Nonprofit Spotlight

Marupo ACTS is a Michigan-based nonprofit whose mission is to empower immigrant and Asian minority-owned businesses to supply diverse cuisines and traditional arts expression, and to educate the Michigan community by spreading awareness of different types of global cuisines and art forms.

The overwhelming turnout for their flagship Ann Arbor Asian Night Market in June 2025 and the Lights After Dark Night Market in October 2025 demonstrates that our community is hungry for these opportunities to discover AAPI businesses and engage with these rich and diverse cultures. To continue scaling events and experiences to match this demand, they need additional and sustained capital to expand their community offerings and grow their volunteer base.

Their events have reached over 5,000 attendees and generated over $33k for small businesses operated by and providing for AAPI community members. Marupo ACTS also has deep roots in the University of Michigan community; their long-established performing branch, Dreams Come Chuu, grew out of Con Ja Nai, U of M’s annual convention, and a majority of Marupo ACTS’ board of directors are themselves U of M alumni. That foundation has opened doors to regional partnerships at events like IsshoCon in Ypsilanti, Dokidokon in Kalamazoo, and Animarathon in Toledo.

Since its incorporation in 2024, Marupo ACTS has earned municipal, state, and federal recognition, including a grant from Arts Midwest/NEA and a Sustaining Ann Arbor Together grant from the City of Ann Arbor, alongside an ongoing collaboration with the Ann Arbor District Library for public panel events and an upcoming podcast series showcasing local Asian businesses.

Their core team of twelve dedicated volunteers is now busy preparing for the next Ann Arbor Asian Night Market on Friday, June 12th at Kerrytown. If you’d like to be part of it, check out their volunteer opportunities, donate to support their work, or join their community Discord and they hope to see you there this June!