The Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), previously named Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER), was established in 1970. The founding organizations were the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), the American Institute of Interior Designers (AID), and the National Society of Interior Designers (NSID). AID and NSID merged in 1975 to form the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). The intent of the founders was to promote excellence by developing standards for interior design education and to acknowledge the increasing demands of an emerging profession.
The Council for Interior Design Accreditation provides the foundation for future excellence in the interior design profession by setting standards for education and accrediting academic programs that meet those standards.