Philanthropic leaders commit to supporting Asian Americans amid anti-Asian hate

National philanthropic leaders – including several in New York – added their signatures to a letter committing to expanding funding for Asian American communities and calling on others to do the same. 

A recent report from Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, which coordinated the letter, found that just 0.2% of all grantmaking is designated for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities – and much of that philanthropic funding comes from a small subset of funders. The top five institutions supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander communities accounted for close to 40% of grantmaking for those communities. 

“We commit to making the pie bigger and combatting systemic racism by working with multiracial coalitions and funding organizations in communities of color, including those led by and serving Asian Americans,” reads the letter. “We wish to secure commitments from foundations and donors that will result in a significant, sustained increase in funding for these communities.”

Leaders of foundations based on New York number that signed the letter include Don Chen, president of the Surdna Foundation; Kyung B. Yoon, president and co-founder of the Korean American Community Foundation; Philip Li, president and CEO of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation; and Rini Banerjee, president of the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation.