Philanthropists call for more grants to aid Asian Americans

Nearly 500 philanthropy leaders, mostly from foundations, signed a letter Friday calling on grant makers to increase their support of nonprofits that benefit Asian people and put efforts to combat anti-Asian racism squarely in the broader fight for racial justice.

“To make progress, we will redouble our support of multiracial coalitions to combat systemic racism and ensure that our own country embraces us for who we are and not as perpetual outsiders,” the letter states.

The letter was circulated by Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, which also released a study outlining the paucity of philanthropic support for Asian American communities. The letter and the study follow a year of increasing violence directed against Asian Americans and the killing of eight people, including six Asian American women, in Atlanta this month.

The group released the letter on the eve of the #StopAsianHate Day of Action and Healing, a virtual protest of anti-Asian violence and discrimination.

Using data compiled by Candid, which tracks giving by foundations, the study found that nonprofits serving Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians rose modestly from $143 million in 2009 to $174 million in 2018, even as overall foundation giving more than doubled. The share of giving to those groups accounted for 20 cents of every $100 in foundation grants in 2018.

The letter is not just about getting “a bigger slice of the pie,” said Patricia Eng, president of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. Foundations need to push for Asian American groups to be included in multiracial coalitions and increase their visibility, free of negative stereotypes, in the American consciousness.

“What we’ve learned over this past year, particularly around the pandemic and the hate that has so readily surfaced...