APF Hosts Third ACT Fund Convening on Numbers and Narratives
On Thursday, June 26, 2025, the Asian Pacific Fund (APF) hosted our “Numbers and Narratives” convening at the Terrace Room in Oakland, California.
The session emphasized the importance of connecting data with storytelling, a vital strategy for nonprofits to demonstrate impact, engage supporters, and strengthen their financial sustainability. “Numbers and Narratives” is a core component of the Accelerating Capacity for Transformation (ACT) for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) Fund, which helps nonprofits build their fundraising and resource stewardship capacity through culturally relevant skill-building.
Led by ACT Fund mentor Martine Pham of reimagine collective LLC, the workshop equipped our ACT Fund cohort with essential tools to effectively communicate their organization’s financial story with the understanding that it isn’t just about spreadsheets or budgets, it’s about transforming numbers into narratives that illustrate impact, resilience, and a vision for a better world.
Our ACT Fund cohort (All My Usos, Bindlestiff Studio, Filipino Advocates for Justice, Korean American Community Services – Silicon Valley, LEAD Filipino, and the Regional Pacific Islander Taskforce) participated in hands-on activities designed to:
- Understand the basics of nonprofit financial storytelling
- Align numbers with narratives for both fundraising and reporting
- Build confidence in interpreting and communicating financial data
- Practice crafting compelling financial stories using real-life examples
This session marks the third cohort group activity within the ACT Fund initiative, which spans over two years. Over this period, the ACT Fund cohort of APF affiliate nonprofits will each receive $100,000 as well as culturally relevant skill and capacity building, mentorship, and other resources to help sustain and scale their organizations in the long run.
The ACT Fund aims to foster an ecosystem where funders, community leaders, and nonprofits collaborate to address the evolving needs of the AANHPI population. By investing in a robust network of culturally competent capacity builders, coaches, and mentors, APF is building a unique ecosystem to support AANHPI nonprofits to grow, thrive, and be seen.
