VAYLA New Orleans
VAYLA New Orleans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018 that incubates AAPI leaders in the Gulf South through civic engagement, climate and reproductive justice programming, storytelling initiatives, and mutual aid, serving AAPI youth, families, and community members free of charge via donations and grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersNew Orleans, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What VAYLA New Orleans does
VAYLA New Orleans, formally the Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018 and headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. The organization incubates AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) leaders in the Gulf South through an intersectional programming model spanning civic engagement, climate and reproductive justice, mutual aid, and storytelling-based leadership development. Its primary constituents are AAPI youth, young leaders, families, and community members across New Orleans and the broader Gulf South, with an explicit focus on first-generation, 1.5, and second-generation youth and on AAPI women and femmes.
The portfolio comprises interconnected programs including AAPI Rising (storytelling and speaker series), Earth Rising / Sinews in the Cypress (environmental justice), Ginger Roots and the Reproductive Justice Program (including podcasts such as "Our Bodies, Our Stories" and "Blossoming & Becoming"), the Civic Engagement Program (GOTV and voter inclusion advocacy), Cha and Chat (monthly community meetups), Farm to Families Initiative, Louisiana Anti-Hate Reporting (bilingual English/Vietnamese), Rooting Storms: Remembering What Remains, Seeding Power Storytelling Circles, and Mutual Aid efforts. The organization does not develop proprietary technology; its digital infrastructure consists of a website (vayla-no.org), a newsletter launched in September 2024, and active social media channels across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
VAYLA generates revenue through individual donations, a monthly giving program (Build With Us), and institutional grant funding from a network of partners and funders listed on its website; all programs are delivered free of charge to community members. It is led by Executive Director Dr. Jacqueline Thanh, DSW, AM (appointed May 2019), with Deputy Director Anthony Johnson, Esq., serving as interim lead during Thanh's June-September 2024 sabbatical. The team operates remotely, serving the Gulf South region from a P.O. Box mailing address in New Orleans.
VAYLA New Orleans firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- VAYLA New Orleans
- Legal name
- Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans
- Website
- https://vayla-no.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- VAYLA New Orleans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018 that incubates AAPI leaders in the Gulf South through civic engagement, climate and reproductive justice programming, storytelling initiatives, and mutual aid, serving AAPI youth, families, and community members free of charge via donations and grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where VAYLA New Orleans is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Orleans
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
VAYLA New Orleans business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: VAYLA generates revenue through individual donations, monthly giving programs (Build With Us), and one-time contributions from supporters. The organization encourages community members to contribute financially to support their movement work.
- Grant Funding: As a nonprofit organization, VAYLA receives grant funding from various institutional funders and partners. The organization maintains IRS 990 filings and lists Partners & Funders on their website, indicating institutional funding as a revenue stream.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
VAYLA New Orleans product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VAYLA New Orleans is an AAPI-focused nonprofit organization that delivers free community programs for Asian American Pacific Islander youth, families, and community members in the Greater New Orleans area and Gulf South region. Its portfolio includes leadership development, civic engagement and voter education, environmental justice education, reproductive justice storytelling, anti-hate reporting, mutual aid, food access, and monthly community meetups. Programs are funded by donations and grants rather than fees charged to participants.
Product overview
VAYLA New Orleans is a nonprofit organization (not a technology company) offering a multi-program portfolio focused on AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) advocacy and community empowerment. The core organization serves as an incubator for AAPI leaders through interconnected programs including: Civic Engagement Program (GOTV initiatives), Reproductive Justice Program (with Ginger Roots storytelling and podcasts), Earth Rising Program (environmental justice), AAPI Rising in the South Speaker Series and Soul Care, Cha and Chat monthly community meetups, Farm to Families Initiative, Louisiana Anti-Hate Reporting, Rooting Storms commemorative project, Seeding Power Storytelling Circles, and Mutual Aid efforts. These programs collectively address climate and reproductive justice, community organizing education, comprehensive civic engagement, and youth development through an anti-racist, Queer, Feminist lens.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cha and Chat: AAPI community meetup and conversation series providing a third space for community gathering, exchange, growth, and collective care.
- Earth Rising
- AAPI Rising
- Ginger Roots
- Sinews in the Cypress
Products and services
- Cha and Chat Community Meetup Series Monthly AAPI community meetup and conversation series serving as a 'third space' for community members to gather, exchange, grow, and engage in storytelling, crafts, and collective care activities. Targeted at AAPI youth, families, and community members in the Greater New Orleans area.
