The Santa Monica Nikkei Hall Fund, housed at the Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF), has granted over $3 million since 2018 to support 26 nonprofit organizations, six of which continue to host the annual Memorial Day Ireito Ceremony at Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica.
The fund was established at APCF in 2017 after the sale of the Santa Monica Nikkei Hall building to support the organizations in preserving and maintaining the Ireito on behalf of the hall. The Ireito is a 15-foot-high granite memorial monument that was originally erected to honor the Issei who settled in the Bay Cities region of Southern California. Since then, the monument has come to represent all generations of Japanese Americans and especially those who served in the U.S. military.
The former Santa Monica Nikkei Hall site is now The Laurel, a four-story, 58-unit affordable housing complex for low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities, completed in late 2024 by EAH Housing with the original building preserved and restored as a community space.
Additionally, the fund provides grants to local organizations that focus on serving the Asian and Pacific Islander communities as well as programs and services that include physical, mental, and economic health as well as youth and senior programs. The fund will continue to support local communities in need until it sunsets.
“The Santa Monica Nikkei Hall Fund is a powerful example of what it means to give with purpose and preserve a legacy,” said Chun-Yen Chen, APCF executive director. “As the only organization in Southern California dedicated to helping Asian American philanthropists establish donor advised funds that honor their values and heritage, APCF provides a trusted home for donors who want their generosity to make a lasting impact on the communities they love.
“We are proud to steward this fund and ensure that Japanese Americans — especially those who served in the U.S. military — are remembered and celebrated each year through the Ireito Ceremony.”
The Santa Monica Nikkei Hall Fund is a “no solicitation” fund. To learn more about the Asian Pacific Community Fund, its programs, services and affiliates, visit www.apcf.org.
Recipients since 2018 include the following:
- ArborSpring Ministries
- Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches
- Asian American Christian Counseling Services
- Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program
- Asian Youth Center
- Catalyst San Gabriel Valley CAUSE (Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment)
- Center for the Pacific Asian Family Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute (Senior Food Program) Kizuna
- Korean American Family Services (Asian Foster Family Initiative)
- Little Tokyo Service Center (Senior Services and Budokan)
- Herald Christian Health Center Nikkei Senior Gardens
- OC Rescue Mission
- Olive Crest (Los Angeles)
- Pacific Asian Counseling Services
- ZOE International
Organizations continuing the Memorial Day Ireito Ceremony:
- Venice Free Methodist Church
- Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple
- Venice Japanese Community Center
- West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple
- West Los Angeles Holiness Church
- West Los Angeles United Methodist Church
About APCF
Founded in 1990, the Asian Pacific Community Fund is the only community-based fund of its kind in Southern California, dedicated to increasing philanthropic giving toward Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) nonprofit organizations. APCF’s mission is to cultivate philanthropists to invest in organizations that empower underserved AAPIs to prosper — building healthier communities, developing leaders, creating a stronger voice, and providing the foundation for a brighter tomorrow.
Together with 85 network agencies, APCF serves over 1.57 million people annually across Southern California’s 10 counties, primarily low-income and immigrant AAPIs, with programs and services offered in 41 AAPI languages as well as English and Spanish.
APCF offers multiple pathways for donors to give, including workplace giving, giving circles, donor-advised funds, scholarships, and special projects. To date, APCF has awarded over $11.96 million in grants to hundreds of nonprofits and $3.41 million in scholarships to thousands of low-income students nationwide.
Beyond grantmaking, APCF directly strengthens the AAPI non-profit sector through its free Capacity Building Program — reaching 1,966 staff and volunteers across 484 non-profits over the past 11 years — and its Meet the Funders program, which has connected 37 funders with AAPI nonprofits through 454 one-on-one meetings, generating over $1.67 million in new funding.