What Thai Community Development Center does

Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social-justice and community development organization founded in April 1994 in Los Angeles by Chanchanit "Chancee" Martorell, who continues to serve as Executive Director. It delivers an integrated portfolio of programs serving the approximately 100,000 Thais in Southern California, with primary functional lines in (i) human services and legal aid (immigration, family preservation, crisis counseling), (ii) the Slavery Eradication and Rights Initiative (SERI) anti-trafficking program and Thai Workers' Center for exploited workers, (iii) affordable housing development and foreclosure prevention (HUD-approved counseling, 106+ units delivered), (iv) immigrant small business development via the Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (API SBP) consortium, (v) community economic development through the Thai Town Marketplace and East Hollywood Certified Farmers' Market, and (vi) cultural preservation through Thai Town designation and the annual Songkran Festival and Thai Cultural Day.

The organization's "technology" is essentially operational: a WordPress website (thaicdc.org), mainstream donor/CRM/event tools (MightyCause, Eventbrite), bilingual Thai/English service delivery, and case management workflows, with no proprietary software product. Its economic model is grant-dependent: revenue streams include federal grants (HUD, HHS, FHLB, congressional earmarks), state and city grants (CDBG, county supervisor discretionary funds), foundation grants (Weingart, California Community Foundation, Liberty Hill, LISC, Mazon, USCCB, Enterprise, Union Bank Foundation), individual donations, transaction-based vendor fees at the farmers' market (7% growers / 10% others per market day), and corporate sponsorships (Singha Beer is the signature Songkran sponsor). All direct human, legal, and small business services are provided free of charge to low-income beneficiaries.

Thai CDC's competitive position rests on three decades of accumulated trust within the Thai diaspora, federal recognition including the 2022 Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons, unique regulatory designations (HUD-approved Thai-language housing counseling; Preserve America neighborhood), and embedded partnerships across AAPI coalitions (API SBP, API PANC) and housing co-developers (Little Tokyo Service Center CDC). Operating with 51–100 employees, it has delivered measurable outcomes including 4,000+ trafficking victims served, 72 Thai garment workers liberated in the landmark 1995 El Monte case (which helped inspire the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000), $2M+ in COVID relief to undocumented Angelenos, and 30th-anniversary recognition in October 2024.

Name

Thai Community Development Center

Legal name

Thai Community Development Center

Website

https://thaicdc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Thai CDC is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1994, that delivers free Thai-language social, legal, anti-trafficking, housing, and small business services to Thai immigrants and other low-income AAPI communities in Southern California through grants, donations, and earned income.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Federal, state, county, and city grants including HUD Section 202, CDBG, HHS Office of Community Services, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco AHEAD grants, and LA County Supervisor discretionary funds. Includes $1M federal earmark via Congress (2022).
2. Foundation Grants: Grants from private foundations including California Community Foundation, Liberty Hill Foundation, Union Bank Foundation, Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, US Council of Catholic Bishops Campaign for Human Development, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and Enterprise Community Partners.
3. Individual and Online Donations: Donations solicited through the website (thaicdc.org/donations) and via MightyCause for COVID relief and other fundraising campaigns. Includes Angel's Wings Thai Scholarship donations.
4. Social Enterprise (Thai Town Marketplace): Rental income and vendor fees from the Thai Town Marketplace (TTMP), a self-sustaining business incubator public market at 5448 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles. Stall fees from farmers' market vendors (7% growers, 10% others per market day).
5. Event Sponsorship: Sponsorship of cultural events; Singha Beer has been the signature sponsor of the Songkran Festival since its inception. Government support from Thai government ministries for festival programming.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1994 that delivers free, culturally and linguistically competent (Thai/English) social, human, legal, and economic development services to low-income Thai immigrants, trafficking survivors, and other vulnerable populations in Los Angeles. Core offerings include human trafficking victim services and legal aid, small business development and counseling, affordable housing development and housing counseling, food access and farmers' market operations, and community-based cultural programming in East Hollywood's Thai Town.

