Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment, Inc.

The CAUSE Leadership Institute (CLI), is a six-month fellowship program that develops visionary leaders who can effectively advocate for the Asian Pacific American (APA) community.

Through CLI, fellows are empowered with the knowledge, access, and network to embark on their own civic leadership pathways. Fellows emerge from the program prepared to support, advocate, and serve as leaders of the APA community. Every CLI session is rooted in a comprehensive curriculum that ensures fellows receive continuous exposure to the qualities that make a CAUSE leader.

CLI Fellows graduate the program with dedication to lead change in their industry and build cross-sector connections for positive change. They will have a renewed respect for the complex intricacies of our civic landscape, as well as fresh perspectives and vision on how to effectively navigate that landscape. CLI Fellows will be equipped to be the leading changemakers on behalf of the APA community.

The program was co-founded by CAUSE and USC Dornsife’s Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics to ensure a pipeline of political and civic leadership for the APA community.

The CAUSE Leadership Council & Network (CLC & CLN) moves the Asian Pacific American (APA) community forward through education, networks, and advancement.

The CAUSE Leadership Council serves as the governing body over the Network and provides the overarching strategy for the overall network. It is comprised of an even ratio of private, public, and nonprofit sector experience.

The CAUSE Leadership Network is an invitation-only, membership program and platform for millennial leaders to channel skills, expertise and passion for the purpose of cross-sector advancement and the empowerment of APA communities. Through opportunities for key connections, knowledge-sharing, and dialogue, CLN is a space dedicated to the mutual advancement of emerging APA leaders across all sectors. CLN members are committed to creating space for and driving our collective APA community forward.

In order for Asian Pacific American (APA) communities to be aware, mobilize, and vote in future elections, our Voter Outreach, Training, & Education (VOTE) Initiatives provide culturally-aware outreach resources to encourage civic participation. We understand that our communities need to have the knowledge, access, and network to be fully immersed in our democracy.

Throughout the year, CAUSE conducts various VOTE Initiatives to empower the APA community to be active political participants. VOTE Initiatives ensure awareness of the issues and access to the information on how to participate in the political process.

In 2020, CAUSE launched a historic initiative to partner with Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) and Los Angeles Urban League (LAUL), in consultation with the Los Angeles Times. The goal of the initiative was to bring diverse communities together for a series of public, cross-cultural dialogues that would increase understanding and collaboration among communities of color. The results of the first poll were released in February, indicating some foundational data about race relations in California. As COVID-19 spread internationally and civil unrest erupted in the United States, this initiative decided to continue the poll series and cross-cultural dialogues to capture the changing sentiments around race and current issues in California. In 2020, three polls were conducted, assessing Californian's perceptions of race relations and identity, and capturing sentiments on presidential preferences, 2020 General Election ballot measures, and COVID-19 and its impact. The Los Angeles Times covered the surveys three times, building stories about race relations, school reopening, and general election sentiments from the survey data.