What VietLEAD does

VietLead is a Philadelphia-based grassroots nonprofit organization founded in September 2015 to build leadership in the Vietnamese and Southeast Asian (SEA) community across Philadelphia and South Jersey. Operating through a "Heal. Resist. Grow." framework, it delivers an integrated portfolio of programs covering community defense (deportation case management, currently 28 active cases), health navigation (cancer screenings via the Cooper Hospital partnership, chronic-disease support, ACA and benefits enrollment), civic empowerment (LaPhieuTuDo/Freedom Vote and Camden Action voter mobilization), farm and food sovereignty (Resilient Roots Farm in Camden and Furness Community School Garden in South Philadelphia), youth organizing (Resilient Roots Food Justice Internship serving 12 high-school students per cohort), direct services and Vietnamese/English interpretation/translation, and the Taking Root community-produced documentary series.

The organization is staffed by community members themselves — collectively over 25 years of experience — and runs two offices (Philadelphia at 320 W. Oregon Ave; Pennsauken, NJ at 4606 Westfield Ave) plus two operational farm/garden sites. Its core "technology" is human-led organizing, language interpretation, and case management rather than proprietary software; service delivery is in-person, on-site at farms/gardens, and mobile. There is no app, API, or AI-enabled platform disclosed.

The revenue model is diversified nonprofit funding: individual recurring and one-time donations, foundation and grant funding (with PA Voice, Drexel, Cooper Foundation, and others publicly acknowledged), merchandise sales and ticketed screening events (each merchandise item contributing $10 to mission), and corporate employee matching gifts. All community-facing services are delivered free of charge. Donations are processed through fiscal sponsor CEPEF (EIN 84-3636499), making contributions tax-deductible while VietLead retains operational independence. The organization is led by Executive Director Nancy Nguyen and is not owned by or affiliated with a parent company.

Name

VietLEAD

Legal name

VietLead

Website

https://vietlead.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VietLead is a Philadelphia-based grassroots nonprofit serving Vietnamese and Southeast Asian communities in Philadelphia and South Jersey through community defense, health navigation, civic empowerment, farm/food sovereignty, youth organizing, and direct interpretation services under a Heal.Resist.Grow. framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Services and Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL), Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH)

Keywords

• Community organizing services
• Immigration advocacy
• Health navigation services
• Youth development programs
• Food sovereignty programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and monthly recurring donations from community supporters. They encourage becoming 'VietLead Community Sustainer' through regular monthly donations.
2. Merchandise Sales: Official merchandise fundraiser honoring the 50th anniversary of the end of the Wars in Southeast Asia. Each piece sold gives $10 directly to VietLead's mission.
3. Event-Based Fundraising: Taking Root Summer Screening Series and other screening events where tickets are donated to VietLead. Ticketed screenings throughout Philadelphia neighborhoods.
4. Foundation and Grant Funding: Funding from various foundations and grant-making organizations. The organization acknowledges multiple funders including PA Voice, Drexel, Cooper Foundation, and others.
5. Corporate Matching Gifts: Corporate employee donation matching programs. VietLead is fiscally sponsored by CEPEF (EIN 84-3636499).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VietLead is a grassroots nonprofit community organization that provides free direct services, leadership development, and policy advocacy to Vietnamese and Southeast Asian communities in Philadelphia and South Jersey. Its core offerings span community defense (deportation case management), health navigation and benefits enrollment, civic empowerment and voter engagement, intergenerational farming and food sovereignty, youth leadership development, and Vietnamese language interpretation. Programs are delivered through a Heal.Resist.Grow. framework that combines direct service delivery with grassroots organizing and coalition-based advocacy.

Product overview

VietLEAD is a grassroots community organization (not a technology product company) offering a portfolio of community service programs focused on Vietnamese and Southeast Asian communities in Philadelphia and South Jersey. The organization operates through a Heal.Resist.Grow. framework with eight distinct program areas: Community Defense (deportation case management), Health & Healing, Civic Empowerment, Farm & Food Sovereignty, Our Roots Youth Program, Service Hub & Language Support, media production (Taking Root documentary), and Crimmigration Resources. These programs are community-facing services, not software products, and are delivered through direct service delivery, organizing, and advocacy rather than technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Our Roots Youth Program: Youth development and food justice internship program for Camden and Pennsauken high school students
• Resilient Roots Farm
• Furness Community School Garden
• Taking Root
• Service Hub

Products and services

• Community Defense Program Provides case management to support impacted individuals in fighting deportation orders to Southeast Asian countries, including paperwork assistance, legal referral, and ICE check-in accompaniment. Currently managing 28 active cases.
• Health & Healing Program Focuses on health education, patient navigation, and translation/interpretation support. Includes Vietnamese Women's Health Project (breast and cervical cancer screenings in partnership with Cooper Hospital), Vietnamese Elder Wellness Project, and Affordable Care Act Outreach.
• Civic Empowerment Programs (LaPhieuTuDo/Freedom Vote & Camden Action) Voter education and engagement programs focusing on lifting up and expanding local democratic practices in Black, Brown, and Vietnamese communities in Philadelphia and Camden. Includes the LaPhieuTuDo (Freedom Vote) and Camden Action campaigns.
• Farm & Food Sovereignty Program Community farming initiative operating at Resilient Roots Farm in Camden, NJ and Furness Community School Garden in Philadelphia, PA. Focuses on food justice, intergenerational healing, and cultural food practices, and includes the Furness Community School Garden which has trained over 120 students since 2019 and won $130K in lead remediation funding.
• Our Roots Youth Program Resilient Roots Food Justice Internship - a 6-week intensive program for 12 Camden and Pennsauken high school students per cohort exploring food justice and its connection to social justice, community history, and intergenerational relationship building.
• Taking Root Documentary Series Award-winning community-produced documentary series that amplifies the untold stories of Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian refugee Philadelphians who resettled after the U.S. Wars in Southeast Asia; available for fundraising screenings across Philadelphia.
• Service Hub & Language Support Direct services supporting community members with benefits applications, including Medicaid, SNAP, Obamacare, LIHEAP, and translation/interpretation services in Vietnamese, including on-site, mobile, and over-the-phone interpreting, plus document translation.
• Crimmigration Resources Ongoing resource for Southeast Asian community members impacted by crimmigration, including deportation defense guides, legal information, and support resources in Vietnamese and English.

