History

Out of necessity, AAPI communities have a long history of coming together to form organizations that provide essential, culturally competent social services and programs. Often the first to respond in crises, these organizations have been the ones who also educate, advocate for, and mobilize communities to realize important policy victories and ensure representative leadership. Lack of mainstream funding has meant that most are run on small budgets with a mixture of staff and dedicated volunteers and serve as one of the few AAPI-focused organizations in the area.

The AAPI Civic Engagement Fund was conceived in 2013 by a group of pioneering donors in response to the under-investment and disenfranchisement of AAPI communities. We seek to counter past philanthropic giving to communities of color which have been episodic, chaotic, and small. We are the first of our kind to scale grassroots efforts and construct lasting and durable movement infrastructure for AAPI communities.