KhmerConnection:Scope

What KhmerConnection is

KhmerConnection is a community-maintained wiki that lists organizations serving Khmer people, Khmer language, and Khmer cultural continuity, in the Cambodian diaspora and in Cambodia. It exists so that anyone — a family looking for a temple, a student looking for a heritage program, a funder looking for grantees, a journalist looking for sources — can find and reach the organizations doing this work.

KhmerConnection is not an organization. It is a directory maintained by volunteers. It does not endorse the organizations it lists, does not fundraise, and does not grant.

What is in scope

An organization is in scope if it meets both of these criteria:

Its programs, services, capital, cultural production, advocacy, or scholarship materially serve Cambodian-descended people, Khmer language, or Khmer cultural continuity — in the diaspora or in Cambodia.
It has a verifiable public presence. Any one of the following is sufficient evidence: an active website, an EIN or equivalent tax filing, a physical location listed by a government or established directory, or documented programming within the last 24 months.

Explicitly in scope, with examples:

Buddhist temples and monasteries serving Khmer congregations (Wat Munisotaram, Wat Khmer Palelai, Wat Bodhikaram Ottawa).
Mutual assistance associations and community-services organizations (Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell, United Cambodian Community, The Cambodian Family).
Cultural, arts, and heritage organizations (Cambodian Living Arts, Angkor Dance Troupe, Cambodian American Girls Empowering, Khmer Arts Ensemble).
Museums and memorials (National Cambodian American Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial, Cambodian Cultural Museum and Killing Fields Memorial).
Advocacy, civil-rights, and legal organizations (Khmer Girls in Action, Khmer Anti-Deportation Advocacy Group, 1Love Movement, Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation).
Language and education programs whether standalone or hosted inside non-Khmer institutions.
Cambodian Student Associations and campus caucuses at colleges and universities.
Professional associations for Cambodian and Khmer members.
Media outlets primarily covering Khmer communities (Khmer Post USA, VOA Khmer, Cambodianess).
Research centers and academic programs focused on Khmer studies.
Diaspora giving vehicles, funds, and foundations whose grantmaking materially serves Khmer causes.
Business associations whose mission is Khmer community development.

Explicitly out of scope:

For-profit businesses whose mission is not Khmer community service. A Khmer-owned donut shop is out of scope; a Cambodian Donut Association whose mission is Khmer business continuity is in scope.
Individual people. People can be named on organization pages (as founders, leaders, board members, notable alumni). They do not get their own directory entry.
Organizations with no public presence whose only evidence is word-of-mouth.
Chapters that are just a Facebook group with no independent presence, mission statement, or programming.

Deliberately handled with explicit rules:

Political parties, both in Cambodia and in the diaspora: out of scope.
Organizations formally affiliated with the government of Cambodia: in scope only if the primary work is cultural, humanitarian, educational, or service-based and can be described without acting as a promotional platform.
Religious organizations whose primary mission is not Khmer-serving: out of scope, even if some members are Khmer. Khmer Buddhist temples are in scope.
Homeland-facing NGOs based in Cambodia that receive diaspora donations: in scope if a significant program or partnership specifically serves the diaspora.

The one rule that overrides everything else

When in doubt, list. Empty is worse than imperfect. If an organization plausibly meets criterion 1 and you have any evidence for criterion 2, create the entry with the fields you have and mark it unverified. A future editor can confirm, correct, or remove.

Amending this scope definition

This page is intentionally short. Propose amendments on the talk page.