CAI was registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1996. Greg Mortenson, co-founder of CAI, began his work in Pakistan in 1993. The organization was established with funds from co-founder Jean Hoerni, a Swiss physicist and Silicon Valley microchip pioneer. Mortenson's first visit to Pakistan was during his expedition to climb K2, the world's second-highest mountain. It was on this expedition that Mortenson met the Balti people, who inspired his humanitarian efforts.