For many immigrant groups living in host countries, the fostering and maintenance of their heritage language and culture or languaculture (Agar, 1994, 2006) are placed as the sole responsibility of the immigrants and their families (Kloss, 1998). As such, the establishment of the majority of the heritage language schools in the United States has always been a private endeavor carried out by the ethnic communities themselves (Fishman & Nahirny, 1966; Zhou & Li, 2003). Previous studies have well documented independently run community heritage language schools across the United States (Bradunas, 1988; Chik, 2010; Long, Needham, 1996; Shibata, 2000). This dissertation contributes to this body of work by examining an alternative framework used to establish a heritage language school, a multi-institutional partnership in which different groups of people from the heritage community as well as the geopolitical community joined forces in providing ethnic language program for their community members. Grounded in an ethnographic perspective and using constructs of discourse analysis and intertextuality, this two-year ethnographic case study focuses on a community-based Khmer heritage language program in California. In particular, by focusing on the individuals who spearheaded the language program, this study explores their role in constructing a language learning environment for their community members. Questions guiding this study include: What factors contribute to the construction of this learning environment? How do their inter-agencies influence the creation of this language program? How do the founders' past histories shape and influence the current language program? What factors contribute to the construction of this learning environment? How do their inter-agencies influence the creation of this language program? How do the founders' past histories shape and influence the current language program?

The study led to the identification of a multi-institutional partnership that was facilitated by the individuals' prior experience with similar events, their social networks and relationships that were built through their sustaining residence in the community as well as their inter-agency relationships that they brought to the process to ensure the actualization of the collaboration. The data also showed how the partnership fostered home-community connections among stakeholders involved, how multi-layer resources are needed in sustaining the program as well as how the partners spoke about the power and efficacy of community force. The findings, therefore, form the basis for a multi-agency partnership framework that reflects the nature of the weekend-language program and its benefits that otherwise would not exist if the program was independently run.