Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

Founded in 1983, the Angel Island Island Immigration Station Foundation (AIISF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that serves as the primary partner to the California Department of Parks and Recreation to preserve the former US Immigration Station at Angel Island’s buildings, histories, and stories. Over the past 42 years, AIISF has secured over $40 million dollars in public and private funding to help fund 3 significant renovations of the site. 

With increasing anti-Asian racism and xenophobia, it's even more important now to remember Angel Island's history of unjust treatment and racist detention and to work towards a future where we all feel like we belong. Your contribution to Give In May supports our programs, exhibits, and operations throughout the year, for example:

• Onsite and virtual exhibits that uplift the histories of mmigrants who were processed or detained on Angel Island as well as those who have arrived more recently. Check out our virtual exhibits HERE
• Efforts to add more personal stories to our Immigrant Voices Project.
• Field Trip Scholarships that provide $1000 to teachers to bring their students on field trips to Angel Island to be able to learn about the history where it happened.

Your support is greatly appreciated. Help us preserve this history of exclusion to inspire a more inclusive future!

Below are some of the programs, exhibits, and events from last year made possible by the generous support of all of our donors.

About Angel Island. In the early 1900s, seeking to replicate the success of the US Immigration Station at Ellis Island, Congress appropriated resources to build a similar facility on the West Coast to enforce the U.S.’s exclusionary immigration policies that began with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Subsequent policies such as the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1908, the Immigration Act of 1924, and other laws were passed with the goal of restricting immigration from most Asian and  Pacific Island countries.

AIISF Mission. For all immigrants, descendants, and families, Angel Island is a living landmark that symbolizes diverse experiences of detention, racism, exclusion, hope, and determination. The Foundation protects the historic site, elevates its stories, promotes learning, and celebrates the new beginnings and immigrant contributions that define the strength of the US. We inspire a more equitable and inclusive future; one that embodies how immigrants make nations better.

AIISF Vision. AIISF is committed to a future in which all persons across the US understand the history of immigration through Angel Island; leverage this knowledge by treating immigrants with increased respect and empathy; and are committed to increasing equity, justice, and belonging for all communities.

AIISF Values. AIISF creates community, belonging, and inclusion in our workplace, events, programs, and exhibits. We ensure that our interactions are grounded in integrity, respect, and collaboration. We promote learning – particularly about the nation’s complex history of racism and exclusion – while also celebrating the strength, resiliencies, and contributions that immigrants have made and continue to make to the US.