APANO Communities United Fund

APANO grew out of social service organizations with a focus on amplifying our communities’ voices and fighting for systematic, sustainable change. APANO seeks to build power, develop leaders, and advance equity through organizing, advocacy, community development, and cultural work. We envision a just world where Asians and Pacific Islanders and

APANO Communities United Fund

For more than 25 years, APANO has worked to unite Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the pursuit of social justice in Oregon. Our communities have made our homes and livelihoods here for generations. Today, we are among the fastest growing groups in the state. APANO grew out of social service organizations with a focus on amplifying our communities’ voices and fighting for systematic, sustainable change. APANO seeks to build power, develop leaders, and advance equity through organizing, advocacy, community development, and cultural work. We envision a just world where Asians and Pacific Islanders and communities who share our aspirations and struggles have the power, resources, and voice to determine our own futures, and where we work in solidarity to drive political, social, economic, and cultural change. Our core organizational values include Self Determination, Solidarity, Integrity, Care, and Belonging. Our programs engage community members to find power in their identities and communities, overcome barriers to resources and opportunities, deepen understanding of systems and policies, and mobilize to influence issues and decision making.

About the Organization:

Oregon

The Issue:

APANO serves Oregon’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. Our communities are not a monolith and are marked by stark contrasts and needs that are too often invisibilized when lumped together. When we disaggregate the data and listen to the communities we work with, we see that too many of us have not been able to access our full rights or find true belonging in the broader community. For many, struggles with language, immigration status, or financial barriers have limited our ability to access well-paying jobs, quality education for our kids, safe neighborhoods, and other essentials for our families.

At APANO, we prioritize those who are under-resourced or lack critical support, including immigrants and refugees, those with limited incomes, youth, elders, and those with limited English proficiency — and the need is great. We work in the Jade District in Southeast Portland where 52% of residents are people of color, the median household income is 28% lower than the city average, and 71% of AANHPI households have limited English proficiency. In 2018, AANHPI communities in Oregon experienced higher rates of poverty. Namely, 25% of Pacific Islander Oregonians fell below the federal poverty threshold, more than double that of white Oregonians (12%). [source]

These and other disparities have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities experienced the highest rates of COVID-19 infection in Oregon, shedding light on public-health and broader service gaps. In the Jade District, multiple environmental health hazards — like highways and lack of tree canopy — contribute to increasing rates of asthma and cancer. The accompanying rise of anti-Asian hate has also taken a toll; a 2022 survey showed 89% of AANHPI respondents witnessed hate or bias events. [source]

The Solution:

At APANO, we believe those experiencing the challenges in our communities should lead the process in solving them. We know we must work in solidarity with those who share our struggles to create a more just world. We actively work to bring our communities together to ensure that those facing the greatest challenges have access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.

We work across several programs to bring a holistic approach to serving and strengthening our communities. Our major programs include Community Development, Advocacy & Civic Engagement, and Cultural Work. Within Community Development, we work specifically on small business support, Jade District organizing, in-language organizing in Chinese and Vietnamese, workforce development, real estate development, and neighborhood greening. Within Advocacy & Civic Engagement, we have a focus on Immigrant Programs. Our Cultural Work team includes our Youth Organizing and our Community Space & Events team, which runs public programming out of the Orchards of 82nd, which APANO co-developed and houses 48 units of affordable housing along with our office and community space.

Some highlights of our recent work include:

Building small business resilience by supporting 40 Asian- and Pacific Islander-owned small businesses and distributing over $60,000 for rapid response repairs in 2022;
Securing space by and for community with our purchase of a historic Cantonese restaurant in the heart of the Jade District in early 2023
Advocating for critical community investments including a $2 million additional investment in Oregon’s Department of Justice to resource the Non-Emergency Bias Response Hotline for victim support.
Creating spaces to heal and learn together through our Resilience Series that has reached 450+ BIPOC community members to explore disability justice, resilience, and celebration.
Mobilizing our communities to vote and distributing a voter guide available in 10 different languages.
Realizing a community vision in a new mural through a community-engaged mural project at the Orchards of 82nd building called “Drink the Water, Remember the Source.”
Building capacity and strengthening our network with partner organizations including our VOTE network, a network of 15-20 Asian and Pacific Islander community organizations.

APANO Communities United Fund