The Asian American Education Project
The Asian American Education Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and distributes free, standards-aligned K-12 curriculum on Asian Pacific Islander Desi American history, civil rights, and identity, serving U.S. teachers and districts through digital downloads, partner co-developed lesson plans, and professional development workshops.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Asian American Education Project does
The Asian American Education Project (AAEdu) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2021 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, that develops and distributes free, standards-aligned K-12 curriculum on Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) history, civil rights, identity, immigration, and anti-racism. The core product is a content library of 100+ lesson plans, five thematic units co-developed with Stanford University's SPICE program, graphic novels, picture books, and the published 'Untold Civil Rights Stories: Asian Americans Speak Out for Justice' book, all delivered as free digital downloads via asianamericanedu.org with no proprietary technology platform. Specialized curriculum packages are co-branded with institutional partners, including the New York City Department of Education's Hidden Voices curriculum (Grades 7-10), the Committee of 100's 'From Foundations to Frontiers' report (Grades 6-9), and the Poston Community Alliance on the Poston Incarceration Camp. The organization complements its curriculum with free professional development workshops, webinar recordings, and stipended cohort programs through which educators can earn PD credits at their local education agency's discretion, and has completed state standards alignments in Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington.
AAEdu does not develop proprietary software; its technology stack is conventional web (asianamericanedu.org), social media (Instagram, X/Twitter), Google Forms/Docs for applications and downloads, and free streaming of the PBS 'Asian Americans' documentary. Revenue is grant-funded rather than transactional: the operating model rests on foundation and corporate grants, individual donations, and pro bono professional services, with flagship-tier funding from The Asian American Foundation, Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, Annenberg Foundation, and Surdna Foundation, plus contributions from SEIU, Policy Link, and the San Diego State University APIDA Center. Leadership comprises Co-Executive Directors Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan (also Director of SDSU's APIDA Center) and Patricia Kwoh (co-founder and curriculum editor), supported by curriculum developer Ashley Chu and a broader board and advisory structure.
Go-to-market is community-led and entirely free: educators discover and download resources directly from the website or through partner channels, enroll in PD workshops via Google Docs forms, and receive stipends when participating in cohort programs. Customer segments are horizontal across K-12 teachers, curriculum specialists, and district administrators nationwide, with secondary segments of professional development seekers and APIDA Studies program implementers. Strategic positioning is that of the default nonprofit source for comprehensive, free, partner-endorsed APIDA K-12 curriculum in the United States, with state-level standards alignment serving as the primary mechanism for formal district adoption.
The Asian American Education Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Asian American Education Project
- Legal name
- The Asian American Education Project
- Website
- https://asianamericanedu.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Asian American Education Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and distributes free, standards-aligned K-12 curriculum on Asian Pacific Islander Desi American history, civil rights, and identity, serving U.S. teachers and districts through digital downloads, partner co-developed lesson plans, and professional development workshops.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Asian American Education Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Civic Education Curriculum
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Special Education (SPED) & Inclusive Curriculum Materials (EDAGAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Professional Development for Inclusive Practices (General Education Staff) (EDAKABAL), Accessibility, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Inclusive Content Services (EDAGAKAJ)
Keywords
Where The Asian American Education Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Asian American Education Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Foundation and Corporate Grants: The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and generates revenue primarily through grants from foundations and corporate foundations. Major funders include The Asian American Foundation, Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Wallace H Coulter Foundation, Annenberg Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and various family foundations and corporate foundations.
- Individual Donations: The organization accepts individual donations through their website to support operations and curriculum development.
- Donated Professional Services: The organization receives pro bono support including curriculum development, editing, web development, and graphic design from volunteers and partners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free curriculum resources and professional development for all educators |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Asian American Education Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Asian American Education Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and distributes free K-12 educational curriculum, lesson plans, and thematic units focused on Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) history, civil rights, identity, immigration, and anti-racism. It also delivers free and stipended professional development workshops for educators and partners with organizations such as Stanford SPICE, NYC DOE, and the Committee of 100 to produce standards-aligned materials.
Product overview
The Asian American Education Project (AAEdu) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing comprehensive K-12 educational curriculum and resources focused on Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) history and civil rights. The core offerings include lesson plans and curriculum materials, thematic units developed in partnership with Stanford University's SPICE program, professional development workshops for educators, teaching toolkits, and the published book 'Untold Civil Rights Stories: Asian Americans Speak Out for Justice.' AAEdu also provides specialized curriculum partnerships including Committee of 100 lesson plans, NYC Hidden Voices curriculum lesson plans, and Poston Incarceration Camp lesson plans developed with the Poston Community Alliance. Additional offerings include professional development resources with state standards alignments across multiple states, free streaming of the PBS 'Asian Americans' documentary series, graphic novels, picture books, and an APIDA Studies semester course curriculum. The organization also offers stipended professional development cohort programs and various educator resources including activity booklets and lesson overviews.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lesson Plans and Curriculum Comprehensive K-12 curriculum resources covering APIDA history, civil rights, immigration, and social justice topics, including lesson plans, unit studies, and thematic materials for classroom teachers.
- Thematic Units Five thematic units developed in partnership with Stanford University's SPICE program covering Citizenship, Civil Rights, Identity, Immigration, and Racism with downloadable standards-aligned lesson plans.
- Free Professional Development Workshops Free live virtual and in-person professional development workshops for K-12 educators covering APIDA Studies curriculum implementation, with PD credit eligibility at participating local education agencies.
