ARCE was founded in 1948 in Boston by Edward W. Forbes, then the director of the Fogg Museum at Harvard, and Sterling Dow, then president of the Archaeological Institute of America, with the intention of creating a scholarly research center in Egypt.

[1][2] ARCE began conservation work at heritage sites throughout Egypt in the early 1990s, following the earthquake in 1992, with support from USAID.

[citation needed] Today, ARCE's ongoing grants program is supported by its Antiquities Endowment Fund, which was created with resources from USAID as allocated by the United States Congress.

[citation needed] ARCE awards fellowships to pre-doctoral candidates and postdoctoral scholars for research in Egypt.

[6][7] Further information on ARCE's programmatic expenditures, grant and contribution income, and executive compensation are available to the public through its annual tax filings.