Vietnamese American Roundtable
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The Vietnamese American Roundtable (VAR) envisions a strong and unified Vietnamese American community that works towards improving our quality of life. To this end, VAR focuses our mission to organize, advocate, and educate our community. We accomplish this through mobilization, advocacy, and education - mobilization through events and coalition building, advocacy through empowering and strategy, and education through panels, workshops and cultural events.
- Income
- $450,387
- Spending
- $501,089
- Spent on programs
- 73%
- Reserves
- 9.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 56%
- Employees
- 5
- Volunteers
- 250
- Highest pay
- $98,654, executive director
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: 82 out of 100. Higher than 59% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 9.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 11% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 83% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1573% 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
Good: 76 out of 100. Higher than 51% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2510 of 10 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a 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
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 (10)
- $49,745 spent. Working Partnerships USA - Worker Education | As a part of the Fair Workplace Collaborative in service of the constituents of Santa Clara County, VAR organized monthly virtual and in person workers rights trainings for underprivileged employees and laborers. These trainings and other educational information provided resources regarding unlawful labor practices and were disseminated to over 2000 constituents over the course of the year
- $40,969 spent. COVID19 and Community Outreach | Sierra Health/CZI Grant | VAR partnered with a local community health center, along with other community-based organizations, to provide outreach, education, and information regarding COVID-19 testing and vaccination equity. Weekly newsletters and bi-weekly ethnic radio shows were broadcast to distribute updates and information regarding welfare programs, food distribution, EDD/unemployment, and holistic care to community members that reached over 30,000 Facebook views and engagements via social media. As a part of our vaccine and testing equity campaign, we directed 100+ community members to get vaccinated, and distributed over 2000 COVID-19 rapid antigen tests at several cultural events.
- $55,043 spent. VAR's racial justice projects aim to amplify and uplift the histories, identities, narratives, and experiences of refugees, immigrants, and their descendants against the backdrop of social and racial inequity. The Student Engagement and Education for Development and Success (SEEDS) Summer Youth Program annually hosts 20-30 young local high school and collegiate leaders ages 14-24 to participate in project-based workshops and activities to identify civic and social issues and develop solutions for their communities. The Let's Be Rieu (Let's Be Real) Program is a monthly facilitated conversations on topics of racial justice (anti-AAPI hate, Black Lives Matter, political participation and representation) that has brought together inquiring youth to open up and share their thoughts on contemporary matters relevant to their experiences and identities. Com Gia Dinh is a hybrid anthological project in progress that aims to capture the narratives of community members across generations and languages through food and storytelling. The Com Gia Dinh Project aims to address the adverse impacts of anti-Asian hate and violence by collecting, compiling, and presenting the humanistic experiences of Asian American community members who call San Jose and Santa Clara County home.
- $33,299 spent. Black April | On April 30, 2021, VAR commemorated the 46th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon virtually on the theme of "Resilience, Renewal, and Representation." Over 4700 people were reached nationwide with 295 engagements and 2000 views of the live stream that was broadcasted on VAR's Facebook and YouTube pages. The program featured community dialogues, artwork, music, keynote speeches, and dance performances by local and national Vietnamese Americans who collectively reflected on our community's shared past"
- $482 spent. Parent Pod
- $17,001 spent. Com Gia Dinh
- $43,905 spent. SEEDS
- $116,335 spent. LNYSJ
- $4,932 spent. LNY
- $4,712 spent. Civic Engagement
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 September 2017.
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.