FRIENDS OF ROOTS

Friends of Roots (EIN 45-3594189) is a San Francisco–based 501(c)(3) organization focused on Asian American genealogy and cultural heritage through its Roots: Him Mark Lai Family History Project. The program combines seminars, archival research (including visits to the National Archives and Angel Island), Chinatown tours, and guided trips to ancestral villages in Guangdong Province to deepen participants’ understanding of Chinese American history and identity. The organization has an active web presence and recent tax filings indicate ongoing operations: Friends of Roots filed Form 990-EZ for 2023 and reported program activity and contributions, and continued to report program revenue and net assets in subsequent filings through 2024. The program has recently restarted its Roots trips and seminar series after an interruption and continues to document and archive participant research and village findings on its site and village database.