- Stipended Professional Development Cohort Programs Stipended cohort-based professional development programs that provide compensation to participating educators completing APIDA Studies curriculum training.
- Untold Civil Rights Stories: Asian Americans Speak Out for Justice
Quantifiable outcome
- Free curriculum available to all K-12 educators nationwide
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Asian American Education Project
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Asian American Education Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Asian American Education Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Stanford University's Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE)corePartnership with Stanford University's SPICE program for the development of thematic units on citizenship, civil rights, identity, immigration, and racism. SPICE creates the thematic units while AAEdu develops the accompanying lesson plans.
- Committee of 100coreCollaboration to develop lesson plans supporting the Committee of 100's report 'From Foundations to Frontiers: Chinese American Contributions to the Fabric of America.' Designed for Grades 6-9 examining Chinese American contributions to U.S. society.
- Poston Community AlliancecoreCollaboration to develop four lesson plans about Poston Incarceration Camp (Colorado River Relocation Center) during World War II. Content examines the relationship between Japanese American and Native American communities.
- New York City Department of EducationcoreOfficial curriculum partnership to create lesson plans as part of NYC DOE's Hidden Voices curriculum. Designed for Grades 7-10 exploring APIDA contributions to citizenship, cross-cultural solidarity, and multilingual education.
- AAPI DataminorCollaboration for the Coulter Convenor Forum, combining AAPI Data research with AAEdu curriculum development for educator outreach.
- Local Education AgenciescorePartnership with local school districts and education agencies for professional development credit approval. Educators can earn PD credits at their local agency's discretion through AAEdu workshops.
- Policy LinkminorResearch and advocacy organization funder supporting equity-focused educational programming.
- San Diego State University APIDA CenterminorAcademic partnership with Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan serving as Co-Executive Director and Director of SDSU's APIDA Center.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Asian American Education Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Facing History and Ourselves: Nonprofit providing free and paid K-12 curriculum, professional development, and educator resources on history, identity, and civil rights. Directly comparable in target customer (educators), product type (standards-aligned curriculum + PD), and nonprofit funding model.
- Zinn Education Project: Nonprofit providing free K-12 social studies lessons and teaching activities on people's history, civil rights, and social justice. Closely comparable in free-distribution model, K-12 social studies focus, and reliance on teacher-led grassroots adoption.
- Learning for Justice (Southern Poverty Law Center): Provides free K-12 social studies curriculum, lesson plans, and professional development focused on civil rights, identity, and anti-bias education. Closest direct peer because of the comparable free-distribution model, K-12 educator focus, and overlap in civil rights and identity-themed content.
- Densho: Nonprofit producing educational content, oral histories, and curriculum on Japanese American incarceration. Highly comparable as an Asian American-specific K-12 curriculum developer offering lesson plans and teaching resources to educators nationwide.
Emerging players
- OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates: National advocacy organization for Asian Pacific Americans with some education programming and youth leadership initiatives. Tangentially comparable as an APIDA-focused organization engaging educators and students, but primarily advocacy rather than curriculum development.
Broad incumbents
- Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Education: Provides K-12 curriculum, professional development, and educator training on anti-bias, identity, and civil rights education. Comparable in target audience and content themes (anti-Asian racism, identity), though ADL is a larger, broader-scope organization.
- PBS 'Asian Americans' Documentary Series: Five-part documentary series on Asian American history with associated educator resources. AAEdu even streams the series free on its site; comparable in subject matter and educator-facing positioning, though broader in audience.
- Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center: Museum-based initiative producing exhibitions, digital content, and educational programming on Asian Pacific American history. Comparable as a cultural/educational resource for APIDA topics, though broader in scope (arts, culture, history) and not exclusively K-12 curriculum-focused.
Others
- Center for Asian American Media (CAAM): Nonprofit supporting Asian American film and media with some educational distribution. Thematically comparable in advancing APIDA storytelling, though primarily a media funder/distributor rather than a K-12 curriculum publisher.
- Stanford SPICE (Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education): Active partner that co-develops AAEdu's thematic units. Comparable in producing standards-aligned K-12 curriculum on cross-cultural and international topics, though Stanford SPICE is a university-based program rather than a standalone nonprofit curriculum publisher.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Asian American Education Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Asian American Education Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Asian American Education Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The Asian American Education Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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The Asian American Education Project 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 The Asian American Education Project
What does The Asian American Education Project do?
The Asian American Education Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and distributes free K-12 educational curriculum, lesson plans, and thematic units focused on Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) history, civil rights, identity, immigration, and anti-racism. It also delivers free and stipended professional development workshops for educators and partners with organizations such as Stanford SPICE, NYC DOE, and the Committee of 100 to produce standards-aligned materials.
Is The Asian American Education Project a public or private company?
The Asian American Education Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Asian American Education Project founded?
The Asian American Education Project was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Asian American Education Project based?
The Asian American Education Project is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Asian American Education Project make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Foundation and Corporate Grants are the primary driver. The others are individual Donations and donated Professional Services.
Who are The Asian American Education Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Facing History and Ourselves, Zinn Education Project, Learning for Justice (Southern Poverty Law Center) and Densho. OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Education, PBS 'Asian Americans' Documentary Series and Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. Others are Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and Stanford SPICE (Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education).
Does The Asian American Education Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Asian American Education Project.
What industry is The Asian American Education Project in?
The Asian American Education Project's product category is K-12 Civic Education Curriculum. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAAAE, Special Education (SPED) & Inclusive Curriculum Materials, with a secondary code of EDAKABAL, Professional Development for Inclusive Practices (General Education Staff). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.