Product overview

Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) is a multi-service nonprofit social-justice organization founded in April 1994, delivering a portfolio of interconnected community programs rather than a single software product. Its Human Services program anchors social, human, and legal services for Thai immigrants and trafficking survivors (with sub-programs including the Slavery Eradication and Rights Initiative (SERI), the Thai Workers' Center, and Legal Services). The Community & Economic Development portfolio includes the Thai Town Marketplace (TTMP) public-market business incubator, the Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (API SBP) with the Entrepreneurial Training Program, the East Hollywood Certified Farmers' Market, Affordable Housing developments (Halifax Apartments and Palm Village Senior Housing), and the Hollywood Family Source Center (HFSC) operated with the Youth Policy Institute. Special-purpose programs include Thai CDC C.A.R.E.S. (COVID emergency relief), the Food Access / Prepared Meals Access Program (PMAP), and the Angels Wings Thai Scholarship. Cultural and community-facing assets include the annual Thai New Year's Day Songkran Festival, Thai Cultural Day, and the Thai Town designation / streetscape work, which together underpin Thai CDC's community economic development strategy in East Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thai Town Marketplace (TTMP) A self-sustaining public market and social-enterprise business incubator at 5448 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, designed to incubate 18-19 food retail and artisan small businesses and create 39-40 permanent entrepreneurship, management, and service jobs in East Hollywood.
• Slavery Eradication and Rights Initiative (SERI) Anti-trafficking program that has served over 4,000 Thai and other foreign national victims trafficked for domestic work, sexual exploitation, manual labor, construction, and agriculture since 1995. Provides immediate response (shelter, food, medical care), case management, legal counsel, family reunification, certification, and restitution advocacy.
• Thai Workers' Center The first Thai Workers' Center in the nation, providing services, representation, and advocacy for exploited workers to help them achieve justice. Funded by California Community Foundation, LA County Department of Public Health, and Liberty Hill Foundation.
• East Hollywood Certified Farmers' Market Weekly outdoor farmers' market providing access to fresh, affordable, locally-grown fruits and vegetables in the underserved East Hollywood neighborhood. Operates every Monday and Thursday, 3:30 PM - 7:30 PM at Metro Plaza (Hollywood/Western); hosts the Prepared Meal Access Program (PMAP).
• Hollywood Family Source Center (HFSC) Family services center operated in partnership with the Youth Policy Institute at 1075 N Western Ave., #110, Los Angeles, CA 90038. Provides culturally and linguistically competent case management, ESL, tutoring, computer and financial literacy, tax assistance (VITA/EITC), college access, legal assistance, parenting classes, youth leadership, and recreational activities.
• Affordable Housing and Equitable Development Program Housing development program with over 19 years of experience developing more than 106 units of affordable housing for very low and low income individuals and families. Includes the 46-unit Halifax Apartments in Hollywood and the 60-unit Palm Village Senior Housing in Sun Valley (completed March 2008).
• Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (API SBP) Small business development program delivered as part of the API SBP consortium (formed 1999) with four other LA AAPI community organizations. Provides free business counseling, entrepreneurial training, access to capital workshops, e-commerce workshops, and financial literacy classes to immigrant entrepreneurs in Thai Town and surrounding AAPI communities.
• Thai CDC C.A.R.E.S. (COVID Aid, Rapid Response, Relief and Emergency Services) Emergency relief program launched to address the adverse impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable community members, including undocumented immigrants, LEP individuals, trafficking survivors, low-wage workers, and small businesses. Provides employment assistance, housing counseling, utility reinstatement, public benefits enrollment, seniors support, health insurance enrollment, food pantry access, and cash aid.
• Thai Town Designation and Community Development Thai CDC led an 8-year campaign resulting in the official designation of the World's First and Only Thai Town by the Los Angeles City Council on October 27, 1999, and a Preserve America neighborhood designation in 2008. Anchors East Hollywood cultural-based economic revitalization strategy.
• Annual Thai New Year's Day Songkran Festival Annual Thai New Year festival co-founded by Thai CDC on Hollywood Boulevard between Western and Normandie Avenues. Attracts 100,000-400,000 visitors annually with 200+ booths, Muay Thai boxing, Miss Thai Town U.S.A. Contest, Buddhist Monk Ceremony, Songkran Parade, and Singha Beer Garden. Singha Beer has been the signature sponsor since inception.
