The Asian Scholarship Fund (ASF) was founded in 1994 by the Marin Education Fund (now 10,000 Degrees), initiated by Dr. Jean Bee Chan, a member of AAAM (Asian American Alliance of Marin) and AAPIC (Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of North Bay). The ASF Advisory Board, which consist of Asian community leaders, raises funds, reviews program policies and interviews and selects scholarships recipients. 

The ASF is open to graduating seniors from Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Contra Costa County who have at least one parent of Asian descent.

Since 1995, the ASF Program has provided need-based financial scholarships for students heading to college. High school seniors of Asian descent, from Marin, Sonoma and Napa Counties, are qualified to apply for ASF scholarships at the 10,000 Degrees website. 

10,000 Degrees provides scholarships to students with financial need and who exhibit a strong desire to go to college and accomplish their educational goals.

This year's application priority deadline is March 3, 2025. 

 Visit this webpage to apply 

Note: Your financial information from FAFSA or CADA applications will need to be submitted to finalize your 10,000 Degrees scholarship application. You will be able to save your application progress and submit at a later time.

On February 20, 2025, Stop AAPI Hate released new research that shows an alarming surge in anti-Asian hate online following Donald Trump’s presidential victory. The data looks at online slurs and threats of violence against Asian communities in monitored Domestic Violent Extremist (DVE) spaces in the U.S. between January 2023 and January 2025. It reveals significant rises in anti-Asian hate online between election day (November 2024) and the inauguration (January 2025), with the largest target being South Asian people. 

Read the news release from Stop AAPI Hate with the full report and data analysis.

Metropolitan Transportation Commission has initiated the Wayfinding and Regional Mapping Project which aims to make navigating the Bay Area easier and more accessible by enhancing transit signage and information. You can help a more accessible Bay Area for all while earning $100 for sharing your experiences. Enter the survey here in ENGLISH or CHINESE to determine your eligibility.

They invite you, our Asian Pacific Islander community members, to dedicate one hour of your time by participating in a virtual focus group or test journey. Your insights and experiences are crucial to creating a transit system that works for EVERYONE!

Candidates who register will be selected among all eligible entrees. This is a professional survey and not sales related in any way.

Stop AAPI Hate is a U.S.-based coalition dedicated to ending racism and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

They recently held a virtual town hall where they brought together legal experts and immigrant rights advocates to discuss Trump's recent attacks on birthright citizenship. 

The fight to defend birthright citizenship can feel overwhelming, but we can make a difference. As Chintan Patel, Executive Director of Indian American Impact, said during the town hall:

“Get involved. Make sure you are taking the opportunity to reach out to your members of Congress; reach out to your governors; reach out to your attorney generals. Reach out to other activists and plan protests in front of government offices. We have to make sure the Trump administration knows that we’re not going away.”

If you missed the town hall or want to look back, you can access the recording HERE and read their latest blog post Birthright Citizenship 101 where they answer some of the burning questions many of us had since Trump issued his executive order. 

Petaluma River Park Foundation is looking for a few people to join three Coastal Stories Committees.

They are looking for a few people who self-identify as Native American/Indigenous, Asian Pacific Islander, or Latino/a/e and/or Hispanic to join three Coastal Stories Committees. 

The three committees will review proposals to conduct the background research that will inform artistic expression for the park, honoring the culture and experiences of the Coast Miwok, telling the important legacy of the Chinese immigrants and experiences of racism in the early days of Petaluma and illuminating some of the untold history and current status of Latinx in the city.

The committees will review and score proposals independently (April 21-May 2, 2025), come together to determine the final selection (May 19-23, 2025), and attend a community shareback with the community the week of Sept 14th, 2025. A total of 8 hours is anticipated for this project. Monetary compensation will be provided.

For more information, contact: 
Phone: 707.396.3159
Email: p.rivas@petalumariverpark.org

A document on the roles and responsibilities can be downloaded from this link.

The Petaluma River Park is seeking energetic, imaginative people who are/want to be active community members, have local knowledge, and want to engage in meaningful activities with the Petaluma River Park Foundation to co-create a legacy park for all. The goal of the Community Park Designers (CPDs) is to establish long-term systems and/or pathways for community members to make decisions regarding River Park features, programs, and operations that directly impact Equity Priority Populations (EPPs) and the community at-large.  In 2025, the River Park will embark on the second phase of its project, “Build It!", where the CPDs will focus on the following roles: advising, activation, and advocacy.

Healthy Petaluma is calling for Asian American Pacific Islander women to participate in a focus group to share their health priorities and what could be improved to support women's health in the community.

Date: Monday, January 20, 6:00-7:30 pm via Zoom.
A $50 gift card will be provided for participation.

Register at this link - or use the QR code below.  https://y6xuhxr8psp.typeform.com/to/dCZTDUYa

A Message from ESO Ventures:

In partnership with Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma SBDC, ESO Ventures’ Create Business Incubator is here to help you grow your early-stage business into a scalable, revenue-generating enterprise.

This program is designed for entrepreneurs who are either just starting out and building their business foundations or have already generated up to $10,000 in revenue.

We offer a FREE 4-week pre-incubator for new entrepreneurs, followed by a FREE 8-week incubator for those looking to accelerate growth.

Pre-Incubator Criteria Checklist

• Have not generated revenue yet
• Looking to create your own business
• Based in the bay Area

APPLY HERE NOW!

We are working closely with the Sonoma Small Business Development Center (SBDC). We reserve the right to share your basic contact information with our partners in order to provide you with additional free resources.

Inquiry: 
nicole@workforce-innovate.com

Would you like to make a difference in Sonoma County? If so, consider serving on the county’s Civil Grand Jury.  This jury is empowered to investigate and report on how local governmental agencies function. The scope of its investigative authority includes county and city governments and special districts.  

Sonoma County
Civil Grand Jury

Apply to serve on the Civil Grand Jury

California’s constitution requires that each of the 58 counties seats a civil grand jury every year.  Nineteen applicants are selected as jurors and additional applicants are selected as alternates. These jurors dedicate a year of their time to learning how our local governments function. Jurors may interview city and county officials to determine if recommendations should be made to improve performance. The results of Civil Grand Jury investigations are contained in reports that lay out the findings of specific problems or issues, and make recommendations for solutions. The various agencies and departments are required to respond to all recommendations.

Topics of  investigation come from various sources:

1. the jury can follow up on previous Civil Grand Jury reports,
2. they can investigate issues that residents have submitted to the jury for consideration, and 
3. they can research topics of interest to the jury.

Juries are empaneled for one year – from early July to the end of June of the following year. The application period will open January 24, 2025 and close April 24, 2025. 

While jurors spend a lot of time investigating the issues and writing the reports, there is a personal dividend as well.  Jurors learn a great deal about the nine cities and the county that they call ‘home’. They learn about the governmental structure of each - the various departments and how they interact; the cooperation between the cities and county government and how each solves their own issues and problems that may arise. This knowledge can make you feel proud to be a citizen here or it may suggest other ways you can make your own voice heard.  What do you want it to be?

For more information on the Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury or to read the previous years’ reports, click on the link below.

Apply to serve on the Civil Grand Jury.