Quantifiable outcome

• Managing 28 active deportation defense cases
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Southeast Asian Freedom Network (SEAFN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA national movement family of Southeast Asian organizations dedicated to development and mobilization of SEA communities with base-building, grassroots organizing, and movement building through gender and queer justice lenses. VietLead participates in coalition work through SEAFN including campaigns like the Southeast Asian Deportation Relief Act.
• Alliance for a Just PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA broad alliance of grassroots organizations in Philadelphia working under the banner of Alliance for a Just Philadelphia. Members represent families, long-term residents, newcomers, students, workers, and the underemployed. VietLead works with them on The People's Platform and city budget advocacy.
• Soil GenerationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Black & Brown-led coalition of gardeners, farmers, individuals, and community-based organizations working to ensure people of color regain community control of land and food, secure access to resources, address community health concerns, grow food and improve the environment.
• Asian Americans United (AAU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhiladelphia's first Asian American organizing organization. VietLead traces its roots to AAU's support and mentorship. Both organizations work together on Southeast Asian refugee rights including housing organizing and anti-violence campaigns.
• Our City Our SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA campaign to abolish the state-run School Reform Commission and return schools to local control. They fight for fairly funded schools that transform lives of Black, Brown & Working class young people and families.
• Hai Bà Trưng School for OrganizingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA training program for young organizers to develop a progressive Viet identity, learn organizing theory and skills, and connect to local and national Viet organizers doing social justice work.
• Seeding ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA national Asian American movement to promote a just, sustainable, and democratic society. Key strategies include building a national pipeline for next generation AAPI organizers, creating infrastructure for AAPI grassroots organizing.
• Truelove SeedsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA farm-based seed company offering culturally important and open pollinated vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. VietLead's home grown seeds are sold through TrueLove Seeds with 50% of each packet sale going back to the farmers who grew it.
• Cooper HospitalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMonthly breast and cervical cancer screening partnerships for low-income, uninsured, or undocumented immigrant women. VietLead assists with transportation to hospital and translation needs for Vietnamese Women's Health Project.
• PA VoicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of 30+ organizations working together to expand power for communities of color in Pennsylvania. VietLead participates in this statewide coalition for civic empowerment.
• API PA Power CaucuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVietLead is a founding member of this group of civic empowerment organizations in Asian Pacific American communities working toward mobilizing over 345,000 AAPIs in Pennsylvania for elections.
• Freedom, Inc. (WI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of SEAFN. Works on gender justice and youth empowerment in Wisconsin's Southeast Asian communities.
• Mekong NYCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of SEAFN. Works with Southeast Asian communities in New York City.
• PrYSM (Providence Youth Student Movement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of SEAFN. Works with Southeast Asian youth in Providence, Rhode Island, including Lao deportee support.
• Southeast Asian Defense Project (NY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Northeast Pardon Project coalition working to halt deportations of SEA community members through pardon campaigns.
• New Sanctuary Movement of PhiladelphiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional coalition partner in Philadelphia working on immigrant justice and sanctuary for immigrant communities.
• Asian Law CaucuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides legal resources and guidance for Southeast Asians facing deportation, including updates on MOUs between the US and Southeast Asian countries regarding deportations.
• Southeast Asian Resource and Action Center (SEARAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides comprehensive resource guide for Southeast Asian Americans facing criminal deportation including information on rights, detention, and options for fighting deportation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC: National AAPI civil rights umbrella organization with affiliates across multiple cities. Operates broadly on civic empowerment, immigrant rights, and policy advocacy similar to VietLead's program areas, but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Asian Law Caucus: Legal advocacy organization providing legal resources and guidance for Southeast Asians facing deportation. VietLead partners with them directly; both work on crimmigration and Southeast Asian community defense.
• Mekong NYC: New York City-based SEAFN member organization serving Southeast Asian communities through organizing, base-building, and youth development. Directly comparable grassroots organizing model serving SEA communities.
• Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC): National Southeast Asian advocacy organization that provides deportation defense resources referenced by VietLead. Operates at a national level on the same community defense, civic engagement, and education issues.
• PrYSM (Providence Youth Student Movement): Providence-based SEAFN member serving Southeast Asian youth including Lao deportee support. Operates similar youth organizing, community defense, and civic empowerment programs as VietLead.
• Asian Americans United: Philadelphia's first Asian American organizing organization and VietLead's founding mentor organization. Both focus on Asian American civic empowerment, youth organizing, and community defense in the Philadelphia region.
• HANA Center: Chicago-based Korean and Asian American community organization providing immigrant rights advocacy, civic engagement, and direct services. Comparable AAPI grassroots organizing and immigrant defense model in a different geography.
• Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA): AAPI-serving community organization in Orange County providing civic engagement, health navigation, and youth programs. Comparable multi-program community-based service model serving AAPI communities.
• Freedom, Inc. Wisconsin-based SEAFN member focused on gender justice and youth empowerment in Southeast Asian communities. Directly comparable community-led organizing model and coalition membership.
• Chinese for Affirmative Action: San Francisco-based AAPI civil rights organization working on immigrant rights, language access, and civic empowerment. Comparable grassroots organizing and policy advocacy model serving AAPI communities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/vietlead/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vietlead

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 VietLEAD