Ace Foundation

About Ace Foundation

Ace Foundation’s defining pattern is restaurant recovery and capacity building for independent Asian and Pacific Islander-owned businesses in the United States. Through its AAPISTRONG Restaurant Fund and its 2025 Restaurant Accelerator and Community Fund Grant, the foundation directs support to small restaurants, often around reopening, expansion, business growth, and community impact. That focus fits its broader mission to improve the quality of life for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and all Americans by assisting the small business community through education, training, research, and community development. The recent-grants list shows the same emphasis in practice. In 2023, Imperyo LLC in Columbus, Ohio received $100,000 for reopening or capacity building for restaurants, while Facing East Taiwanese Restaurant in Bellevue, Washington received the same amount for the same purpose. In 2024, Aloha Island Market AZ in Mesa, Arizona received $50,000 for reopening or capacity building. The foundation’s work reaches small restaurant owners and operators across many states, with grants that are often tied to growth, resilience, and operational strengthening rather than broad unrestricted support alone.

What Ace Foundation Funds

Ace Foundation centers its giving on restaurants and small-business development, especially within the AAPI community. One clear thread is reopening and operational rebuilding: Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen LLC in Troy, New York received $50,000 for reopening or capacity building for restaurants, and Nom Wah Nolita Inc in New York, New York received $25,000 for the same purpose. The foundation also supports capacity building across diverse food businesses. Pho Loan Inc in Chicago, Illinois received $25,000 for reopening or capacity building, while Thai Noodles - Pho and Thai Cuisine LLC in Yukon, Oklahoma received $25,000 for the same category. Its program descriptions point to business growth, expansion, economic development, and community resilience. The 2025 Restaurant Accelerator and Community Fund Grant committed $485,000 to nearly 100 recipient restaurants, with emphasis on economically disadvantaged areas. The AAPISTRONG Restaurant Fund is open to independent, AAPI-majority-owned U.S. restaurants and includes grants and larger grand prizes.

How Ace Foundation Gives