Asian Pacific Fund Distributes Over $1 Million to Support Bay Area Nonprofits Serving the AANHPI Community

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Asian Pacific Fund (APF) today announced more than $1 million in grants supporting 28 Bay Area nonprofits serving the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. APF’s latest funding initiatives bring their cumulative grantmaking to over $65 million, which have resourced organizations empowering some of the region’s most underserved AANHPIs since 1993.

A report by Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) reveals that only 0.20% of all U.S. foundation funding is designated for­ the AANHPI community. In stark contrast, AANHPIs make up 33% of the Bay Area’s population and have the highest number of individuals living at or below the poverty line in San Francisco. Despite this growing population and rising needs, many nonprofits serving the AANHPI community operate on limited annual budgets, often struggling to secure the necessary resources and limiting their ability to address these critical issues.

“These grants reflect our awareness that AANHPI nonprofits are our safety net – they play many roles because public systems often aren’t able to meet the needs of our communities,” said Carolyn Wang Kong, Executive Director of the Asian Pacific Fund. As the only community foundation in the Bay Area dedicated to the AANHPI community, we see that, we value it, and we have a responsibility to bring resources and support to ensure that these organizations continue to survive and grow as our community is growing.”

­The ACT for AANHPIs Fund: A New Initiative to Scale Impact

In 2024, APF introduced a new grant initiative, Accelerating Capacity for Transformation (ACT) for AANHPIs, inspired by successful models like the Greenlight Fund and the Latino Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Accelerator. Over two years, select nonprofits will receive $100,000, culturally relevant skill and capacity building, mentorship, and other resources to help sustain their organizations in the long run.

“Culturally relevant capacity building is so important because AANHPIs are not a monolith. Our communities have unique circumstances, and bespoke capacity building allows us to be nimble as we try to meet the community’s ever-evolving needs,” said Oliver Saria, Managing Director of Bindlestiff Studio, an APF affiliate and ACT Fund grant recipient.   

The inaugural cohort of ACT grantees includes:

• All My Usos
• Bindlestiff Studio
• Filipino Advocates for Justice
• Korean American Community Services
• LEAD Filipino
• Regional Pacific Islander Taskforce

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.

“As the AANHPI population grows, so too does the need for expanded services and support. The ACT Fund from the Asian Pacific Fund comes at a pivotal moment, addressing not only the immediate needs of our communities but also the structural inequities by empowering nonprofits to scale their efforts and advocate for systemic change necessary to better serve our communities,” said Khydeeja Alam, Executive Director of the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs (CAPIAA).

Continuing Support Through the Resiliency & Recovery Fund

In addition to launching the ACT Fund, APF continues its Resiliency & Recovery Fund, established in 2020 to support AANHPI-serving nonprofits amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This fund provides smaller, one-year flexible grants to support a wide variety of capacity needs, from staffing to board governance to technology upgrades. However, most grantees have focused the funds on staffing support and retention to sustain and strengthen their efforts in serving the community.

“The APF Resiliency and Recovery Grant allows us to improve employee health and wellness by helping employees manage stress, improve their work-life balance, and boost their overall health to be able to support survivors of violence long-term,” said Orchid Pusey, Executive Director of the Asian Women’s Shelter, an APF affiliate. “Our clients will benefit from a healthier, more engaged, and resilient workforce that is better equipped to work side by side with them through the challenges of escaping domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and trafficking, and rebuilding their lives.”

Since its inception, the APF Resiliency & Recovery Fund has distributed over $2.1 million to strengthen the infrastructure of local nonprofits. This year, APF will distribute an additional $550,000 through the fund, providing 22 local organizations with $25,000 each to support their ongoing capacity-building efforts.

“We are so grateful to APF for unrestricted grant funding that we can tailor to most needed areas,” said Esther Chow, Founder & Executive Director of Helping Hands East Bay, an APF affiliate.

APF works with a network of over 90 local nonprofits, providing essential services such as mental health support, youth development, civic engagement, domestic violence survivor services, among others.