Asian Pacific Environmental Network
Asian Pacific Environmental Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organization founded in 1991 that organizes Asian immigrant and refugee communities in California's Bay Area and Los Angeles to fight refinery pollution, secure affordable housing, and build community resilience hubs with multilingual organizing capacity.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Asian Pacific Environmental Network does
Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organization founded in 1991 at the First National People of Color Environmental Justice Leadership Summit and headquartered in Oakland, California. It organizes working-class Asian immigrant and refugee communities — primarily Laotian refugees in Richmond, Chinese immigrants in Oakland Chinatown, and AAPI communities in Los Angeles South Bay — around environmental and social justice issues, including refinery pollution, housing displacement, and disaster preparedness. The organization operates through door-to-door outreach, community meetings, voter mobilization, and coalition advocacy that has produced measurable policy wins over three decades.
APEN's core service portfolio centers on community organizing and resilience infrastructure rather than commercial products. Key initiatives include the Lincoln Square Community Resilience and Recreation Center in Oakland Chinatown ($9.25M grant, broke ground 2026), the Richmond Resilience Hub at RYSE Commons (130 kW solar / 110 kWh storage system), the SOMAH solar-on-affordable-housing program, the CPUC-approved Community Solar Green Tariff program, and a Candidate Resilience Hub Mapping Tool co-developed with PSE Healthy Energy. The organization maintains multilingual capacity in Mandarin, Cantonese, Khmu, Mien, and Lao.
APEN's business model is donation- and grant-funded, with no fees charged for organizing services. Revenue streams include individual donations (processed via ActBlue), foundation grants, and government program funding — most notably the CalEPA Environmental Justice Action Grants program (over $10M distributed across 13+ California counties since 2024) and the California Strategic Growth Council's resilience center funding (~$100M statewide). APEN's go-to-market is community-led organizing rather than sales; partnerships with 300+ organizations across coalitions such as CEJA and the California Climate Equity Coalition form its primary distribution infrastructure.
Asian Pacific Environmental Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Asian Pacific Environmental Network
- Legal name
- Asian Pacific Environmental Network
- Website
- https://apen4ej.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Asian Pacific Environmental Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organization founded in 1991 that organizes Asian immigrant and refugee communities in California's Bay Area and Los Angeles to fight refinery pollution, secure affordable housing, and build community resilience hubs with multilingual organizing capacity.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Asian Pacific Environmental Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Justice Advocacy and Community Organizing Services
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Human Rights Organizations (813311)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental Justice & Community Environmental Health (BPAGAGAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL), Climate & Health Risk Regulation and Public Health Adaptation Authorities (HLAJAFAM)
Keywords
Where Asian Pacific Environmental Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Asian Pacific Environmental Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: Individual and organizational donations through platforms like ActBlue, supporting the organization's operational costs and campaign activities.
- Grants: Funding from government programs (CalEPA Environmental Justice Action Grants), foundations, and climate investment programs to support organizing activities, resilience hub development, and policy advocacy.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Asian Pacific Environmental Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organization that builds power among working-class Asian immigrant and refugee communities in California to fight pollution, displacement, and climate impacts. APEN delivers community organizing, policy advocacy, and physical resilience infrastructure including solar-equipped resilience hubs, multilingual emergency warning systems, and clean energy access programs for low-income households. Its work centers on environmental justice, tenant protections, and community resilience in Richmond, Oakland, and Los Angeles.
Product overview
Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) is a grassroots environmental justice organization that does not operate as a traditional product company. Its offerings consist of community organizing programs, advocacy campaigns, and collaborative resilience infrastructure projects rather than commercial products or technology platforms. The organization runs resilience hub initiatives (such as the Lincoln Square Community Resilience Center and Richmond RYSE Commons solar/storage project), solar energy access programs (SOMAH, Community Solar Green Tariff), and interactive mapping tools for identifying resilience hub opportunities. These are community-serving programs focused on environmental justice for Asian immigrant and refugee communities in California.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lincoln Square Community Resilience and Recreation Center A community resilience hub project transforming the Lincoln Recreation Center in Oakland Chinatown into a safe shelter providing clean air, emergency resources, culturally appropriate services, and recovery support during disasters. The hub serves approximately 1,000 neighbors daily including youth, seniors, immigrants, and low-income families, and offers CalFresh assistance, voter registration, free community college classes, and multilingual services in Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese.
- Richmond Solar and Storage Resilience Hub A resilience hub project at RYSE Commons in Richmond featuring 130 kW-DC of solar and 110 kWh of battery storage capacity, designed to support 100% of the campus annual electric usage and provide resilience power during grid shutoffs and disasters for Richmond youth and families.
- Candidate Resilience Hub Mapping Tool An interactive mapping tool developed by APEN in partnership with PSE Healthy Energy that allows users to explore opportunities for resilience hubs throughout California, displaying data on potential hub building sites, local populations, climate risks, and solar/storage cost estimates to support community resilience planning.
- Youth Leadership Development Program Programs including Asian Youth Advocates (AYA) and broader APEN Youth Leaders that engage young people from Asian immigrant and refugee communities in environmental justice education, leadership development, campaign organizing, voter outreach, signature gathering, and city council testimony.
- Environmental Justice Action Grants Program Participation APEN's participation in and administration of CalEPA Environmental Justice Action Grants supporting emergency preparedness, public health protection, expanded environmental decision-making participation, and coordinated enforcement of environmental protections for pollution-impacted communities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Won strongest refinery pollution caps in the world through 3-year Richmond campaign
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Asian Pacific Environmental Network
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Asian Pacific Environmental Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Asian Pacific Environmental Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- RYSE CentercoreProject co-manager and property owner for the Richmond Resilience Hub solar and storage project. RYSE and APEN center youth voices in advancing climate resiliency at RYSE Commons, a community space serving Richmond youth and families.
- People Power Solar CooperativecoreProject developer for the Resilience Hub solar and storage installation, providing financial analysis, technical support, and project development. Issued the RFP on behalf of the Resilience Hub team.
- Physicians, Scientists, and Engineers for Healthy Energy (PSE)minorOwner's Agent for the Resilience Hub project, providing technical oversight. Also collaborated with APEN to develop the Candidate Resilience Hub Mapping Tool.
- Friends of Lincoln Square ParkcoreCo-organizing with APEN to renovate Lincoln Recreation Center into a state-of-the-art Resilience Hub in Oakland Chinatown. Joint advocacy for the $9.25M grant award.
- Brooklyn Basin Community Benefits CoalitioncoreCoalition of East Bay Asian Youth Center, APEN, and Oakland Community Organizations that won 16-year campaign for 465 affordable housing units at Brooklyn Basin development.
- East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC)corePart of Brooklyn Basin Community Benefits Coalition, providing youth violence prevention, expanded learning, and civic engagement programs in Oakland.
- Oakland Community OrganizationscorePart of Brooklyn Basin Community Benefits Coalition, representing over 2,000 low-income families and elders in Oakland neighborhoods.
- California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA)coreStatewide coalition where APEN serves as a member, coordinating environmental justice advocacy and climate policy at the California state level.
- California Climate Equity CoalitioncoreAPEN is a Steering Committee member along with Coalition for Clean Air, The Greenlining Institute, Public Advocates, and SCOPE, working on equitable implementation of climate investments.
- The Utility Reform Network (TURN)minorCoalition partner in advocacy against PG&E bailout, representing low-income communities on utility issues.
- AARPminorCoalition partner with TURN and APEN in advocacy against SB 901 (PG&E bailout bill) to protect California consumers.
- 350.orgminorCo-organizer of Rise for Climate, Jobs, and Justice mobilization in San Francisco, part of international climate action day.
- Solar RichmondminorPartner in solar job training and clean energy organizing in Richmond, co-hosted screening of Catching the Sun film.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Asian Pacific Environmental Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC): Oakland-based AAPI youth services and civic engagement organization — APEN's direct Brooklyn Basin coalition partner, with overlapping AAPI community base in Oakland but a narrower organizing scope.
Direct peers
- Communities for a Better Environment: California-based environmental justice nonprofit organizing in working-class communities of color against refinery and industrial pollution — the closest direct analogue to APEN in both mission and methodology, with overlapping Richmond-area campaign interests.
- Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice: Inland Empire-based environmental justice organization fighting pollution in low-income communities of color — comparable grassroots organizing model, refinery-adjacent industrial focus, and coalition membership in CEJA.
- PODER (People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources): San Francisco-based Latino environmental justice organization running grassroots campaigns against industrial pollution — directly comparable organizing methodology, climate-equity advocacy, and CEJA coalition participation.
- Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE): Los Angeles grassroots organization working on climate equity, tenant protections, and environmental justice — APEN's explicit coalition partner in LA South Bay and California Climate Equity Coalition, with overlapping community-organizing methodology.
- Coalition for Clean Air: California environmental advocacy organization focused on air quality and pollution reduction — fellow California Climate Equity Coalition steering-committee member with overlapping policy and regulatory priorities.
Broad incumbents
- The Greenlining Institute: California racial- and economic-equity policy and advocacy organization — co-steer of the California Climate Equity Coalition with APEN, operating at a larger and more policy-influencing scale on the same climate-equity agenda.
- California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA): Statewide coalition of which APEN is a core member — the umbrella body that coordinates policy advocacy across CEJA's network and provides a scaling framework for grassroots EJ groups like APEN.
- Public Advocates: California public-interest law and policy organization — co-steer of the California Climate Equity Coalition with APEN, working on equitable implementation of climate investments from a legal-advocacy angle rather than grassroots organizing.
- Earthjustice: National environmental law organization that litigates many of the same refinery and pollution cases APEN organizes around — a complementary force that scales APEN's grassroots wins through legal action.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Asian Pacific Environmental Network social profiles
Digital presenceAsian Pacific Environmental Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Asian Pacific Environmental Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Asian Pacific Environmental Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Asian Pacific Environmental Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Asian Pacific Environmental Network
What does Asian Pacific Environmental Network do?
Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organization that builds power among working-class Asian immigrant and refugee communities in California to fight pollution, displacement, and climate impacts. APEN delivers community organizing, policy advocacy, and physical resilience infrastructure including solar-equipped resilience hubs, multilingual emergency warning systems, and clean energy access programs for low-income households. Its work centers on environmental justice, tenant protections, and community resilience in Richmond, Oakland, and Los Angeles.
Is Asian Pacific Environmental Network a public or private company?
Asian Pacific Environmental Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Asian Pacific Environmental Network founded?
Asian Pacific Environmental Network was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Asian Pacific Environmental Network based?
Asian Pacific Environmental Network is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Asian Pacific Environmental Network make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are grants.
Who are Asian Pacific Environmental Network's main competitors?
East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC) is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Communities for a Better Environment, Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, PODER (People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources), Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE) and Coalition for Clean Air. Broad incumbents are The Greenlining Institute, California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA), Public Advocates and Earthjustice.
Does Asian Pacific Environmental Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for Asian Pacific Environmental Network.
What industry is Asian Pacific Environmental Network in?
Asian Pacific Environmental Network's product category is Environmental Justice Advocacy and Community Organizing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAL, Environmental Justice & Community Environmental Health, with a secondary code of BPAGACAL, Public Health & Health Equity Organizations. Its NAICS code is 813312 and its SIC code is 8300.