The Asian American Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Asian American Foundation supports the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community through grantmaking as well as its own signature initiatives, partnerships, and intermediary work in the areas of anti-hate, education, narrative change, resources and representation initiatives, and data and research.
IP TAKE: The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) is a newer organization that has transformed the AAPI funding space. Soon after its founding in 2021, IP reporter Philip Rojc wrote that TAAF is a “game changer… a potent new force in an advocacy space that institutional philanthropy has neglected for too long.” TAAF functions as both a grantmaker and a fundraiser, as well as an intermediary that uses its growing network to pool funds and build new programs and initiatives. “Some people are used to a funder model or an operating model, but we’re a bit of a hybrid of both,” TAAF’s CEO, Norman Chen, told IP in an interview. TAAF’s grantmaking portfolio is evolving, and currently includes programs for narrative change, education, anti-hate, resources and representation, and data and research. Across all areas, grantseekers are currently advised that TAAF is “not accepting new proposal submissions. Please subscribe to our newsletter to hear about upcoming funding opportunities.”
TAAF’s website includes information about some grantees, but doesn’t include a grants database. While TAAF is not a particularly transparent or accessible funder at this time, it’s still ramping up, and is a great ally to have in the AAPI funding space. TAAF invites grantseekers and potential partners to reach out with questions through its contact page.
PROFILE: The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) was founded in Washington, D.C., in 2021 in response to rising hate and racial violence directed at the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Joe Tsai is a founding board member and its advisory council includes Daniel Dae Kim, Lisa Ling, Amanda Nguyen, Condoleezza Rice, Jeremy Lin and Fareed Zakaria. TAAF, in partnership with the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and other partners, created the AAPI Giving Challenge to support AAPI communities and causes, which raised $1.1 billion in donations and in-kind contributions from more than 130 funders.
The foundation’s mission is to “serve the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in their pursuit of belonging and prosperity that is free from discrimination, slander and violence.” TAAF conducts grantmaking primarily through four initiatives: anti-hate, education, narrative change and resources and representation. Its grantmaking approach centers on creating partnerships to harness collective power in addressing systemic change. Guiding principles for this work include
Leveraging data and research for impact.
Using a “portfolio strategy” to garner support for high impact projects and organizations.
“Unlocking” less conventional giving including corporate and government sources.
“Intersectional solidarity” that works towards justice for all communities.
Forging connections between AAPI people and organizations across sectors.
Building “exceptional teams that deliver impact.”
Grants for Racial Justice and Indigenous Rights, and Violence Prevention
TAAF was created in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate and violence during the coronavirus pandemic, during which hate crimes against Asian Americans rose 339% nationally in just one year, between 2020 and 2021. The foundation established the Anti-Hate National Network, which is made up of national, regional and local organizations that can work together to respond to AAPI hate.
The foundation’s Anti-Hate initiative works to support communities affected by AAPI-targeted hate and violence nationwide by helping to strengthen prevention and response, centralizing data collection and increasing awareness and support. Grants through this initiative tend to support local groups, which include Homecrest Community Services, Korean American Family Service Center, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California.
Grants for Work and Economic Opportunity
TAAF’s Resources and Representation initiative focuses on increasing access to fair and equitable economic opportunities and expanding the availability of financial resources available to the AAPI community. Previous funding through this initiative has gone to the Jeremy Lin Foundation for its Stronger Together Collaborative, which supports community-based AAPI youth groups as they forge partnerships and collaborations with other communities of color.
Other grantees include the Urban Institute and Interfaith America. Partnering with the Sundance Institute, the foundation launched a fellowship and scholarship to develop “the skills and careers of rising AAPI storytellers.”
Grants for K-12 and Higher Education
Working from the position that AAPI “histories have largely been erased in schools,” the foundation works to promote “the state-level adoption of legislation or standards to ensure AAPI history is meaningfully taught in K-12 classrooms.” Its Education initiative seeks to do just this and focuses on securing a place for the teaching of AAPI history to students nationwide. Additionally, the initiative supports efforts to train educators and provide K-12 teachers with the tools necessary to teach an AAPI-inclusive curriculum and increase the number of courses, programs and faculty in higher education.
Previous grantees here include UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center, Make Us Visible and the Asian American Education Project.
Grants for Journalism and Arts and Culture
Accurate and diverse representation, free from stereotypes, is one of the foundation’s primary funding priorities. The foundation’s Narrative Change initiative works to increase visibility of AAPI characters and voices across all types of media, including entertainment and news media. It advocates for increased AAPI representation among the top executives of major entertainment studios and news journalists. The initiative also supports “amplifying narrative-shifting stories and projects about AAPIs that promote authentic stories with an educational purpose.”
Grantees working in these areas include the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, the Asian American Journalists Association and the Center for Asian American Media.
Important Grant Details:
Still in its earliest stages of grantmaking, information about the size of TAAF’s grants is yet unclear.
This funder’s work appears to be collaborative in nature; it works with partners across sectors, areas of interest and regions of the U.S.
TAAF does not currently accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding.
It does, however, provide a way for groups interested in partnering with the foundation to get in touch at partnerships@taaf.org.
Submit general inquiries to the foundation at info@taaf.org.
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