Grantee Database
Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA)
Grant Year
2026-27
Grant Program
General Operating Support
Award Amount
$12,000.00
Project Description
With support from the California Arts Council, the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) will use General Operating Support funds to strengthen its capacity to connect and enrich communities through Vietnamese art and culture. Funding will support core operating expenses, including staff and artist compensation, rent and utilities for our community arts space, and essential administrative and outreach costs directly tied to our exhibitions, our annual Viet Film Fest and Viet Book Fest, and community-based cultural events. This support will enable VAALA to provide consistent, high-quality, culturally relevant programming; expand access to the arts for Vietnamese, immigrant, refugee, and other underrepresented communities in Orange County and beyond; and invest in infrastructure, evaluation, and partnerships that ensure long-term stability and more equitable service to our community.
Organization Summary
VAALA organizes cultural events such as art exhibitions, book signings, concerts, plays, workshops for the youth, and the annual Viet Book Fest and Viet Film Fest, at little to no cost, for the community.
Currently, our programming consists of four pillars:
Gallery Beyond Walls: Visual arts program focused on engaging the community in the arts, facilitating dialogue, revitalizing marginalized communities, and highlighting freedom of expression.
Youth Programs: Year-round art workshops in a variety of art forms for local underserved youth in Southern California. Our objectives are to enhance creativity and self-expression, build confidence and self-esteem, develop a sense of community-orientation.
Viet Film Fest: The largest and only film festival in the world that celebrates Vietnamese stories and voices in cinema. Viet Film Fest draws an annual, onsite audience of over 5,000 people. The festival features films by persons of Vietnamese descent or productions that focus on the Vietnamese experience.
Viet Book Fest: an annual book festival that promotes Vietnamese voices in literature.
Organization
Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA)
Address
9574 MOSS GLEN AVE
Fountain Valley
92708
County
Orange
Region
South – Los Angeles & Orange
Website
Congressional District
California Assembly district 72
State Assembly District
District 72
State Senate District
District 34
