Capital Campaign for Maine’s First

Asian American Community Center

A partnership of Maine Asian American ethnic community-based organizations (ECBOs) and community leaders propose the development of a critically needed Asian American Community Center (Community Center) of Maine in Westbrook. The Community Center has the unique opportunity to use 30 acres of land owned by Watt Samaki, a Cambodian community partner. It will house organizations valuable to the well-being of Mainers and increase accessibility to legal services, translation, citizenship support, and other important community resources.

Rotha Chan • Ray Chang • Tae Chong • Kerem Durdag • Amberlynn Esperanza • Ophelia Hu Kinney • Soubanh Phanthay • Ellie Sato •

Rotha Chan • Ray Chang • Tae Chong • Kerem Durdag • Amberlynn Esperanza • Ophelia Hu Kinney • Soubanh Phanthay • Ellie Sato •

AACC Capital Campaign Advisory Committee

Community Support

  • “Already... AAPI Mainers make significant contributions to our local and regional economies. I... look forward to seeing this project come to fruition!”

    Westbrook Acting Mayor David Morse

  • "I proudly stood alongside Khmer Maine at their press conference launching the fundraising efforts for the Community Center and I believe the project is worthy of public and private funding."

    Former Westbrook Mayor Michael Foley

  • Rep. Sue Salisbury supports Asian American Community Center

    "By forming a central gathering space for programming and activities for the AAPI community, the surrounding areas of Westbrook, Greater Portland and Southern Maine will also greatly benefit from increased economic activity."

    Rep. Sue Salisbury (Westbrook)

  • "I look forward to seeing the Asian American Community Center come to fruition and am delighted to encourage Mainers, public officials, community leaders, and members, funders, and the broader public to support the Center."

    State Sen. Jill Duson (Part of Westbrook, Portland)

  • "This bold endeavor aims to address a critical need for office space, classrooms, and event infrastructure, providing essential space for AAPI and partner communities."

    Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition

Support the Project

Help us raise startup funds to help us get the capital campaign off the ground! Your donations will support the early stages of planning and development.

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Target Population

As of 2022, Maine’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population numbers over 26,500 individuals, including those who are multiracial (AAPIdata.com). Of that number, 13,000 are eligible to vote. Since 2000, the AAPI population of Maine has grown by 113%, with the largest population growth focused in Cumberland, York, and Penobscot counties.

The vibrant and growing population of AAPI Mainers has contributed significantly to the cultural and economic well-being of Maine but also faces significant obstacles to well-being compounded by limited visibility as a community.

While 64% of Asian American adults in Maine have the benefit of speaking a language other than English at home, 29% are Limited English Proficient. About 1,000 Asian Americans in Maine lack broadband access, and 1 in 10 Asian Americans in Maine lack health insurance. 13% of Asian Americans in Maine live in poverty.

Contributing to the invisibility of Asian Americans in Maine is the severe wealth gap between different Asian ethnic groups in Maine. The statistics about Asian Americans, like household income, employment, and healthcare access, belie the hardships experienced by large populations of Asian ethnic minorities, including Maine’s Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Filipino communities. 

Currently, Maine’s AAPI community is fractured. While Maine ECBOs express a desire for collaboration, the lack of centralized space and the limited capacity of each organization make cooperation extremely difficult. These vibrant community organizations, along with their dedicated members and boards, need a hub for shared resources and the opportunities that come with more synergistic operations.

Project Description: The Asian American Community Center of Maine (Community Center)

To meet these needs, Maine’s AAPI community, in partnership with Khmer Maine and Watt Samaki, is launching a $3,700,000 capital campaign to plan and construct a first-of-its-kind Asian American Community Center that fills a gap for critically needed community infrastructure in Maine.

Maine’s AAPI community, in partnership with Khmer Maine and Watt Samaki, seeks to build the Asian American Community Center of Maine in Westbrook. The Community Center will meet critical needs for the AAPI community in Maine, including:

  • Citizenship and immigration support

  • Workforce development

  • Community navigators, translators, housing assistance, counseling, and other social services

  • Small-business incubation

  • English language classes

  • Office, classroom, programming, and event infrastructure

  • Community garden, kitchen, and food pantry

The Community Center would address the aforementioned obstacles to well-being and acclimatization by providing a central location from which AAPI-led, AAPI-serving organizations can serve their clients and community members. It also responds to an unprecedented opportunity offered by one of our EBCOs.

This hub will offer classrooms, modern technology, and opportunities to connect, collaborate, and build community. The Community Center will also foster safety and belonging for Mainers, promoting active living and recreation, reduced isolation, neighborhood identity, community pride, and social activities that offer cultural exchange, and information exchange. 

