Hmong Innovating Politics

What Hmong Innovating Politics does

Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) is a Sacramento-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organization founded in 2012 to strengthen the political power of Hmong and other disenfranchised communities through civic engagement and strategic grassroots mobilization. HIP operates four interconnected core programs — Voter Engagement, Youth Leadership, Parent Engagement, and Intersectionality & Coalition Building — supplemented by program outputs such as bilingual (English/Hmong) voter guides and community contact services. Its work is delivered through direct voter contact, canvassing, phone banking, community events, and coalition partnerships rather than through a software platform. The organization is fiscally sponsored by Chinese for Affirmative Action, a 501(c)(3) civil rights nonprofit that provides administrative and financial infrastructure; HIP is also a member of the Asian Americans for Civil Rights & Equality (AACRE) Network since 2015.

HIP is led by Executive Director Cha Vang, with a director-level team covering programs, policy & partnerships, and communications/narrative. The organization employs approximately 13 people across two offices: a headquarters at 4625 44th St, Sacramento, and a Fresno organizing office established in January 2018 to expand integrated voter engagement into California's Central Valley. Operating geographies are Sacramento and Fresno within California, United States. The revenue model is grant- and donation-based, with funds channeled through Chinese for Affirmative Action as fiscal sponsor; revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Notable policy and advocacy outcomes include passage of the Sacramento Children's Fund generating up to $10 million annually for youth services, the California Hmong American Day resolution, a Sacramento racial equity resolution, and the first-ever disaggregated AAPI graduation data from Sacramento City Unified School District. Marketing and outreach rely on organic social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), blog content, email newsletters, community events, and earned media coverage in outlets such as the Sacramento Bee, KCRA, Fox 40, and Sacramento News & Review. The organization has no apps, APIs, or proprietary technology products.

Name

Hmong Innovating Politics

Legal name

Hmong Innovating Politics

Website

https://hipcalifornia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hmong Innovating Politics is a Sacramento-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that strengthens the political power of Hmong and disenfranchised communities in California through voter engagement, youth leadership, parent engagement, and coalition building, operating from offices in Sacramento and Fresno.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC), Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Grassroots civic engagement
• Voter mobilization
• Community organizing
• Youth leadership development
• Political advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organization that strengthens the political power of Hmong and disenfranchised communities in California through four core program areas: Voter Engagement (direct voter contact, base-building, bilingual voter education), Youth Leadership Development, Parent Engagement (school system navigation, educational equity advocacy), and Intersectionality & Coalition Building. The organization delivers community organizing, voter mobilization, policy advocacy, and coalition support directly to community members in Sacramento and Fresno.

Product overview

Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) operates as a unified grassroots civic engagement organization rather than a modular software platform. Its portfolio consists of four interconnected core programs — Voter Engagement, Youth Leadership, Parent Engagement, and Intersectionality & Coalition Building — supported by program outputs such as Voter Guides and community contact services. All programs are oriented toward strengthening the political power of Hmong and disenfranchised communities through innovative civic engagement and strategic grassroots mobilization. The organization is fiscally sponsored by Chinese for Affirmative Action, a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Passed California Hmong American Day legislation
• +3 more outcomes

