What Chinese for Affirmative Action does

Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1969 in San Francisco's Chinatown, focused on advancing civil rights and social justice for Chinese Americans, immigrants, and marginalized communities. The organization provides direct services including immigration legal assistance, naturalization aid, employment services (resume writing, job referrals, interview preparation), and rapid response hotlines, alongside policy advocacy on language access, voting rights, and immigrant protections. CAA operates a distinctive Chinese-language digital engagement infrastructure comprising three WeChat public accounts, JusticePatch.org (正义补丁), and PiYaoBa.org (辟谣吧), a fact-checking platform that reached 106,828 users in 2024 to counter misinformation in Chinese-language media.

The organization serves as the host and fiscal sponsor for the Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE) network of 11 member organizations, and co-founded the national Stop AAPI Hate coalition in 2020, which has documented approximately 9,800 anti-Asian hate incidents across 20+ published reports. CAA maintains offices in San Francisco (17 Walter U. Lum Place, headquarters since the mid-1980s) and Sacramento (state-level policy office), with operational reach across the San Francisco Bay Area and California, plus national influence through coalition partnerships. Multilingual outreach is conducted in Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Spanish, and 10+ additional languages.

CAA's revenue model relies entirely on philanthropic contributions: individual donations (including planned giving via the Legacy Society), corporate and foundation grants with employer matching gift programs, and annual fundraising events such as the Celebration of Justice gala (now in its 57th year). The organization does not charge for services provided to community members. Notable fundraising milestones include the 2019 'Moving Forward' campaign which raised $4.05 million from 76 donors for an Action Fund and Endowment Fund, and a 2014-2015 capital campaign that exceeded its $700,000 goal for headquarters modernization. Leadership consists of Co-Executive Directors Cynthia Choi and Vincent Pan, with Annette Wong as Managing Director of Programs and Annie Lee as Managing Director of Policy.

Name

Chinese for Affirmative Action

Legal name

Chinese for Affirmative Action

Website

https://caasf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chinese for Affirmative Action is a San Francisco-based nonprofit founded in 1969 that provides immigration and employment direct services, policy advocacy, and civic engagement programs for Chinese American and limited-English immigrant communities across the San Francisco Bay Area and California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Rights Advocacy and Social Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), English for Citizenship, Civics & Integration (EDAAACAG), Cultural Orientation & Community Integration (Local Norms, Services) (EDAAADAD)

Keywords

• Civil rights advocacy
• Immigrant legal services
• Community organizing
• Policy advocacy
• Fact-checking platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: CAA receives donations from individual supporters through online donation pages, mail-in checks, and planned giving programs including the Legacy Society for estate planning beneficiaries.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: The organization receives grants from foundations and corporations, including matching gift programs where employers double or triple employee donations.
3. Annual Gala Revenue: Revenue from annual Celebration of Justice gala events, with sponsorship levels ranging from Justice Supporter to Justice Legacy Builder.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Chinese for Affirmative Action is a nonprofit civil rights organization that provides direct immigration and employment services, policy advocacy, leadership development, and civic engagement programs for Chinese American and immigrant communities. It also operates Chinese-language digital engagement and fact-checking platforms to counter misinformation.

Product overview

Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) is a civil rights organization, not a technology company. Its 'products' are primarily digital engagement platforms and community programs. The core digital offerings include JusticePatch (正义补丁), a WeChat content aggregation platform countering Chinese-language misinformation; Piyaoba.org (辟谣吧), a Chinese fact-checking website; and Stop AAPI Hate, a national hate-incident reporting coalition. These digital tools support CAA's broader programs including immigrant voting rights advocacy, direct immigration and employment services, multilingual community workshops, and civic engagement initiatives across San Francisco's Chinese American community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stop AAPI Hate: A national coalition to document and respond to hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, co-founded in 2020 during COVID-19
• JusticePatch
• PiYaoBa (辟谣吧)

