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  Recommendation of a grant to $250,000 for the work of the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund   Through the good auspices of Taryn Higashi at Unbound Philanthropy, last month Mariko and I were introduced to EunSook Lee, executive director of the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund. She described for us the work of the Fund, whose mission is “to foster a culture of civic participation within Asian American and Pacific Islander communities by supporting the growth of AAPI groups as organizational movement and power building leaders that achieve specific policy, systems, and transformational change.”   The Fund was established in 2014 with the vision that AAPIs must be an integral part of strengthening American democracy, in advocating for improving the quality of life for all and in creating vibrant multiracial communities. Its founders were the Carnegie Corporation, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, Ford Foundation, and Coulter Foundation. It now receives funding from about 20 organizations.   The Fund’s initial focus was voter engagement, but its efforts later expanded to encompass broader civic participation. The Fund has established itself as a strategic convener of a cohort of about 40 grassroots AAPI groups across the country, supporting capacity building and assisting them to tackle a range of issues related to racial equity and justice. In 2018, the Fund added a narrative component to promote AAPI voices and experiences. Post-pandemic, this has included efforts to address the precipitous rise in anti-Asian hate crimes.   In a follow-up meeting we had with program staff at the MacArthur and Ford foundations, they spoke highly of the Fund’s work and Lee’s leadership, knowledge of the AAPI landscape and extensive networks.   During our conversation with Lee, we identified the Fund’s work on Narrative Power as an area of need with the closest fit to HLF’s goals and priorities, and invited a proposal for an emergency grant to enable rapid response to the shootings in Atlanta and other violent incidents targeting AAPI communities and individuals. Proposed work to counter anti-Asian narratives will include the establishment of a speakers bureau, development of an outreach strategy to connect media and other audiences to AAPI leaders (many of whom are women) with first-hand knowledge of the situation on the ground in their communities, and the provision of media training and related support to speakers.   The Asia Program recommends an emergency grant of $250,000 for the narrative work of the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund. This amount would support approximately half of the anticipated budget for the Narrative Power initiative, covering costs including the building and maintenance of a microsite for relevant content, consultants, outreach, and related public opinion research. Additional support is expected from the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and the Ford Foundation. The Supplementary Budget Details attached to the proposal list other existing and prospective funding sources for the Fund’s overall activities and operations, budgeted at $8.5 million for 2021.   This work aligns with our goal to elevate Asian and Asian American voices and share their stories as a means of heightening public awareness, enriching public discourse and countering racism and xenophobia. Of the recommended amount, $50,000 would come from the Asia Program’s 2021 allocation and $200,000 from the Collaboration & Incubation Fund. The grant would be made to Neo Philanthropy, which serves as fiscal sponsor for the Fund, and ten percent of the grant would be applied to its fee for administering the project.
Submitted by Helena Kolenda