The Alliance Française was founded in 1883 in Paris by the scientist Louis Pasteur, the diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, and the writers Jules Verne and Ernest Renan. Today the Alliance is an international organization represented worldwide.

The Alliance Française of Portland was created in 1933 as a social club for Francophones, Francophiles and French residents. The club faded away in the 1960s and was largely dormant for two decades.