• Annual Thai Cultural Day Annual cultural event with the motto "To Preserve and Promote Thai Culture," now held at Barnsdall Art Park in Hollywood. Features dance, traditional Thai instruments, vendors, and organizational outreach. Spearheaded with the Thai Community Arts and Cultural Center and Wat Thai of Los Angeles.
• Legal Services Program Legal aid program addressing predominant Thai community legal needs in immigration (relative/spousal petitions, deportation representation, naturalization, labor certification), wage and hour claims for exploited workers, landlord-tenant issues, consumer rights, and governmental benefits access.
• Angels Wings Thai Scholarship Educational scholarship program that provides educational opportunities by recognizing the contributions of Thai-Americans in local communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered over $2 million in pandemic relief to undocumented Angelenos
• +8 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (API SBP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA consortium of five LA AAPI community organizations formed in 1999 to assist small and largely immigrant businesses. Partners include Thai CDC, Koreatown Youth and Community Center, Chinatown Service Center, Little Tokyo Service Center CDC, and Search to Involve Pilipino Americans. Combined 135 years of service. Provides free business development, counseling, and technical assistance to entrepreneurs in Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Thai Town, and Pilipino communities.
• Youth Policy InstitutecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThai CDC partners with the Youth Policy Institute to operate the Hollywood Family Source Center (HFSC) at 1075 N Western Ave #110, Los Angeles, CA 90038. Provides a third site offering linguistically and culturally competent services to low-income Thai individuals and families including case management, ESL, tutoring, financial literacy, legal assistance, and youth services.
• Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in part through Thai CDC's mobilization of workers from anti-trafficking cases. Coalition partner in the broader movement against human trafficking and slavery in the US.
• API Preserve America Neighborhood Coalition (API PANC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of five API communities in LA - Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Historic Filipinotown, Koreatown, and Thai Town - formed in 2008 to pursue White House designation as Preserve America neighborhoods. Thai Town was officially designated a Preserve America neighborhood in 2008.
• OCA-Greater Los AngelesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-organizer of the Asian Justice Rally Uniting to End Racial Hatred Against the Asian Community at Wat Thai Temple in North Hollywood on January 30, 2022 (first anniversary of Vicha Ratanapakdee's murder), held synchronously with rallies in San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia.
• AAPI Equity AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Asian Justice Rally and broader AAPI solidarity work. Manjusha P. Kulkarni, Executive Director of AAPI Equity Alliance, provided remarks at the rally.
• Singha Beer (Singha Corporation)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerSignature sponsor of the Thai New Year's Day Songkran Festival since its inception. Operates the Singha Thai Beer Garden at the festival. Long-term brand partnership anchored to Thai Town's signature cultural event.
• Little Tokyo Service Center Community Development CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of Palm Village Senior Housing (60 units) completed in March 2008 in Sun Valley. Also a partner within the API SBP consortium. Provided partnership for the affordable senior housing project.
• The O.N.E. CompanyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWomen and minority owned for-profit developer that partnered with Thai CDC to complete the historic rehabilitation of the Halifax Apartments (6376 Yucca Street, Los Angeles), converting 72 single units into 46 units of affordable multi-family housing.
• Thai Government (Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Royal Thai Consulate General in LA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Songkran Festival including "Team Thailand" (Royal Thai Consulate General in LA, Thai Trade Center, Board of Investment, Thai Airways International). Thai government Ministry of Culture provides Thai Classical and Folk Dances for the festival. The Kinnara Lamppost project was a gift from the Thai government to the City of Los Angeles.
• U.S. Representative Adam SchiffmajorOthersCongressman Schiff's office secured $1 million in federal funding for the Thai Town Marketplace as part of Congress' $1.5 trillion omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 2471) signed by President Biden on March 15, 2022. Represents California's 28th Congressional District which includes Thai Town.
• FDIC (Money Smart Alliance)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThai CDC is a Money Smart Alliance Member of FDIC (#0549) supporting financial literacy education. Also partners with SBA, Kiva, and VEDC for loan resources.
• NeighborWorks AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCongress asked NeighborWorks America to launch the Loan Modification Scam Alert campaign in 2009; Thai CDC references this campaign in its foreclosure prevention program.
