison WI.

The AISLS library at the Colombo center is open to US, Sri Lankan and third-country scholars. In addition to books on Sri Lanka, the collection includes electronic resources, works on other countries (mainly in South, Southeast, and West Asia), and theoretical works that provide perspectives useful for scholars working on Sri Lanka. The staff at the Colombo center also offer logistical support for visiting US researchers.

AISLS awards fellowships for two to nine months research in Sri Lanka for US scholars who hold a doctoral degree. It also offers smaller grants for pre-dissertation study, for language instruction, and for graduate student attendance at selected conferences.