The Community Center will also provide Maine’s AAPI community with trail access, community gardens, and outdoor space that benefits physical and mental health. A community kitchen, food pantry, and small market space will encourage community self-sufficiency to address food insecurity and lack of access to culturally relevant food.  

The Community Center would not only benefit the Maine AAPI population, but it would also energize the rural district of Westbrook, stimulating economic development and creating a locus around which the larger Greater Portland region can expand. Both its construction and operation would boost economic activity and workforce development. Conversations with  Greater Portland Metro have been initiated to discuss opening this area to greater local access and also to legal services, healthcare, and social services.

Project Timeline

Phase I: Community Input & Design (Spring 2024)

Khmer Maine is conducting an AAPI community-wide qualitative survey of organizations, communities, and leaders to assess needs that can be met through the creation of a Community Center in Westbrook. Survey results will inform the Community Center’s design. 

Through this process, Khmer Maine will also identify prospective tenants and partner organizations that would maximize the benefit to Maine’s underserved AAPI populations. Tenants and partner organizations will contribute to the viability of the project through financial agreements and as continual thought partners. 

Phase II: Site Planning & Infrastructure (Summer and Fall 2024)

Khmer Maine and the Community Center’s partner organizations will secure a 50-year lease agreement from Watt Samaki for the Community Center. 

The Community Center project leadership has begun to engage civil engineers, architects, and contractors to plan for the Community Center’s infrastructure. 

  • Steve Weatherhead (Principal, Winton Scott Architects) is the project’s lead architectural consultant. 

  • Acorn Engineering is the project’s civil engineering firm and is due to submit a Master Development Plan to the City of Westbrook in February 2024.

The Project Cost Estimate of the Community Center is attached in this application. It includes the costs of the roadway, parking, sewage and utility access, and public trail access, which will be built during this phase.

At this time, Khmer Maine and AAPI organization partners will continue fundraising for the Community Center’s construction and reserves.

Phase III: Construction (Summer 2025-Summer 2027)

Feedback from Phase I will inform the design of the Community Center. 

The Community Center’s project leadership anticipates a financing timeline of 2-5 years. Private philanthropists have given assurance of seed money for the construction of the building. Securing federal funding and support for this needed hub in southern Maine would attract additional funds from local foundations.

Budget

Please see the attached Project Cost Estimate for more details.

Capital Campaign Goal: $5,000,000

  • $218,000: Fees and services

  • $125,000: Administrative costs

  • $4,000,000: Construction, site work, and infrastructure

  • $1,095,000: Contingency/Reserves

Fundraising Plan:

  1. $2,500,000 - Philanthropic, Corporate, and Individual Support: Leveraging the power of Maine’s AAPI community’s broad network, the AACC will leverage private giving to raise at least half of the $5 million capital campaign goal. The AACC project team has already been in talks with early adopters and key funding partners over the past year and the reception has been enthusiastic.

  2. $1,500,000 - Social Impact Investment and Financing (Coastal Enterprises, Inc., Genesis Community Loan Fund, Sewall Foundation): A number of Maine-based community and social impact lending and finance institutions are looking for opportunities to grow investments in communities of color, including the AAPI community.

  3. $1,000,000 - Public Funding (Federal/State/Local Resources): The AACC team submitted a request for Congressionally Directed Spending and was included in Senator Angus King’s request package to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Unfortunately, the project was not included in this years appropriations package. However, we have been advised to submit again for the next fiscal year.

In-kind contributions:

  • 30 acres of land (Watt Samaki)

  • Master Development Plan and Civil Engineering (Watt Samaki)

  • 100 hours of consultation and design (Steve Weatherhead, Principal, Winton Scott Architects)

Partnerships

The Community Center has received a letter of support from former Westbrook Mayor Michael Foley and Acting Mayor David Morse. The Community Center’s leadership is working to inform the Greater Portland Council of Governments and Presumpscot Regional Land Trust of the project’s progress, and it is in conversation with Greater Portland Metro to explore public transportation opportunities.

To date, the project has received support from:

  • Chinese American Friendship Association of Maine

  • The Korean community

  • Portland Public Schools Multilingual and Multicultural Center

  • Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition (MIRC)

  • State Senator Jill Duson

  • State Rep. Sue Salisbury

  • State Rep. Morgan Rielly

  • Greater Portland Council of Governments

  • Portland Trails

  • Azerbaijan Society of Maine

  • New England Arab American Organization (NEAAO)

Project leaders are currently in conversation with the following ECBOs and expect to receive their support:

  • Filipino American Samahan of Maine

  • India Association of Maine

  • The Vietnamese community