• Thai Community Arts and Cultural CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer (along with Wat Thai of Los Angeles) of the annual Thai Cultural Day at Barnsdall Art Park. Originally held by the Thai Community Arts and Cultural Center in September 1993 at Wat Thai of Los Angeles in North Hollywood.
• Wat Thai of Los AngelesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Thai Cultural Day; hosted the first Thai Cultural Day in September 1993; co-hosts the annual Asian Justice Rally (January 30, 2022) commemorating Vicha Ratanapakdee at Wat Thai Temple in North Hollywood.
• LA Coalition to End Hunger and HomelessnessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted food assessment of the Hollywood area in 2002-03 that informs Thai CDC's East Hollywood Certified Farmers' Market and food access programs.
• Asian Pacific Health Care VentureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSynergy partner in the East Hollywood area linking poverty reduction strategies with health promotion; co-located near the Thai Town Marketplace and Farmers' Market.
• Alliance for Community-Based Transit Oriented Development of Los Angeles (ACT LA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThai CDC is a member of ACT LA, which safeguards interests of low income and minority community members in developments occurring around transit.
• Thai Association of Southern CaliforniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWarinthip Jaengdee, President of the Thai Association of Southern California, led moment of silence at the Asian Justice Rally.
• Thai Chamber of Commerce of CaliforniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRosalyn Patamakanthin, President of the Thai Chamber of Commerce of California, provided remarks at the Asian Justice Rally.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST): Los Angeles-based anti-trafficking organization founded in part through Thai CDC's mobilization of trafficking survivors. CAST provides direct services, shelter, and legal aid to trafficking victims, making it the closest comparable organization in anti-trafficking scope and target population.
• Little Tokyo Service Center Community Development Corporation (LTSC CDC): AAPI community development corporation serving the Japanese-American community in LA. Co-developed Palm Village Senior Housing with Thai CDC and is a fellow member of the API SBP consortium. Directly comparable as an AAPI CDC delivering affordable housing, social services, and small business support.
• Chinatown Service Center: Fellow API SBP consortium member serving LA's Chinese-American community with small business development, social services, and community programs. Direct peer under the API SBP partnership delivering comparable immigrant small business and human services in a culturally specific context.
• Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC): API SBP consortium partner serving the Korean-American community in LA. Provides small business development, youth services, and community programs analogous to Thai CDC's portfolio, making it a directly comparable ethnic-focused CDC peer.
• Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA): Fifth member of the API SBP consortium, serving LA's Filipino-American community with small business development and human services. Direct peer in immigrant small business assistance and culturally-competent community programming.
• Bet Tzedek: LA-based legal services nonprofit providing free counsel on housing, immigration, workers' rights, and consumer issues to low-income residents. Honored at Thai CDC's 30th Anniversary Social Impact Awards. Directly comparable as a community legal services peer.
• Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA): LA-based immigrant rights organization providing legal services, advocacy, and community education. Comparable peer in immigrant services, anti-trafficking advocacy, and culturally competent direct service delivery to Los Angeles immigrant communities.
• East LA Community Corporation (TELACU): LA-based community development corporation with a parallel mission of affordable housing development and economic empowerment in underserved communities. Comparable as an LA-area CDC doing affordable housing, workforce, and small business programs.

Broad incumbents

• Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles: Larger AAPI civil rights organization providing legal aid, policy advocacy, and community education across multiple AAPI communities in LA. Comparable peer in legal services and advocacy but operates at a much larger scale and broader pan-AAPI mandate than Thai CDC's Thai-focused niche.

Regional players

• APAIT (Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team): AAPI-focused health and social services organization in LA providing HIV/AIDS services, behavioral health, and anti-trafficking case management. Comparable in AAPI culturally-competent service delivery, though focused on health outcomes rather than the broader community development scope Thai CDC covers.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thaicdc
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThaiCDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thai-community-development-ctr

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thai Community Development Center