Colorado Asian Pacific United

What Colorado Asian Pacific United does

Colorado Asian Pacific United (CAPU) is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2020-2021 that preserves and advances Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) histories in Colorado through community organizing, coalition building, oral history collection, public art, and curriculum development. The organization runs a portfolio of cultural programs including an 8-panel traveling exhibition on early Chinese immigrants, the "Where is Denver's Chinatown?" exhibition at History Colorado Center (October 2024 through September 2025), the Little Saigon Memory Project (36+ oral histories, to be made into a documentary), two murals and three historical markers installed across Downtown Denver, and a 4th-grade history curriculum aligned with Colorado State Social Studies Standards. Its core technology is non-technical: oral history gathering, exhibition design, public art commissioning, documentary production via Lionheart Narratives (Hannah Tran), and curriculum development, all delivered free of charge.

CAPU operates a donation-and-grant revenue model with no commercial products. Funding sources include individual donations via GoFundMe and GiveButter, plus institutional grants from the Andrew Mellon Foundation, Denver Arts & Venues, Denver Foundation, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and the Asian Chamber of Commerce. The organization serves three primary constituent groups: AANHPI community members who contribute oral histories and participate in memory workshops, K-12 and university students and educators who consume its curriculum and exhibitions, and the broader Denver public who engage with its murals, markers, and traveling displays. Strategic core partnerships are with History Colorado (museum hosting and co-curation), CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning (academic collaboration), and the Far East Center (community workshop space).

The organization is led by Executive Director Joie Ha (also founder of DEI consulting firm CORE), Operations Manager Catharine McCord, and an intern, supported by a multi-generational board of directors chaired by Shauna Medeiros-Tuilaepa with founding members Ben Niamthet, Gil Asakawa, Kai Vong, and Dr. Soon Beng Yeap, plus emeritus members Dr. William Wei (also on the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board) and Joanne Liu. CAPU has received regional recognition including the 2022 Association of Asian American Studies Community Leadership Award, the 2023 Denver Public Schools AEAC Community Award, and 2024 AANHPI Nonprofit Organization of the Year from Asian Avenue Magazine, alongside its successful 2023 advocacy to rename Chinaman Gulch to Yansing Gulch.

Name

Colorado Asian Pacific United

Legal name

Colorado Asian Pacific United

Website

https://coloradoasianpacificunited.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Colorado Asian Pacific United is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that preserves AANHPI history in Colorado through oral history collection, traveling exhibitions, public murals and markers, educational curriculum, and documentary production, serving community members, students, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Preservation

NAICS

Museums (712110), Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous & Community Cultural Institutions (THAJADAK)

Keywords

• Cultural heritage preservation
• Community advocacy
• Oral history collection
• Educational curriculum development
• Public art installation

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: CAPU operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization relying on donations from individuals, community fundraising campaigns (GoFundMe), and volunteer support. The organization accepts donations via givebutter.com/CAPU.
2. Foundation and Government Grants: Funders include Andrew Mellon Foundation, Denver Arts & Venues, Denver Foundation, Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and Asian Chamber of Commerce. Funding supports murals, historical markers, traveling exhibitions, and educational programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Colorado Asian Pacific United is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that preserves and celebrates Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) histories in Colorado through community organizing, oral story collection, traveling exhibitions, public murals and historical markers, K-12 educational curriculum, and documentary production. All programs, exhibitions, and educational materials are provided free of charge to community members, students, educators, and partner institutions.

Product overview

Colorado Asian Pacific United operates as a cultural non-profit organization offering community programs rather than a technology product company. Its offerings include traveling exhibitions (both 4-panel and 8-panel formats), the Where is Denver's Chinatown? exhibition at History Colorado, the Little Saigon Memory Project for oral history preservation, a 4th-grade educational curriculum on AANHPI history, public murals and historical markers for place-making, documentary films, and geographic naming advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traveling Exhibits (8-Panel Display)
• Where is Denver's Chinatown? Stories Remembered, Reclaimed, Reimagined Exhibition
• Little Saigon Memory Project
• 4th-Grade AANHPI History Curriculum
• Murals and Historical Markers Program
• Reclaiming Denver's Chinatown Documentary

Quantifiable outcome

• 36 oral histories preserved through Little Saigon Memory Project
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• History ColoradocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2024Primary collaborative partner on multiple projects including 'Where is Denver's Chinatown? Stories Remembered, Reclaimed, Reimagined' exhibition (October 2024-August 2025) and Little Saigon Memory Project hosting oral histories. History Colorado provides exhibition space, institutional resources, and platform for community narratives.
• CU Denver College of Architecture and PlanningcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2024Collaborated on 'Where is Denver's Chinatown?' exhibition bringing academic expertise in architecture and urban planning to the project.
• Far East CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner location for Little Saigon Memory Project community workshops and cultural gatherings. Provided space for workshops bringing together over 60 community members.
• Lionheart Narratives (Hannah Tran)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcclaimed filmmaker contracted to produce documentary film for Little Saigon Memory Project in 2025. Master visual storyteller with MS in Journalism and Media Communication from Colorado State University.
• Guiding Mountain Dragon & Lion Dance AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerforming arts group featured at exhibition opening events and cultural celebrations.
• HDR Inc.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost site for 8-panel traveling exhibition (2024-present). Architectural/engineering firm hosting cultural exhibition.
• Yuan WontonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal restaurant providing catering for exhibition opening events at History Colorado.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA): New York-based museum preserving Chinese American history through exhibitions, oral histories, and education programs — closely analogous to CAPU's Chinatown-focused curation, placekeeping markers, and advocacy work.
• Chinese American Museum (Los Angeles): Los Angeles museum dedicated to Chinese American history and culture, combining exhibitions, public programming, and place-based interpretation — closely analogous to CAPU's exhibition and community-oral-history model.
• Wing Luke Museum: Seattle-based Asian Pacific American museum combining community-collected oral histories, traveling exhibitions, and public art/placekeeping — directly comparable to CAPU's mix of oral histories (Little Saigon Memory Project), exhibitions, and murals/markers.
• Chinese Historical Society of America: San Francisco-based nonprofit preserving Chinese American history through museum, archives, and curriculum; comparable to CAPU's Chinatown restoration, oral history collection, and 4th-grade curriculum distribution.
• Densho: Seattle-based nonprofit preserving Japanese American incarceration history through a large digital oral history archive and educator resources — directly comparable to CAPU's Little Saigon Memory Project oral history collection and curriculum work.
• Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation: California-based nonprofit preserving Asian immigration history through site restoration, oral histories, and educational programs — closely comparable to CAPU's Chinatown placekeeping and immigrant-community story collection.
• History Colorado: Colorado's state historical society and CAPU's primary institutional partner; runs museum exhibitions, oral history programs, and place-based heritage interpretation — the closest direct comparable for CAPU's exhibition and memory-project model, just at larger institutional scale.

Regional players

• Denver Arts & Venues: City of Denver agency funding and producing public art, cultural programming, and place-based installations; CAPU's direct funder and operational peer for place-making projects like the murals and historical markers.

Broad incumbents

• National Japanese American Historical Society: National nonprofit advancing Japanese American history preservation through exhibitions, oral histories, and educator resources — a broad incumbent with overlapping activities to CAPU's AANHPI focus.
• Japanese American National Museum: Larger national AANHPI museum combining exhibitions, traveling shows, and education — a broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities to CAPU's niche AANHPI placekeeping focus in Colorado.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@capuaapi7671
• Facebookfacebook.com/ColoradoAPUnited
• Instagraminstagram.com/capu_2021

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Colorado Asian Pacific United