Association of Asian American Investment Managers
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Founded in the Year 2006, the Association of Asian American Investment Managers AAAIM is a national trade association dedicated to the advance of AAPIs Asian Americans & Pacific-Islanders in the asset management industry. AAAIM supports those trying to access top positions at major investment firms while also promoting an entrepreneurial route for investment managers that start their own firms. AAAIM is committed to providing an association that creates an educational forum for sharing expertise within the AAPI investment community to build a pipeline of next generation leaders by encouraging more AAPI students to enter the field and to serve as a catalyst for strategic relationships between AAPI managers and institutional investors.
- Income
- $1.9 million
- Spending
- $1.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 63%
- Reserves
- 12.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 81%
- Employees
- 0
- Highest pay
- $354,882, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 89 out of 100. Higher than 75% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 12.9 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 18% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 11% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 9% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1563% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 11 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Weak: 30 out of 100. Higher than 1% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
5 of 250 of 16 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
0 of 5Reports that it does not keep minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $1.1 million spent. All other achievements
- Supporting Career Education for Underserved College Students) AAAIM?s second year of Accelerate Externship provided an interactive, hybrid program for underrepresented students interested in the field of investment management to develop skills needed to apply for internships, networking, and better prepare them for the workforce. AAAIM?s Externship is an intensive 7-day hybrid program in the summer, offering externs an experiential learning opportunity. The externship accepts a small group of up to 30 undergraduate college students, selected through an application-based process. Externs will engage in professional development training focusing on resume building, interviewing techniques, and relationship building, while interacting with investment and finance professionals, heads of Human Resources and Talent, and industry veterans. At the end of the externship, AAAIM facilitated mentorship connections and shares potential industry opportunities for externs. This program is open to all undergraduate students to apply, with a special emphasis on supporting students coming from modest income families or non-target institutions. In 2024, we had 24 universities and colleges represented, 30 externs accepted with 45% identifying as female, and 65% received a financial stipend directly from AAAIM to attribute to expenses/costs associated with the program.
- Research and Education) Since our initial study in 2020 with Bella Private Markets, AAAIM continues to expand its research efforts to bring awareness of the barriers faced by AAPI professionals in the investment management industry. Our 2024 research introduced two groundbreaking reports: The State of AAPIs in Venture Capital and Opportunities for AAPI Emerging Managers in Institutional Investment. Through these two reports, we build upon previous findings and examining further the representation at each stage of ones career across the investment management industry. The State of AAPIs in Venture Capital study, in partnership with UC Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (SCET) and DECODE, explored the representation and experiences of Asian American professionals in the Venture Capital industry, bringing to light the disparities and underrepresentation in leadership, funding access, and career progression. Some revelations from our research include a low, single-digit percentage of representation ? only 3.3% of VC funds are AAPI owned and that the path to promotion and becoming an investing partner takes 41% longer (AAPI professionals worked in junior roles for an average of 3 years, 10 months. Non-AAPI professionals were promoted in 2 years, 9 months). Our final research from 2024, Opportunities for AAPI Emerging Managers in Institutional Investment, in partnership with Bella Private Markets, revealed a concerning issue on allocation and access from institutional investors to emerging manager programs, specifically those of AAPI identity. Our key findings from the report state that AAPI-owned firms are often not explicitly included in emerging manager programs with diversity criteria, at 30%, in addition to only 2.7% are actively AAPI-owned fund investments in portfolios of investors with emerging manager initiatives.
- Emerging Leaders Initiative) AAAIM?s Emerging Leaders Initiative (ELI) program was created to help Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) break the ?Bamboo Ceiling? in the investment field. In 2024, we established ELI Day, a professional development and career-focused event bringing together mid-level professionals. With very few organizations focused on career development and formal leadership workshops for AAPIs throughout the full life cycle of their professional journey, AAAIM created this opportunity of support for upward mobility of AAPIs and other underrepresented communities. In addition to ELI Day, AAAIM continues into its fifth year of the Norman Mineta Cohort program. This program is designed for mid-level professionals on both the east and west coast, and provides them a development curriculum free of charge. Throughout this program, the cohort receives quarterly professional development workshops, ongoing executive coaching, mentorship from senior leaders and board of directors, education, and elevated visibility among our network through complimentary access to our events.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since May 2019.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.