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Washington, DC -- District’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA) has recently awarded $230,000 in community grants to provide services to the city’s Asian and Pacific Islander residents, particularly linguistically isolated residents.

Some of the services that will be provided by the seven CBOs include: job preparedness and training to increase and improve workforce development skills, education services that complement public school curriculum, health-related services that improve health status or enable and/or enhance access, and legal services. 

“These community grants are extremely important in linking vital social services to our Asian and Pacific Islander residents,” said Mayor Williams. “They provide much-needed funding to our community-based organizations whose services complement those offered by the city.”  

Seven community-based organizations (CBOs) received the community grants ranging from $22,000 - $45,000 in funding. The CBOs that received awards are: Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center; Asian American Leadership Empowerment and Development; Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project; Chinatown Service Center; Greater Washington Urban League – Asian Senior Center; Newcomers Community Service Center; Vietnamese American Community Service Center

The community grants are the first grants given by OAPIA in its 19-year history as an agency under the jurisdiction of the Executive Office of the Mayor.  “With the help of Mayor Williams, Councilmember Vincent Orange, community leaders and the members of the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, our office has for the first time been able to directly fund CBOs. It’s a milestone for this office and the District’s API community,” said Greg Chen, director of the Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs.