Community Spotlight: Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI)
Written with the perspective of a Community Grants Committee Volunteer at KACF-SF
As part of our Community Spotlight series, KACF-SF is proud to highlight Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI), a longtime grantee and community partner, and share reflections about the grant-making process from a Community Grants Committee (CGC) member who had the opportunity to learn about AACI.
The Community Grants Committee (CGC) is a volunteer-led program that invites community members to actively participate in KACF-SF’s grantmaking. CGC members bring a range of personal and professional experiences to help evaluate nonprofit organizations, understand the needs of the Korean American community, and recommend where funding can have the greatest impact.
One of the organizations we reviewed this year was Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI). Founded in 1973 to support immigrants and refugees, AACI now offers comprehensive services ranging from behavioral health, primary care, and dental care to a senior wellness center and community programming, reflecting a holistic approach to health. What makes them effective is their consistent, culturally responsive care. For Korean American clients, especially elders, AACI’s ability to offer linguistically and culturally appropriate mental health services is essential.
For this grant cycle, we specifically evaluated their Korean Information Wellness Initiative (KIWI), which is a program to empower community members with information, knowledge, and skills and provide them with resources for managing their mental health and navigating the cultural nuances of mental healthcare.
Why I joined:
I joined the Community Grants Committee because I wanted to give back to the Korean American community. After moving to the Bay Area for college, I’ve now been here nearly seven years and consider it home. Volunteering through the CGC felt like a meaningful way to contribute to the local Korean American community while also learning how grantmaking and local policy work. I was interested in how community needs are identified, how funding decisions are made, and how policy can reflect those needs. It was a chance to engage with organizations like AACI doing impactful work, helping direct resources, and understanding how change happens at the local level.
What the CGC is involved in:
As a CGC volunteer, I wasn’t just reviewing proposals; I was hearing real stories from communities that often go unheard. During a site visit to AACI’s main location in San Jose, I met with staff and a board member from the behavioral health team and toured their facilities. What stood out most was AACI’s commitment to meeting people where they are, whether through church events, back-to-school fairs, or by framing mental health care in ways that resonate with cultural values, like helping children succeed in school. They don’t assume what the community needs; they ask, listen, and build programs that reduce stigma and improve access, especially for Korean American families and Asian Americans alike.
The CGC takes place over 3–4 months and offers a hands-on look at community grantmaking. We get to choose which organizations we want to work with, evaluate grant applications, visit organizations via site visits, and meet as a team to discuss each organization’s work and impact. The process culminates in a recommendation meeting, where each group presents its findings and suggests whether its assigned organization should be considered for a grant. It’s a thoughtful, collaborative process, and one that gave me a front-row seat to how community-driven funding decisions are made.
That kind of work isn’t always easy to quantify, but it’s deeply important. I saw firsthand how community voices can shape where resources go. Not only that, but also through the CGC, I was able to connect with people who care about making a local impact and staying engaged in their communities. Through it all, I also found both friendship and a deeper sense of community.
Conclusion:
Through KACF’s CGC, I didn’t just learn how funding decisions are made; I got to see the real impact those decisions can have. Thoughtful grantmaking isn’t just about funding programs; it’s about supporting the people and the systems that are doing meaningful work to keep communities going, like AACI.
If you’re looking for a way to be more involved in your immediate community, and learn about the nonprofit/grant ecosystem, I recommend the Community Grants Committee not just for what you’ll give but for what you’ll learn. It’s a rare space where your perspective is not only welcomed but needed.
CTA: To learn more about KACF-SF’s Community Grants Committee and how to participate, visit https://www.kacfsf.org/participatory-grantmaking.
