The Asian American Institute’s mission is to empower the Asian American community through advocacy, by utilizing education, research, and coalition building.

AAI was established in 1992 by a group of visionary Chicago community activists, academicians, and business leaders in response to the growing need to build a pan-Asian policy agenda among Chicago's diverse Asian American communities. The Institute projects a united voice on the most pressing issues of concern to Asian Americans in metropolitan Chicago. Its staff and board work closely with a broad network of established community leaders and emerging activists who have bridged ethnic and cultural differences to find solutions to shared concerns.

Specifically, the Institute works to empower the Asian American community by:

• Increasing public understanding about Asian American communities,
• Advocating for policies that promote social, economic, educational and political equity of the community as a whole,
• Encouraging active civic participation through education and advocating for equal rights, and
• Working in partnership with and supporting like-minded organizations and individuals to build positive interracial and inter-ethnic relations.