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

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

• Sacramento City CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2025HIP worked with Sacramento City Council to pass the Hmong American Day resolution in May 2025, recognizing and honoring the Hmong community's history and resilience.
• Chinese for Affirmative ActioncoreOthersHIP is fiscally sponsored by Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit civil rights organization. CAA provides organizational infrastructure, financial management, and administrative support for HIP's operations.
• Various Community PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHIP emphasizes accomplishing major policy wins by collaborating with many community partners and members, including coalition-based advocacy on children's funding, racial equity, and community issues.
• Queer Hmong Intersectional Pride (QHIP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated to host first-ever intersectional gathering during Fresno Hmong New Year Celebration Festival, bringing together LGBTQ+ and Hmong community members.
• Hmong Queer SuabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with pioneering Sacramento-based organization leading LGBTQ+ work in the Hmong community, supporting intersectional community events.
• Health Net LLCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupported the intersectional gathering at Fresno Hmong New Year Celebration Festival through sponsorship.
• Chinese for Affirmative Action (on Affirmative Action)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHIP joins CAA in calling out nativist and ultra conservative individuals behind affirmative action lawsuit, citing shared commitment to civil rights and educational equity.
• SEIU Local 521minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMai Thao, who led HIP's Fresno expansion, previously served as Political Community Organizer for SEIU Local 521.
• Sacramento Housing AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHIP organizer Mai Yang Vang graduated from the Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute hosted by Sacramento Housing Alliance.
• Hmong, Mien, Lao Community Action Network (HMLCAN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition dedicated to empowering Hmong, Mien and Lao communities through advocacy, education and engagement. Composed of Hmong Women's Heritage Association and United iu-Mien Community Services.
• Hmong Women's Heritage AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of HMLCAN coalition; partnered with HIP for community education forums on Local Control Funding Formula and voter assistance workshops.
• United iu-Mien Community ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of HMLCAN coalition; partnered with HIP for community education and advocacy work.
• Black Parallel School BoardmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with HIP on education equity advocacy, Local Control Funding Formula engagement, and school closure issues in Sacramento.
• Sacramento City Teachers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted community forum with HIP on CORE Waiver and public education accountability.
• Service Employees International Union 1021minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted community forum with HIP on CORE Waiver and public education accountability.
• Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on SCA 5/affirmative action advocacy efforts to create educational opportunities for historically disenfranchised communities.
• Community for a New CalifornianscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHIP partnered to phone bank community members and collect over 150 stories of families sharing their experiences with healthcare access under the ACA.
• UC Davis Community Campus RelationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted Hmong Women Empowerment Summit with HIP in 2016.
• Hmong Women's Heritage Association (venue)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided venue for HIP's Hmong Voter Assistance Workshop in Sacramento.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Chinese for Affirmative Action: CAA is HIP's fiscal sponsor and a 501(c)(3) AAPI civil rights organization based in San Francisco focused on immigrant rights, language access, and civic participation. Directly comparable mission around AAPI civic empowerment in California, with a broader organizational footprint.
• Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF): AALDEF is a national AAPI civil rights legal organization focused on voting rights, civic participation, and policy advocacy. Shares HIP's core mission of protecting and expanding AAPI political participation, especially through multilingual voter outreach.
• SEARAC: SEARAC is a national Southeast Asian American advocacy organization focused on refugee communities. HIP's Hmong- and Southeast Asian-specific civic engagement work is functionally similar to SEARAC's community empowerment and policy advocacy model.

Direct peers

• Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus: San Francisco-based AAPI legal and civil rights organization that combines direct legal services, policy advocacy, and community organizing. Closely mirrors HIP's intersection of civic engagement, civil rights, and racial equity work for AAPI communities in California.
• Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA): APAPA is an AAPI civic engagement organization focused on voter registration, civic education, and political participation. HIP has partnered with APAPA on affirmative action advocacy, and their shared mission around AAPI voter mobilization makes them direct functional peers.
• Hmong Women's Heritage Association: Hmong Women's Heritage Association is a Sacramento-based Hmong community organization and HIP's coalition partner within HMLCAN. Comparable cultural-specific community education, voter assistance, and family engagement programming for the Hmong community in California.
• United iu-Mien Community Services: UIMCS is a Sacramento-area Mien community services and advocacy organization and HIP's HMLCAN coalition partner. Directly comparable Southeast Asian ethnic-community civic engagement work in California's Central Valley.
• Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE): Network of 50+ AAPI organizations that HIP joined in 2015. AACRE explicitly aggregates and supports AAPI grassroots groups doing civic engagement, organizing, and advocacy — the same core mission as HIP at a network-of-organizations level.

Emerging players

• Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA): APALA is an AAPI labor and community advocacy organization focused on immigrant worker rights, civic participation, and coalition building. Overlaps with HIP's intersectional coalition model and community organizing approach, though anchored in the labor movement.
• Vietnamese American Roundtable: Vietnamese American Roundtable is a Southern California-based Southeast Asian civic engagement and advocacy organization with comparable mission around voter mobilization, youth leadership, and immigrant community empowerment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hipcalifornia
• Facebookfacebook.com/hipcalifornia
• Instagraminstagram.com/hipcalifornia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hmong-innovating-politics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Hmong Innovating Politics