named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Capital Matchmaking
Connects Chinatown entrepreneurs with funding sources and investment opportunities to support business growth and succession planning
Core Skills Training
Provides educational programming to develop business skills for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in Chinatown
Cultural Programming & Placemaking
Hosts events and activates community spaces to celebrate Chinatown's cultural identity and drive foot traffic to local businesses
Knowledge Sharing & Open-Source Initiatives
Shares tools, insights, and scalable models with other Chinatowns and ethnic enclaves across North America
Succession Planning Framework
Develops strategies to support intergenerational transfer of small businesses and real estate in Chinatown
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Small Business Technical Assistance 1 activity
- Building capacity through training and leadership developmentProvides training to small business owners on AI tools, hosts convenings, shares insights and scalable economic models, and creates opportunities for emerging leaders to contribute to Chinatown's resilience.
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Business Member Promotion Services 1 activity
- Disseminating resources and promotional support for local businessesDisseminates a small business newsletter and created an online hub to track which Chinatown businesses were open and how to support them, providing ongoing promotional and operational resources during economic downturns.
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Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 1 activity
- Facilitating mutual aid and community relief effortsLaunched a GoFundMe campaign to purchase meals from struggling restaurants and donate them to essential workers, supporting both business revenue and frontline workers during the pandemic.
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Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
- Hosting cultural and economic resilience events in ChinatownHosted programming that attracted over 24,000 attendees in 2024, including business workshops, cultural events, and pop-up markets selling Vietnamese coffee and homemade food to build customer bases for local vendors.
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Community Space Provision 1 activity
- Operating the Small Business Innovation Hub and community programmingOperates a 2,500 square foot community space in Chinatown that hosts workshops, panels, networking events, cultural programming, and private rentals for up to 72 people; launched in October 2024 as a physical hub for business and community engagement.
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Small Business and Nonprofit Lending 1 activity
- Providing capital and business support to Chinatown entrepreneursSecured over $2 million in financing for small businesses and entrepreneurs in Chinatown and served over 450 small businesses in 2024 through funding opportunities, capital matchmaking, succession planning, and investment-readiness training.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Strengthening Chinatown’s economic ecosystem and supply chainsStrengthens local supply chains, expands access to capital and revenue opportunities, supports legacy businesses, activates community spaces, and advocates for sustainable urban planning to preserve Chinatown’s cultural and economic integrity.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.49M
Contributions & grants$1.61M108%
Program service revenue$10K1%
Investment income$8150%
Other revenue$-134K
expenses
Total expenses$1.66M
Program expenses75%
Admin / overhead17%
Fundraising8%
Salaries & benefits$489K
Grants paid out$39K
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$3.41M
Cash$505K
Investments$0
Liabilities$3.22M
Net assets$196K
Liquid reserves3.6 mo
2 years on record · 2023–2024 · YoY revenue +96.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Lee | Chief Executive Officer | 40 | $132K |
board members · 6
- Andrew Tein — Secretary
- Gerald Lam — Treasurer
- Golam Khan — Director
- Jennifer Tam — Chairman
- Linus Li — Director
- Pam Yang — Director
relationships · 20
Who they work with
- AmeriCorps Network — Allie Luu began her career as an AmeriCorps service member, indicating programmatic affiliation and network alignment.
- Ben's Meat Market Partner — Recipient of grant funding and support from Welcome to Chinatown.
- DAWANG Partner — AAPI-owned brand supported by Welcome to Chinatown with programming and visibility.
- Eleven Madison Park Partner — Collaborates on custom tofu production and supplies tofu pudding and soy milk for use in the restaurant.
- GoFundMe Partner — Platform used to launch a campaign purchasing meals from restaurants for donation to essential workers.
- Golden Diner Partner — Small business supported by Welcome to Chinatown through connections and collaborations.
- Gotham Park Partner — Vic Lee sits on the board of Gotham Park, which indicates a cross-sector partnership focused on public space equity in Lower Manhattan.
- Ideas of Order Partner — Collaborated with Ideas of Order to support development of AI tools for small business operations.
- New Kam Man Partner — Partner business that received marketing and operational support from Welcome to Chinatown.
- Players Philanthropy Fund Funder — Fiscal sponsor that enabled tax-deductible donations and financial oversight from 2020 to 2023
- Potluck Club Partner — Collaborates with Welcome to Chinatown on community initiatives and programming.
- Service Now Government — Jennifer Tam serves as board chair of Welcome to Chinatown and leads executive communications for ServiceNow’s Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer.
- Slo Slo Studio Partner — Featured in a business spotlight, indicating a collaborative relationship supporting local small businesses.
- Soft Swerve Partner — Collaborated with Soft Swerve to support development of AI tools for small business operations.
- Spacebring Partner — Platform used for co-working reservations and meeting room bookings.
- Tech:NYC Foundation Partner — Bryan Lozano previously led the Tech:NYC Foundation, suggesting a professional and strategic connection between the organizations.
- The Estée Lauder Companies Partner — Vic Lee was previously employed at The Estée Lauder Companies, indicating a professional affiliation prior to leading Welcome to Chinatown.
- Yaya Tea Partner — Featured Yaya Tea at the NYC Tech Week event, indicating a partnership in community programming.
- Yu & Me Books Partner — Partners with Welcome to Chinatown on community events and cultural programming.
- alpha Kappa Delta Phi Network — Vic Lee previously served on the national board of alpha Kappa Delta Phi, a service organization mobilizing AAPI women, indicating network affiliation.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Capital and Narrative Change for Community Ownershipmethodology: capital + narrative changeBy combining capital access with narrative change campaigns, we engage new wealth holders in supporting cultural assets because financial investment is more likely when paired with cultural understanding and intergenerational responsibility.
- Community-Driven Developmentmethodology: community-driven developmentBy centering residents, legacy businesses, and local knowledge in decision-making, we strengthen Chinatown’s economy and culture because solutions rooted in lived experience and trust are more responsive to community needs and more likely to be sustained.
- Ecosystem Resilience through Integrated Supportmethodology: ecosystem resilienceBy addressing systemic barriers with coordinated support in capital, supply chains, skills, and policy, we foster a self-sustaining small business ecosystem because isolated interventions fail to overcome structural challenges facing immigrant-owned enterprises.
- Problem-First Innovationmethodology: problem-first innovationBy prioritizing real-world business challenges and using technology only as a tool to implement solutions, we ensure relevance and adoption because tech-for-tech's-sake fails to address the practical constraints of small, legacy businesses.