Vietnamese Association of Illinois

What Vietnamese Association of Illinois does

The Vietnamese Association of Illinois (VAI) is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit founded in 1976 in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood to serve Vietnamese refugees and, over time, a broader base of immigrant and refugee communities from Vietnam, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and other countries. VAI operates five core programs: the Community Care Program (CCP), which employs 261 homecare aides serving 300+ elderly clients across Cook, Kane, Will, and DuPage Counties under a contract with the Illinois Department on Aging; an Immigration & Community Services Program staffed by Department of Justice accredited representatives; an Adult Education Program providing ESL and citizenship preparation through libraries and offices; a Youth Program serving over 40 students year-round; and a Community Organizing program with Lạc Việt (senior) and Lẻa Việt (youth) memberships. The organization also publishes the monthly bilingual Người Việt Illinois Magazine and accepts individual donations via PayPal. VAI delivers services through two physical offices (Chicago Uptown and Carol Stream), partnerships with public libraries in three counties, and co-located programs with Beyond Legal Aid's Community Empowerment Legal Clinic. Its business model is grant- and donation-funded: IDOA government contracts form the largest revenue line, supplemented by foundation grants (Julian Grace Foundation, Lawyers Trust Fund, ICIRR, IL Access to Justice, IL Welcoming Center), individual donations, and community events. All legal, educational, and community organizing services are provided free or at low cost; the homecare program operates as a managed service funded by Illinois state government.

Name

Vietnamese Association of Illinois

Legal name

Vietnamese Association of Illinois

Website

https://hnvi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Vietnamese Association of Illinois is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1976 that provides immigration legal services, elderly home care, adult ESL/citizenship education, youth programs, and community organizing to Vietnamese Americans and other immigrant and refugee communities across Chicagoland and DuPage County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Contracts: Funded by Illinois Department on Aging (IDOA) for the Community Care Program (CCP) providing in-home senior care services across Cook, Kane, Will, and DuPage Counties.
2. Foundation and Nonprofit Funding: Support from Julian Grace Foundation, Lawyers Trust Fund, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), IL Access to Justice, and IL Welcoming Center for immigration and community services programs.
3. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations through PayPal to support programs serving low-income immigrants and refugees including immigration services, youth programs, adult education, and senior homecare.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

No source material with verifiable source IDs was provided to describe the company's core offerings.

Product overview

The Vietnamese Association of Illinois (VAI) operates as a multi-service community organization offering five core programs: Adult Education (ESL and Citizenship instruction), Youth Program (after-school and summer programming), Immigration & Community Services (immigration legal services and public benefits), Community Care Program (elderly home care), and Community Organizing (grassroots organizing and mutual aid). The organization also publishes the monthly bilingual Người Việt Illinois Magazine and provides donation processing. The programs collectively serve diverse ethnic refugee and immigrant communities across Chicagoland and DuPage County, with a focus on Vietnamese Americans. The organization is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit founded in 1976.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ elderly clients served in FY2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Beyond Legal AidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to host weekly Community Empowerment Legal Clinic (CELC) providing legal advice, extended assistance, and representation in immigration removal defense, family law, divorce, employment law, housing law, and certain criminal matters.
• Dupage Federation on Human Services ReformminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertification body for Community Interpreters on staff, supporting multilingual service delivery.
• Public Libraries (Cook, DuPage, Will Counties)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with various public libraries throughout Cook, DuPage, and Will Counties to provide Adult Education/ESL instruction at library locations.
• Asian American Bar Association of Greater ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the Vietnamese American community ecosystem; President Huy Nguyen serves as President of this organization.
• Axis LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts and architecture community organization based in Chicago focused on ethical development for immigrants and refugees. Collaborated on Memories of War Photography Exhibition at 50th Anniversary Commemoration.
• TimeLine Theatre CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheatre company presenting stories inspired by history connecting with today's social and political issues; community partner at 50th Anniversary Commemoration.
• One NorthsideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMixed-income, multi-ethnic, intergenerational organization uniting diverse communities; community partner at 50th Anniversary event.
• HAIBAYÔminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative initiative energizing the historic Asia and Argyle corridor through cross-cultural, multi-generational collaborations; community partner.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Heartland Alliance: Major Chicago-based human services organization with broad programming in refugee resettlement, immigration legal aid, healthcare, and housing. Comparable in mission scope but at significantly larger scale and geographic breadth than VAI.

Direct peers

• Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago: Chicago-based pan-Asian legal aid and advocacy organization providing immigration legal services, civic engagement, and community education. Closely comparable to VAI's Immigration & Community Services Program; overlap on DOJ-accredited representation.
• Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR): Statewide coalition coordinating immigrant rights advocacy and member services. ICIRR is both a VAI funder and a peer organization driving policy and immigrant-services delivery in Illinois.
• South-East Asia Center: Chicago-based nonprofit serving refugees and immigrants from Southeast Asia with case management, education, and community programs. Directly comparable to VAI's immigrant-services stack and operates in the same Chicagoland catchment.
• National Immigrant Justice Center: Chicago-based legal aid organization providing immigration representation and advocacy. Directly comparable DOJ-accredited legal services with similar target population; operates in the same city as VAI.
• Chinese Mutual Aid Association: Chicago-based immigrant-serving nonprofit providing ESL, citizenship classes, social services, and youth programming to the Chinese American community. Directly comparable to VAI in mission, program mix, and geographic footprint, with a different ethnic-origin focus.
• Hana Center: Chicago-based Korean American community organization offering immigration services, ESOL, senior programs, and youth services. Closely comparable multi-service immigrant nonprofit model and Chicago-area footprint.
• Cambodian Association of Illinois: Chicago-based nonprofit serving Cambodian and Southeast Asian refugee communities with immigration, education, youth, and senior services. Comparable service portfolio and Southeast Asian refugee base, with similar funding model.
• RefugeeOne: Chicago-based refugee resettlement agency providing case management, employment, and immigration legal services. Directly comparable resettlement and integration services for newly arrived refugees, including Vietnamese and other populations served by VAI.

Emerging players

• Centro de Trabajadores Unidos: Chicago-based worker center organizing low-wage immigrant workers, including home care and domestic workers. Partial overlap with VAI on community organizing and the homecare workforce that VAI employs through its CCP.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vai_chicago
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@vietnameseassociationofil4821
• Facebookfacebook.com/VAIchicago
• Instagraminstagram.com/vai_chicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vietnamese-association-of-illinois

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Vietnamese Association of Illinois