Earlier this year, APAN launched the Impact Committee, a new initiative designed to mobilize alumni resources, relationships, and expertise in support of Asian and Asian American students, faculty, alumni, and communities at the University of Virginia.
The idea behind the committee is simple: How can APAN turn the strength of its alumni community into tangible, lasting investments at UVA?
For decades, Asian and Asian American students, faculty, and alumni have built organizations, advocated for institutional resources, created academic and cultural programming, and strengthened our presence across Grounds. The Impact Committee seeks to build upon that work by creating a sustainable source of funding and alumni support for the next generation.
What Will the Impact Fund Support?
Our work is centered around three priorities:
- Investing in high-impact initiatives: The fund can provide resources for guest lecturers and honoraria, Asian and Asian American research, student surveys and data collection, educational programming, and other targeted initiatives where relatively modest investments can create meaningful results.
- Building cross-community connections: We want to strengthen relationships between students, alumni, faculty, and the broader UVA community through mentorship, professional programming, educational events, and opportunities for collaboration.
- Recording and preserving our history: We also want to ensure that the history of Asian and Asian American students and alumni at UVA is documented and accessible to future generations, preserving the stories of the people and organizations that helped build the community we have today.
The Impact Committee recently met with student leaders from UVA’s Peer Advising Family Network (PAFN) and the Asian Leaders Council (ALC) to explore a mentorship partnership. PAFN is planning two virtual, industry-focused alumni webinars this fall, creating an early opportunity for APAN alumni to share their experience directly with current students.
Why Give?
Student leaders graduate. Alumni boards change. Individual programs come and go. By establishing dedicated resources for Asian and Asian American initiatives, we can help promising ideas survive those transitions, and give students, faculty, and alumni the ability to turn needs into action. Our goal is to use our resources to demonstrate what is possible, build evidence for what works, and create momentum for deeper, sustainable support.
When we launched the APAN Impact Fund, we set an ambitious goal: raise $75,000 by the end of 2026 to establish a three-year runway for our work. We are thrilled to share that $61,950 has already been committed, more than 80% of our goal.
We are incredibly grateful to our committed donors, Sanjeev Kumar (Com class of ’23, Col class of ’23), Wen-Kai Lu (Grad class of ’88), James Tsai (Engr class of ’01), Tino Dinh (Darden class of ’10), Tanya Merchant (Col class of ’02), Wee Yee (Engr class of ’74), and an anonymous donor, whose early support has helped transform this initiative from an idea into something with the resources to make a meaningful impact.
Our campaign is now entering its final stretch. We are continuing to seek donors at every level, including one additional Foundation Donor willing to commit $5,000 per year for three years. Reaching our $75,000 goal will give the committee a dedicated runway to begin investing in initiatives while building a model that can continue well beyond these first three years!
If you believe in strengthening Asian and Asian American life at UVA, we invite you to help us finish what we’ve started, whether through a donation, mentorship, volunteering, participating in our programming, or connecting us with others who want to contribute.
Donate to the APAN Impact Fund
To donate online, visit our secure donation form and select “APAN Impact Fund” under the Designation prompt.
Visit our Support page for more ways to donate, including stock donations and ACH transfers.