Products and services

• JusticePatch (正义补丁) An online platform that aggregates original and translated content published on WeChat public accounts, providing accurate information about civil rights and social justice issues to Chinese digital communities while countering right-wing misinformation.
• PiYaoBa (辟谣吧) A Chinese-language fact-checking website that provides tools and resources to combat misinformation on topics including gun violence, COVID-19, immigration rights, and national elections.
• Stop AAPI Hate Coalition A national coalition co-founded by CAA in 2020 to document and respond to racist incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, providing a reporting platform and multilingual resources.
• Immigrant Parent Voting Collaborative (IPVC) A collaborative of eight community organizations that enables immigrant parents with limited English proficiency to participate in school board elections through multilingual outreach in over 10 languages.
• Direct Services (Immigration and Employment Assistance) Direct services including rapid response hotlines in immigrant languages, case assistance, Know Your Rights information, naturalization aid, pre-screening and referrals to immigration lawyers, workshop organization, employment assistance with job referrals, resume writing, and interview preparation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 106,828 users reached through Chinese fact-checking website in 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Stop AAPI HatecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2020Co-founded in March 2020 with A3PCON and San Francisco State University Asian American Studies Department to document and respond to hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during COVID-19. Has become the primary reporting platform for anti-Asian hate incidents nationwide, publishing 20+ reports documenting approximately 9,800 hate incidents.
• Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAA helped found AACRE in 2014 as a network of 11 Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations focused on long-term movement building, capacity infrastructure, and leadership support. CAA serves as the host organization and provides fiscal sponsorship, administrative, and operational support to all member organizations.
• Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHSA partnered with CAA on the Wong Kim Ark mural and plaque dedication ceremony on June 26, 2026, at the site of Wong Kim Ark's birth in San Francisco Chinatown. CAA's Annie Lee, Managing Director of Policy, served as a keynote speaker at the ceremony commemorating the landmark Supreme Court case establishing birthright citizenship.
• Chinatown Media & Arts Collaborative (CMAC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMAC is a nonprofit organization co-founded in 2017 by six community organizations including CAA, CAAM, CCC, CCDC, CHSA, and AIISF. CAA's Vincent Pan serves as CMAC Vice Chair. In April 2026, CMAC successfully acquired the historic Empress of China building at 838 Grant Avenue to create a premier Chinese American Arts and Culture Center.
• San Francisco Language Access NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAA co-founded the San Francisco Language Access Network with approximately 12 community organizations to improve access to public services for residents with limited English proficiency.
• Immigrant Parent Voting Collaborative (IPVC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAA serves as a leader in IPVC, a citywide coalition of 8 organizations dedicated to ensuring immigrant parents can exercise their right to vote in school board elections. The coalition conducts multilingual outreach in over 10 languages.
• Asian Prisoner Support CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of AACRE network focused on supporting Asian American prisoners and their families.
• Asian Refugees UnitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of AACRE network providing community-based advocacy and healing support for Vietnamese and Bhutanese refugees in Oakland and Harrisburg. Honored at CAA's 2026 Celebration of Justice gala.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates: National civil rights organization advocating for Asian Pacific Americans, with chapters across multiple states. Direct peer to CAA on AAPI civil rights mission and civic engagement; comparable in constituency focus and advocacy approach, though OCA operates nationally and emphasizes pan-Asian identity rather than a single ethnic community.
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC: National AAPI civil rights organization focused on policy advocacy, legal defense, and civic engagement for Asian American communities. Directly comparable to CAA in mission, advocacy focus, and target constituency, with overlapping immigration rights and voting rights work; AAJC operates at national scale while CAA is regional.
• Chinese Progressive Association: San Francisco-based Chinese American community organization focused on worker rights, immigrant rights, and tenants' rights through grassroots organizing. Direct peer to CAA — same city, same Chinese American community base, similar immigrant rights and economic justice mission, complementary organizing model.
• Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI): Santa Clara County-based AAPI community services organization providing health, social, and immigration services to Asian Americans. Direct peer to CAA on direct service delivery to immigrant communities, with overlapping immigration assistance and multilingual outreach mission in the broader Bay Area.
• Asian Law Caucus: San Francisco-based AAPI legal advocacy organization founded in 1972, providing direct legal services and impact litigation on immigrant rights, language access, and racial justice. Highly comparable to CAA — same city, same core immigrant rights and language access mission, similar community organizing approach, and overlapping organizational histories in Bay Area AAPI movement building.
• MinKwon Center for Community Action: New York-based Korean and Asian American community organization focused on immigrant rights, civic engagement, and youth organizing. Direct peer to CAA on grassroots community organizing model, immigrant rights focus, and civic engagement programming for limited-English Asian immigrant communities.
• Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF): National AAPI legal organization focused on voting rights, immigration, anti-Asian hate, and census participation through litigation and advocacy. Directly comparable to CAA on immigrant rights, language access, and voting rights advocacy; similar national scope on policy work and parallel civic engagement programming.
• AAPIs for Civic Engagement Education (AAPI Civic Engagement Fund): Network and grantmaking intermediary supporting AAPI civic engagement and voter mobilization across multiple states. Comparable to CAA on civic engagement and voter rights advocacy, with overlapping focus on language access in elections and immigrant parent voting initiatives.
• CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities: New York City-based AAPI grassroots organizing group focused on housing, immigrant rights, and anti-displacement work in Asian American communities. Directly comparable to CAA's community-led organizing model and immigrant rights focus, with similar coalition-driven approach but operating in a different metro.

Broad incumbents

• Japanese American Citizens League (JACL): One of the oldest Asian American civil rights organizations (founded 1929), with national scope and chapters across multiple states. Broad incumbent to CAA — overlapping civil rights, immigration, and anti-discrimination mission, but with a pan-AAPI and Japanese American primary focus; serves as a historical precedent and parallel model for sustained AAPI civil rights infrastructure.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/reel/DZOMv6TBGBk
• Xx.com/caasanfrancisco
• Facebookfacebook.com/caasf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caasf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Chinese for Affirmative Action