- AAPI Rising Storytelling and Speaker Series Storytelling initiative and speaker series to humanize Asian American life in the South, combat xenophobia, and build partnerships with social groups, student groups, small businesses, and communities in the Greater New Orleans area. Targets AAPI community members and the broader public.
- Earth Rising Environmental Justice Program Environmental justice education program that provides climate and environmental education to underserved communities, including groups with limited English proficiency, addressing coastal geography, extreme weather, and living with water in Louisiana. Includes the Sinews in the Cypress speaker series. Targeted at AAPI and Gulf South communities.
- Ginger Roots Reproductive Justice Initiative Reproductive justice storytelling initiative centering Asian American Pacific Islander reclamation of their bodies through stories, complemented by advocate-led podcasts 'Our Bodies, Our Stories' and 'Blossoming & Becoming'. Targeted at AAPI women, femmes, and community members.
- Civic Engagement and GOTV Program Comprehensive civic engagement and Get Out The Vote initiatives focused on empowering AAPI youth and families in New Orleans, including voter education and the 'Other Is Not My Identity' petition for inclusion demanding state officials include data for more racial groups in voter statistics.
- Farm to Families Initiative Food access program partnering with local farms including VEGGI Coop and Speak Easy Farm to provide fresh produce and community gardening opportunities for AAPI families in New Orleans.
- Louisiana Anti-Hate Reporting Program Bilingual (English and Vietnamese) reporting system and resource hub for hate crimes and incidents targeting AAPI communities, providing resources and support for affected community members across Louisiana.
- Rooting Storms Commemorative Project Commemorative project marking the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, serving as an archive of changes and a story lab for young leaders that uses storytelling as a leadership model and a culturally integrated form of deep power building for AAPI communities in the Gulf South.
- Seeding Power Storytelling Circles Storytelling workshops and restorative justice circles that facilitate narrative healing for AAPI community members, including the Restorative Justice Zine released in 2025.
- Mutual Aid Program Community support effort providing assistance to undocumented community members and non-citizens, including emergency relief funds for AAPI community members in the New Orleans area.
Companies that use VAYLA New Orleans
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
VAYLA New Orleans technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
VAYLA New Orleans partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- New Orleans Public Library (NOPL)corePartnership for APAHM Reading List 2025 - collaborating on a reading list featuring AANHPI voices available across NOPL locations. VAYLA and NOPL co-produced this resource to support local libraries and AANHPI voices.
- Gulf South Center for Law and PolicycoreVAYLA signed on to the Gulf South for a Green New Deal, an environmental policy platform encompassing Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, spearheaded by the Gulf South Center for Law and Policy. This represents a major environmental justice advocacy partnership.
- Design Action CollectiveminorDesign Action Collective provided website design and development services for VAYLA. They offer graphic design and visual communications for progressive, non-profit and social change organizations.
- VEGGI Coop FarmminorVAYLA partners with VEGGI Coop Farm for garden and farm outings as part of their community programming. The partnership supports VAYLA's Farm to Families Initiative and provides opportunities for community members to engage with ancestral foods and growing practices.
- Speak Easy FarmminorVAYLA partners with Speak Easy Farm for garden and farm outings as part of their Earth Rising program, supporting community members' connection to food systems and environmental education.
- VIETminorVIET (Vietnamese Interfaith Fellowship?) is listed as a partner organization supporting VAYLA's collaborative initiatives in the Gulf South region.
- Newcomb InstituteminorNewcomb Institute at Tulane University is listed as a partner organization collaborating with VAYLA on various initiatives.
- Sprout NOLAminorSprout NOLA is listed as a partner organization working with VAYLA on collaborative community initiatives.
- Bayou BarkadaminorBayou Barkada is a project of the Philippine American Women's Association of Louisiana (PAWAL) that connects Filipinos to each other through ancestral herstories of Southern Louisiana. They partner with VAYLA for Cha and Chat events and cultural programming.
- Philippine American Women's Association of Louisiana (PAWAL)minorPAWAL runs the Bayou Barkada project which partners with VAYLA for community events and AAPI cultural programming in New Orleans.
