The Centre for Asian and Pacific Islanders

The Centre for Asian and Pacific Islanders (CAPI) was founded in 1982 by a coalition of church groups as a food shelf catering to Asian food preference to serve refugees arriving from Southeast Asia in the aftermath of the Vietnam conflict. The organization's scope has always been multicultural, beginning as Pan-Asian. In the late 1990's, CAPI reached out to newer African refugees, and by 2008, the agency changed its name to CAPI USA, at a time when nearly half of the people served by the organization were newer immigrants from East and West Africa and other areas of the world experiencing political and social unrest. Since that time, newer immigrant and refugees from India, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan and other countries have turned to CAPI USA for support. Over the past three decades, CAPI USA has developed a strong continuum of programs and strategies that promote self-sufficiency, community building and leadership. More recently, CAPI USA was accredited by the Charity Review Council and became a member of MACC Commonwealth and the MACC Alliance. CAPI USA's recent strategic planning process reaffirmed the agency's mission of guiding immigrant and refugees in their journey toward self-determination and social equality via diverse, multi-lingual staff who are committed to holistic, asset-based service delivery that builds social and economic capital, allowing people of all nationalities to lead successful and productive lives in the Twin Cities.