LEAP's mission is to achieve full participation & equality for Asian & Pacific Islanders through leadership, empowerment, and policy. LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics) is a national organization founded in 1982 with a mission to achieve full participation and equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders (API) through leadership, empowerment and policy. Founded in 1982, LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics) is a national, nonprofit organization, with a mission to achieve full participation and equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) through leadership, empowerment, and policy. It started with a simple yet powerful idea: that in order for API communities to realize their full potential and to foster robust participation in this increasingly globalized world, these communities would have to begin producing leaders who could advocate and speak on their behalf.