The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs among small to mid-size institutions, primarily across the United States but also outside the US. The NAIA began accepting members from Canada in 1999 which made it the only international intercollegiate athletic association in North America until 2009. Today there are three Canadian members. As of July 1 2016, the NAIA reports having 246 member institutions.