APIA Scholars
Educate. Elevate. Empower.
Mission
Our mission is to make a difference in the lives of Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) students by providing them with resources that increase their access to higher education which serves as the foundation for their future success. Our vision is to see that all Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have access to higher education and resources that cultivate their academic, personal and professional success regardless of their ethnicity, national origin or financial means.
Ruling year
2004
President & Executive Director
Dr. Noël Harmon
Main address
1850 M Street, NW Suite 245
Washington, DC 20036 USA
EIN
57-1192973
NTEE code
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid, Awards (B82)
Leadership Development (W70)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Due to ongoing misperceptions about Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIAs) and a lack of disaggregated data, there are significant barriers for APIA students to succeed in higher education. These barriers prevent many students from receiving access to resources that could support their academic and early career goals. APIA Scholars works to ensure that APIA students have the resources to increase access to higher education, which serves as the foundation for their future success and contributions to a more vibrant America.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Scholarship Programs
APIA Scholars administers three scholarship programs: APIA Scholarship Program; APIA Scholars Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) Scholarship; and the Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS/APIA) Program.
The APIA Scholarship Program is open to Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) high school and college students who will be enrolling or are currently enrolled in a U.S. accredited college or university as a degree-seeking undergraduate student in the upcoming academic year.
The APIA Scholars AANAPISI Scholarship supports AAPI students attending one of APIA Scholars 33 AANAPISI partner institutions. AANAPISIs are Minority-Serving Instructions (MSIs) that have an undergraduate enrollment of at least 10 percent AAPI students and a significant enrollment of students with financial need.
APIA Scholars AANAPISI Partners
The APIA Scholars Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) Scholarship Program is a collaboration with AANAPISIs and the communities they serve to provide scholarships, expand institutional capacity, and mobilize local resources to help foster economic development. The APIA Scholars AANAPISI Scholarship is available annually to students attending one of APIA Scholars AANAPISI partner campuses.
AANAPISIs are critical sites for serving low-Income APIA Students. The AANAPISI program has potential to reach a large concentration of APIA college students; during the last decade, two-fifths of APIA undergraduate students in the U.S. attended an institution eligible to be designated as an AANAPISI.
APIA Scholars now has formal MOUs with 33 AANAPISIs . As our program continues to grow, APIA Scholars aims to eventually partner with all AANAPISIs across the nation and the Pacific Islands.
Elevating Leaders Summit (ELS)
The APIA Scholars Elevating Leaders Summit (ELS) is the first program in our suite of holistic college-to-career programs in which we welcome and celebrate our newest Scholar cohorts to the APIA Scholars community. Over the course of several days, first year, second year, and transfer students participate in a virtual conference experience where they discuss topics related to intersectionality and cultivating authentic leadership skills, the power of storytelling and APIA representation, and the importance of centering mental health and wellness. APIA Scholars also have the opportunity to connect with peers in small group discussions led by an alumni facilitator to reflect on interactive workshops presented by community leaders and professionals.
Career Development
APIA Scholars offers several types of programming to help scholars with their career development. We offer a sequence of interactive, virtual sessions designed to expose Scholars to experiences of APIA industry leaders and possible career pathways. Additionally, there are sessions focused on concrete skill development such as resume writing, interviewing, and networking. We also help connect scholars to professional mentors in their field or field of interest. APIA Scholars continually brings together industry professionals and scholars to share tips, advice, and resources to navigate different professional environments and opportunities. We empower Scholars with the career tools needed to propel them towards their professional goals.
Research
Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Students in Higher Education: Through partnerships with AANAPISIs and researchers at UCLA, we engage in collaborative research to impact data disaggregation, equitable supports, and school climate at the colleges and universities that serve large numbers of NHPI students and move the needle on their student success outcomes.
Annual Survey: In Spring 2022, we launched our first Annual Survey to learn more about AANHPI student experiences in higher education. Drawing on data from thousands of high school students, undergraduates, and college alumni, we are able to learn about issues and barriers that impact students and identify opportunities to better serve students throughout their college-to-career journey.
Other research initiatives include the AANAPISI English Learner Project in California and the national AANAPISI Research Project. Learn more here: https://apiascholars.org/research-and-policy/
Mental Health Initiative
The APIA Scholars Mental Health Initiative utilizes a 3-pronged approach to address mental health needs in our Scholar community. First, we’re building awareness around the impacts of mental health challenges within the APIA community in an effort to eliminate stigma and encourage dialogue. Second, we’re partnering with community leaders and experts to host virtual sessions where we dive deeper into nuanced mental health discussions and participate in wellness practices together. Third, our META Teletherapy app provides Scholars with access to a mental health provider in the palm of their hand. Through this multi-layered approach, we hope to more holistically address the diverse issues that can impact APIA mental health.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of conference attendees
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Multiracial people, People of Asian descent
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The Elevating Leaders Summit brings together first year Scholars to prepare them for their first year of college. Industry Experts Webinar series provides internship and early career development.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Scholarship Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Clients served through scholarships, as well as programs for leadership development, career training, and increasing access, persistence, and success for APIAs in higher education.
Number of public events held to further mission
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Adults, Ethnic and racial groups
Related Program
Scholarship Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
APIA Scholars continues to grow its presence and impact through national and local community events through programs such as the Elevating Leaders Summit, Industry Experts Webinar series, and more.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Ethnic and racial groups, Multiracial people
Related Program
Scholarship Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
APIASF's volunteers read and evaluate scholarship applications, serve as mentors to scholars through virtual programs, and provide support for events and programs.
