The Aikikai Foundation (Aikido World Headquarters) is the parent organization for the development and popularization of Aikido throughout the world. To correctly transmit Aikido according to the ideals of the founder,O-sensei Morihei Ueshiba, thousands of instructors under the leadership of Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba are doing their utmost to teach Aikido to students in Japan and around the world.

The California Aikido Association is an organization officially recognized by the Aikikai.

The CAA is a worldwide organization and is fortunate to have within its membership many teachers with varied backgrounds and complementary skills. Thus the CAA embraces many stylistic and technical traditions but is guided by the physical and philosophical ideals established by the founder, Morihei Ueshiba. It is this very openness and diversity that uniquely defines the CAA, not so much as an organization but as an 'Association' of teachers, dojos, and aikidoka whose primary common bond is the art we practice. This loose association also means that the CAA does not mandate, enforce, govern, oversee, direct, sanction, or otherwise control the specific operations and events within its member dojos. Each dojo and each member is solely responsible for their own actions.

The CAA is organized into three Divisions headed by Senseis Michael Friedl, 7th Dan, Robert Nadeau, 8th Dan, and Pat Hendricks, 7th Dan. Frank Doran retired from his position as founding Division Head in 2016.