Very Asian Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE VERY ASIAN FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO SHINE A LIGHT ON ASIAN EXPERIENCES THROUGH ADVOCACY AND CELEBRATION.
- Income
- $151,774
- Spending
- $147,859
- Spent on programs
- 80%
- Reserves
- 7.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 99%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 30
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: 83 out of 100. Higher than 57% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, under $250k).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 7.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 3% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 24% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1580% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 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: 81 out of 100. Higher than 71% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, under $250k).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 11 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.
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 (3)
- $66,077 spent. THE VERY ASIAN FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO SHINE A LIGHT ON ASIAN EXPERIENCES THROUGH ADVOCACY AND CELEBRATION. THE ORGANIZATION ACCOMPLISHES THIS BY RAISING MONEY FOR ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, AND PACIFIC ISLANDER (AANHPI) GROUPS AND ISSUES, AMPLIFYING STORIES AND EXPERIENCES, PROVIDING EDUCATION AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND HOSTING COMMUNITY BUILDING EVENTS SUCH AS FILM SCREENINGS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, AND COMMUNITY MIXERS THAT FOSTER PRODUCTIVE DIALOGUE AND PROMOTE CULTURAL AWARENESS, UNDERSTANDING, AND APPRECIATION.
- $43,616 spent. THE MAY BOOK PROJECT IS AN ASIAN AMERICAN YOUTH GUIDE FOR ALL READERS THAT LAUNCHED IN MAY 2022. INSPIRED BY STUDENT'S CALLS FOR GREATER ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, AND PACIFIC ISLANDER (AANHPI) REPRESENTATION IN THE MADE BOOKS AVAILABLE TO THEM, THE MAY BOOK PROJECT PROVIDES A FREE TOOLKIT, RESOURCE GUIDE, AND BOOKLIST OF ABOUT 280 BOOKS OF HIGH-QUALITY, VETTED ASIAN AMERICAN LITERATURE. THE VERY ASIAN FOUNDATION THEN GIVES FREE BOOKS TO AT-NEED LIBRARIES. VAF HAS WORKED WITH LIBRARIES IN ATLANTA, CHICAGO, HENDERSON, NC, LOS ANGELES, MILWAUKEE, NEW YORK, SEATTLE, ST. LOUIS, AND ST. PAUL AND HAS HUNDREDS OF REQUESTS IN QUEUE. IT'S BEEN EMBRACED IN EACH STATE BECAUSE THIS PROJECT EMPHASIZES CHOICE AND CELEBRATION.
- $8,528 spent. THE VERY ASIAN CREATORS FUND AIMS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES TO ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, AND PACIFIC ISLANDER (AANHPI) INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE MAKING A CAREER PIVOT INTO A CREATIVE FIELD AND PROVIDE A LAUNCHPAD TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS AND MAKE AN IMPACT IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND SOCIETY. THE VERY ASIAN CREATORS FUND ALSO INCLUDES THE IDEA THAT, BY AMPLIFYING THE VOICES, STORIES, AND PERSPECTIVES OF AANHPI CREATIVES AND BY PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR THEM TO SHARE THEIR WORK, THIS GRANT PROGRAM CAN HELP CHANGE THE REPRESENTATION AND NARRATIVES IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY, BY PROVIDING A SPACE FOR MORE DIVERSE AND UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES AND PERSPECTIVES TO BE VISIBLE. BY PROVIDING MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, THE ORGANIZATION HOPES TO ALSO HELP DEMYSTIFY THE CAREER PIVOT PROCESS AND DEBUNK MYTHS HINDERING INDIVIDUALS IN PURSUIT OF THEIR CREATIVE CAREERS, BY PROVIDING REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS AND MADE IT. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO EMPOWER AANHPI INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION INTO A CREATIVE CAREER AND TO PROMOTE REPRESENTATION AND DIVERSE NARRATIVES IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY, WHICH WILL HAVE A RIPPLE EFFECT ON THE COMMUNITY AND SOCIETY AS A WHOLE. THE VERY ASIAN CREATORS FUND AIMS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES TO ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, AND PACIFIC ISLANDER (AANHPI) INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE MAKING A CAREER PIVOT INTO A CREATIVE FIELD AND PROVIDE A LAUNCHPAD TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS AND MAKE AN IMPACT IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND SOCIETY. THE VERY ASIAN CREATORS FUND ALSO INCLUDES THE IDEA THAT, BY AMPLIFYING THE VOICES, STORIES, AND PERSPECTIVES OF AANHPI CREATIVES AND BY PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR THEM TO SHARE THEIR WORK, THIS GRANT PROGRAM CAN HELP CHANGE THE REPRESENTATION AND NARRATIVES IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY, BY PROVIDING A SPACE FOR MORE DIVERSE AND UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES AND PERSPECTIVES TO BE VISIBLE. BY PROVIDING MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, THE ORGANIZATION HOPES TO ALSO HELP DEMYSTIFY THE CAREER PIVOT PROCESS AND DEBUNK MYTHS HINDERING INDIVIDUALS IN PURSUIT OF THEIR CREATIVE CAREERS, BY PROVIDING REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS AND MADE IT. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO EMPOWER AANHPI INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION INTO A CREATIVE CAREER AND TO PROMOTE REPRESENTATION AND DIVERSE NARRATIVES IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY, WHICH WILL HAVE A RIPPLE EFFECT ON THE COMMUNITY AND SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.
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 2022.
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.
Could it be confused with another charity? Worth knowing.
A much larger organization has a similar name: Asia Foundation (San Francisco, CA), EIN 94-1191246. If that is the one you meant, check the EIN before giving.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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.