Asian American Professional Association

What Asian American Professional Association does

The Asian American Professional Association (AAPA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1999 and headquartered at 360 E. 2nd St in downtown Los Angeles, California. It advances Asian American professionals across junior, mid, and advanced career levels through four core program lines: a year-long one-on-one Mentorship Program pairing participants with executive/director-level mentors; a Board Leadership Program that combines nonprofit governance training with practical board internships; a Toastmasters Club focused on public speaking and communication; and a pilot Entrepreneur Leadership Program launched in 2026 to build entrepreneurial mindset. The organization publishes a multi-format content ecosystem supporting these programs, including the LeaderTalks podcast, BoardTalks video series on governance, IdeaTalks conversations on leadership and innovation, and a Women In Leadership content series.

AAPA operates with a team of 1-10 paid staff and is volunteer-driven, governed by a board that includes Co-Chair Eric Quon-Lee and Board Member Dr. Richard Cheung. It holds the Candid/Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency (2026), a high-tier nonprofit accountability designation, and has operated continuously for over 24 years. Geographic operations are concentrated in Southern California, with programming delivered through in-person workshops, networking mixers, and graduation events, supplemented by digital content distributed via the aapamentoring.com website, social media (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), and video platforms. The organization reports documented outcomes including 70%+ mentee promotion rates, 82% of mentees attributing promotions to the program, and 60%+ Board Leadership Program graduates receiving nonprofit board offers.

Revenue is generated entirely through donations, with no fees charged for program participation. Individual donors contribute at suggested tiers of $10, $20, $30, or $40 (or custom amounts) on one-time, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual frequencies; an optional 3% fee-coverage add-on is offered. Corporate sponsors include SoCal Gas, SoCal Edison, Bank of America, East West Bank, and Moët Hennessy USA. Workplace giving and matching gift programs with IBM, Microsoft, Kaiser Permanente, and LA Metro amplify individual contributions at employer-matched ratios of 1:1 to 4:1. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging alumni referrals, mentorship networks, content marketing, and corporate partner promotion to recruit participants and donors.

Name

Asian American Professional Association

Legal name

Asian American Professional Association

Website

https://aapamentoring.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Asian American Professional Association (AAPA) is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 that operates mentorship, board leadership, public speaking, and entrepreneurship development programs for Asian American professionals, funded through individual donations and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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. Individual Donations: Individual donations received through the website at various tiers ($10, $20, $30, $40, or custom amounts). Donations support mentorship programs, scholarships, and professional development initiatives. One-time, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual donation options are available.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors provide financial support and matching gifts. Companies like SoCal Gas, SoCal Edison, Bank of America, East West Bank, and Moët Hennessy USA sponsor the organization. Additional corporate matching gift programs from IBM, Microsoft, Kaiser Permanente, and LA Metro amplify donations.
3. Workplace Giving: Employees can contribute through workplace giving campaigns with payroll deductions. Employers match employee donations, typically at 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, or 4:1 ratios.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

AAPA provides structured one-on-one mentorship pairing professionals with executive mentors, a year-long Board Leadership Program preparing participants for nonprofit board service, a Toastmasters Club for public speaking and communication skills, and a pilot Entrepreneur Leadership Program for entrepreneurial mindset development. Programs are delivered to individual Asian American professionals in Southern California at no formal fee, funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and workplace giving.

Product overview

AAPA operates as a single unified nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of professional development programs. The core programs include the Mentorship Program (one-on-one mentoring), the Board Leadership Program (nonprofit board preparation), the Toastmasters Club (public speaking skills), and the Entrepreneur Leadership Program (entrepreneurial mindset development). Supporting these are content series including LeaderTalks (podcast), BoardTalks (governance video series), IdeaTalks (leadership conversations), and Women In Leadership (career advice content). All programs work together to advance Asian American professionals through mentorship, leadership development, and community building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mentorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70% of mentees received promotions after completing the program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAAAP collaborated with AAPA on an IdeaTalks virtual event exploring innovative readiness during the pandemic, combining resources to provide professional development content to both organizations' members.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ascend Foundation: Ascend is a Pan-Asian nonprofit focused on developing Asian American business leaders through mentorship, leadership programs, and corporate partnerships. It targets a similar Asian American professional audience with comparable mentorship and board/career-development offerings.
• National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP): NAAAP is a national Pan-Asian professional association offering leadership programs, mentorship, and networking across multiple U.S. chapters. AAPA is explicitly listed as having collaborated with NAAAP on the IdeaTalks virtual event, indicating directly comparable programming and audience.
• Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP): LEAP is a long-standing leadership development organization serving Asian and Pacific Islander communities through leadership training, coaching, and convenings. Its mission and program mix closely parallel AAPA's mentorship and board-leadership work.

Emerging players

• APIA Scholars: APIA Scholars is a nonprofit providing scholarships and leadership development for Asian Pacific Islander American students and emerging professionals. It intersects with AAPA's professional development audience at the earlier career stage.

Broad incumbents

• Committee of 100: Committee of 100 is a leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans focused on advancing U.S.–China relations and Asian American contributions. Its executive-level membership and leadership programming overlap with AAPA's senior professional audience, though at a higher prestige tier.
• Japanese American Citizens League (JACL): JACL is a heritage-based national Asian American membership organization offering community programs, leadership training, and advocacy. It serves a similar member-driven, leadership-development purpose as AAPA but operates nationally and across a broader civil rights agenda.
• The Asian American Foundation (TAAF): TAAF is a recently launched, large-scale philanthropic foundation serving the broader AAPI community through grantmaking, research, and convenings. It overlaps with AAPA's leadership-and-representation mission but operates at a national funder scale rather than direct service.
• OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates: OCA is a national advocacy and community organization advancing the well-being of Asian Pacific Americans through civic engagement, leadership, and professional development. It overlaps with AAPA on leadership development but covers a much wider civic and policy mandate.

Regional players

• Asian Americans for Community Development (AACD): AACD is a New York-based nonprofit advancing Asian American professionals through networking, mentoring, and community programs. It mirrors AAPA's membership- and mentoring-led model but serves a different geographic market.
• Asian Business Association of Los Angeles: The Asian Business Association of Los Angeles is a local business and professional association serving Asian American entrepreneurs and professionals in the LA region. It overlaps with AAPA on Asian American professional networking and leadership within the same Los Angeles geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AAPAMentor
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aapaleads

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Asian American Professional Association