Founded in 1978, during the First Colloquium of Catalan Studies in North America (held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), the NACS is committed to encouraging and advancing the study of Catalan language and culture in the North American academy. It seeks to foster greater visibility for and dissemination of scholarship in the field of Catalan Studies and serves as a central point of reference, as well as a public voice, for a network of scholars in this field. To this end, the NACS holds biennial colloquia (along with occasional smaller symposia) and publishes the Catalan Review: International Journal of Catalan Culture.
In 1997, the Institut d’Estudis Catalans and the Catalan government granted the NACS the prestigious Ramon Llull Award in recognition of its role in promoting Catalan culture on an international scale. In 1998, the NACS received the Creu de Sant Jordi, the highest recognition awarded by the Catalan government.