ASIAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION

The Asian Business Association Foundation (ABAF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening underserved Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities through leadership and education.  For more than 20 years, the ABAF has provided community and culturally specific programming for leadership education and development, economic equity and advancement through no-cost technical assistance for minority business enterprises, and scholastic scholarships for high school, college and university students.

EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP

ABAF continues to provide an annual education and scholarship program to further develop current and future business leaders in the AANHPI community. Since the launch of its educational and scholarship programs, ABAF has provided nearly $100,000 and affected hundreds of students. ABAF partners with regional, statewide and national nonprofit organizations to provide leadership training to students and professionals through business mentorship, workshops, and internship programs.

ECONOMIC EQUITY

Building upon its services as a Small Business Development Center, ABAF provides no-cost technical assistance through its Asian and Pacific Islander Economic Equity Advancement Program. The program provides business development and capacity building educational services for minority business enterprises at no-cost. Since September of 2021, ABAF has served 3,340 AANHPI entrepreneurs through 3,260 counseling hours, resulting in $11,145,000 in access to capital, $2,540,000 in pandemic/disaster relief capital, 5,917 jobs supported, and 281 new businesses.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ABAF launched several innovate programs, partnering with local, state and federal agencies, community based organizations and public safety, to provide specialized outreach, triage and support services to vulnerable communities -- such as the Stop AAPI Hate Social Justice Outreach and Education Initiative.

VOTER REGISTRATION & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT 

ABAF works to build long-term infrastructure for increased voter registration and participation to increase the quality of life and provide upward economic mobility and growth for underrepresented and underserved AANHPI communities throughout the State of California. These partnerships have been deployed with national partners, such as APIAVote, AARP, and various regional agencies.

BUILDING COMMUNITY & SPACES

ABAF advocates for our community’s sense of belonging and creates intentional spaces for our community to meet, discuss, and organize.  At the local level,  ABAF in 2021 helped to formally designate the Convoy District as the “Pan Asian Cultural and Business Innovation District” in the City of San Diego.  Soon after, ABAF partnered with the Convoy District Partnership to fundraise and install freeway signs in San Diego on Interstate 805 North and 805 South to designate the “Convoy Asian Cultural District”. Rooted in celebrating and highlighting the neighborhood’s rich cultural diversity and history, these freeway signs represent a tremendous milestone in the community over decades in the making. At its main office centered in the Pan Asian Cultural and Business Innovation District, ABAF provides a free cultural co-working hub for local AANHPI nonprofits, such as the National Association of Asian American Professionals, Japanese American Citizens League, Viet Vote, Taiwanese American Professionals, Korean American Coalition, among others.