- Emergency Legal ResponderscoreVAYLA partners with Emergency Legal Responders for disaster preparedness programming. They collaborated on a Disaster Trivia + Hurricane Prep event in July 2024 as part of VAYLA's Cha and Chat series.
- Save Your NOLA Library CoalitionminorVAYLA joined the Save Your NOLA Library coalition to oppose Proposition #2 which would have devastated library funding by $7.5 million (40%).
- Alliance for Affordable EnergyminorLogan Burke, Executive Director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, participated as a guest speaker in VAYLA's Sinews in the Cypress environmental speaker series.
- Water Leaders InstituteminorAron Chang, co-lead at Water Leaders Institute, participated as a guest speaker in VAYLA's Sinews in the Cypress environmental speaker series.
- Twelve Mile LimitminorTwelve Mile Limit is a bar/restaurant venue in New Orleans where VAYLA hosted a Cha and Chat event with Emergency Legal Responders for hurricane preparedness programming.
- The Healing Center (Blue Room)minorThe Healing Center Blue Room is a venue partner for VAYLA's Cha and Chat events and community programming, located at 2372 St. Claude Ave, New Orleans.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
VAYLA New Orleans competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- APIAVote: National nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to increasing civic and political engagement of AAPI communities through voter education and GOTV. Directly comparable to VAYLA's Civic Engagement Program and 'Other Is Not My Identity' inclusion petition work.
- Chinese for Affirmative Action: San Francisco-based AAPI civil rights organization advancing multiracial democracy through advocacy, narrative change, and community organizing. Comparable to VAYLA in its emphasis on storytelling as power-building and intersectional AAPI advocacy.
- Stop AAPI Hate: Coalition tracking and responding to anti-Asian hate incidents through reporting tools and advocacy. Closely comparable to VAYLA's Louisiana Anti-Hate Reporting program offering bilingual (English/Vietnamese) hate incident reporting and resources for AAPI community members.
- National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF): National AAPI women's advocacy organization focused on reproductive justice, civic engagement, and immigrant rights. Directly comparable to VAYLA in mission framing around AAPI women/femmes, intersectional advocacy (reproductive justice, civic engagement), and storytelling as movement-building.
- CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities: New York-based grassroots AAPI community organizing group focused on housing, immigrant rights, and youth leadership development. Comparable to VAYLA in its community-organizing approach, youth leadership pipeline, and intersectional justice framework across AAPI and broader communities of color.
Broad incumbents
- Japanese American Citizens League: National AAPI civil rights organization with historical roots in Japanese American redress, now working broadly on anti-hate, civic engagement, and cultural preservation. Comparable to VAYLA in its anti-hate and civic engagement work, though at significantly larger scale.
- Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF): National AAPI legal advocacy organization focused on voting rights, immigrant rights, anti-Asian violence, and census participation. Comparable to VAYLA in its civic engagement (voter data inclusion), anti-hate, and immigrant community protection work.
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC: National AAPI civil rights organization covering policy advocacy, civic engagement, and litigation. While operating at much larger national scale, it pursues overlapping AAPI civic engagement and advocacy goals comparable to VAYLA's mission.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
VAYLA New Orleans social profiles
Digital presenceVAYLA New Orleans financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
VAYLA New Orleans leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
VAYLA New Orleans funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
VAYLA New Orleans M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about VAYLA New Orleans
What does VAYLA New Orleans do?
VAYLA New Orleans is an AAPI-focused nonprofit organization that delivers free community programs for Asian American Pacific Islander youth, families, and community members in the Greater New Orleans area and Gulf South region. Its portfolio includes leadership development, civic engagement and voter education, environmental justice education, reproductive justice storytelling, anti-hate reporting, mutual aid, food access, and monthly community meetups. Programs are funded by donations and grants rather than fees charged to participants.
Is VAYLA New Orleans a public or private company?
VAYLA New Orleans is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was VAYLA New Orleans founded?
VAYLA New Orleans was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is VAYLA New Orleans based?
VAYLA New Orleans is headquartered in New Orleans, United States, in the North America region.
How does VAYLA New Orleans make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Contributions are the primary driver. The others are grant Funding.
Who are VAYLA New Orleans's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are APIAVote, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Stop AAPI Hate, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF) and CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities. Broad incumbents are Japanese American Citizens League, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC.
Does VAYLA New Orleans have an API?
No public API is recorded for VAYLA New Orleans.