Number of unique website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Scholarship Programs
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
As a national organization based in D.C., APIA Scholars relies on its virtual presence to reach the underserved APIAs across the nation and Pacific Islands.
Number of return website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Scholarship Programs
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our growing number of return website visitors demonstrates that APIA Scholars continues to be a resource for APIAs pursuing higher education all across the nation and Pacific Islands
Number of reports written/published
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people, Immigrants and migrants
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In addition to completing its own research reports, APIA Scholars works with some of the nation's leading researchers and national education organizations to provide accurate data on the community.
Number of Facebook followers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Scholarship Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
APIA Scholars continues to grow its social media presence to reach college-bound APIA youth across the nation and the Pacific Islands.
Number of entrance scholarships and awards and exit scholarships
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Multiracial people, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Scholarship Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
APIA Scholars provides scholarships to underserved APIA students with a focus on those who live at or below the poverty level, are first is family/first generation, are committed to community service
Number of first-entry undergraduate program students who identify themselves as 'visible minorities'or 'non-white'
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Multiracial people, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Scholarship Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of awarded first years Scholars.
Total dollar amount of scholarship awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Multiracial people, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Scholarship Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
APIA Scholars is committed to providing scholarships for under-served Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in order to increase access to higher education for the APIA community.
Number of MOU Partnerships with AANAPISIs (Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Scholarship Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
APIASF partners with AANAPISIs through the APIASF AANAPISI Scholarship Program to provide scholarships, expand institutional capacity, and mobilize local resources to help foster economic development.
Number of Facebook Reach
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Multiracial people, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Scholarship Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The number of accounts that saw any content from our page, including posts, stories, ads, and social information.
Number of Instagram Reach
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Multiracial people, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Scholarship Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The number of unique accounts that saw any of our posts or stories at least once.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
APIA Scholars is aiming to be a key part of the national movement to increase persistence and college completion among APIAs, facilitate ongoing dialogues between institutions and the sharing of best practices, and improve academic attainment data.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Diverse partnerships have played a critical role in not only the formation of APIA Scholars, but also its growth over the years. Partnerships have resulted in increased scholarships and programming for APIA scholars, research projects to provide new information and data to facilitate national dialogues, and expanded relationships within the many APIA communities served. Expanding collaborations with the 150 federally recognized AANAPISI institutions, results in a base for APIA Scholars community relationships and provides an avenue for research and programming efforts. Corporate and foundation funders also provide avenues into these communities, along with a strong network of individual donors and supporters.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
In order to accomplish our goals, APIA Scholars has developed partnerships not only in the APIA community, but also with other nonprofits and educational organizations to help advance organizational goals, promote education equity, and secure better data. This has resulted in a strong foundation of support that aims to provide continued and evolving support for our Scholars and the diverse communities served. These partnerships have allowed APIA Scholars to build a network that supports widespread change that impact not only APIA students, but the entire minority community and the nation as a whole.
The Board of Directors and specifically the APIA Scholars Budget and Finance Committee, together with the APIA Scholars staff leadership team all collaborate to ensure success of the organization's operations, financial management, and business controls.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Nearly four years ago, APIASF formally became APIA Scholars. This new brand is part of an effort to showcase our renewed focus on our scholars, their communities, and the systems and challenges they face every day.
As a result of our diverse partnerships, we have been able to expand beyond direct scholarships and programming, to include APIA community research projects focused on providing educational institutions and their communities the data they need to better support their APIA students. An aspect of all of this work is continuing to expand, on an annual basis, our AANAPISI partnerships and provide more direct services to our AANAPISI scholars.
Looking forward, we are building our capacity to better support programming that focuses on Student Success, to include college completion and early career, while amplifying the needs of the APIA community and working to bring these needs to the national dialogue.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
As of Fall 2022, the APIA Scholars staff have redesigned the awarding operations of the APIA Scholars Emergency Fund. In order to most effectively serve students' needs, the Emergency Fund needed to be available year-round and allow Scholars to submit requests for assistance as financial issues arise throughout their collegiate careers. We recognized the importance of implementing changes that support our Scholars' needs without it being restricted solely to the periods of when our applications are open for Scholars to apply for funding. Additionally, Scholars may be referred to receive emergency funding by APIA Scholars staff, Mentors, and/or affiliates of our AANAPISI partner institutions.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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APIA Scholars
Board of directorsas of 05/24/2023
Aimée Meher-Homji
Nielsen
Term: 2021 -
Lindsay Ah Loo
Nakupuna Foundation
Sefa Aina
Pomona College
Gene Chasin
Community Catalyst Partners
J. Weili Cheng
Yale Alumni Association
William Cho
Asian McDonald's Operators Association
Pooneh Fracyon Butler
America's Promise Alliance
Nancy Lee
The Walt Disney Company
Scott Loretan
Sodexo Worldwide
Jeff Luong
AT&T
Bill Moses
Kresge Foundation
Nidhi Munjal
Walmart
Doug Murtha
Toyota Motor North America
Wally Suphap
Columbia University
Rowena Tomaneng
San Jose City College
Jason Wong
Steel Partner Holdings
Hans Yang
Microsoft
Jennifer Peru Gary
Trustpoint.One
Jacinta Titiali'i-Abbott
Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
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