Report: State of AANHPIs in the Bay Area

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73% of groups serving 2.5 million Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders report significant budget cuts

A new report from the Asian Pacific Fund reveals that the Bay Area’s network of organizations serving Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities face a devastating contradiction: 80% of organizations report dramatically increased demand for services, even as 73% have suffered significant budget cuts. Some have lost more than half their annual budgets within months.

They are the trusted voices countering misinformation in seven different languages. They are the legal advocates working overtime to locate community members abducted into the immigration detention system; the meal delivery services keeping homebound elders fed; the mental health providers supporting families torn apart by deportation.

VIEW THE REPORT

The State of AANHPIs in the Bay Area, based on surveys and interviews with 53 frontline organizations, exposes impacts often invisible in broader policy discussions.

87%

observe severe stress and mental health crisis among the communities they serve

45.5%

of organizations have scaled back services

36.5%

have been forced to eliminate programs entirely, including meal delivery for homebound seniors, mental health prevention, and anti-trafficking support

The report issues an urgent call to funders and community partners to act decisively:

 
 

  • Amplify AANHPI needs in rapid response conversations, asking “Who is being reached? Who is being missed?”

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  • Direct immediate resources to legal defense, in-language outreach, food security, hate response, and mental health support

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  • Leverage existing infrastructure, like the Asian Pacific Fund’s affiliate network, to reach smaller ethnic-specific organizations quickly

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  • Proactively fund strategies to address looming 2026 Medi-Cal and SNAP cuts

Our frontline nonprofits are borrowing against their future just to stay open today. APF remains resolute in our commitment to supporting organizations that are the first refuge and last line of defense for our communities. We need Bay Area funders to step up and to support organizations outside of their typical portfolio. Without additional investment, many of these vital AANHPI institutions will not make it.

Tamara Chao

President and Executive Director, Asian Pacific Fund