Asian Arts Initiative is a multidisciplinary arts center in Philadelphia that uplifts Asian American communities through the power of art, providing programming, education, exhibitions, residencies, and community-centered projects.
Asian Arts Initiative’s recent grantmaking is built around create/direct art projects, with a $30,000 grant to China Residencies Inc. in Brooklyn as the largest award in the latest grants list. The foundation also backed the Museum of Chinese in America in New York with $20,000 and Ping Chong and Company in New York with $20,000, showing a pattern of project-based support for organizations producing and presenting Asian American-centered work. Its stated work as a multidisciplinary arts center aligns with that grantmaking: it supports programming, education, exhibitions, residencies, and community-centered projects tied to Asian American communities. That combination of programmatic mission and fiscal sponsorship gives the foundation a role both as a direct arts funder and as an administrative home for approved projects. The recent grants indicate support for institutions and project makers rather than individuals, and the awards are concentrated in arts and cultural production rather than general operating support. Anne Ishii leads the foundation, which operates from Philadelphia and gives regionally.
Asian Arts Initiative’s recent awards center on arts and cultural production. In archival and museum work, it gave $20,000 to the Museum of Chinese in America for create/direct art projects, and $15,000 to the Japanese American National Museum for the same purpose. It also supported performance and artist-led creation through a $20,000 grant to Ping Chong and Company for create/direct art projects. The foundation’s portfolio also reaches into artist residency and literary work: China Residencies Inc. received $30,000, while the Asian American Writers Workshop received $15,000, both for create/direct art projects. Across these grants, the common thread is support for organizations making, staging, or hosting Asian American cultural work.
Typical grants cluster tightly around the $20,000 mark: the median is $20,000, with a p25 of $16,250 and a p75 of $20,000. The top recent award was $30,000, while two grants were $15,000. The pattern shown in the recent list is project-based rather than unrestricted, with every named award designated for create/direct art projects. The foundation also operates a fiscal sponsorship program, which allows approved projects, non-incorporated groups, individual artists, and grassroots initiatives to receive tax-deductible support through Asian Arts Initiative. The recent grant list shows current awards to organizations, not individuals, and the 2024 file indicates annual grants of $120,000.
$65K
$7.7M
$1.6M
$2.6M
Most grants fall between $16K and $20K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$16K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$20K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in NY.
ANNE ISHII
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Grant recipients in the recent list are all in the US, with New York appearing most often in the award record. Named recipients are in Brooklyn and New York City, along with Seattle and Los Angeles. The foundation gives regionally, but none of the listed grants went to recipients in Pennsylvania, even though the headquarters is in Philadelphia. The country distribution shown for recent grants is 100% US.
The recent grants are all labeled create/direct art projects. Named recipients include museums, performance groups, a residency organization, and a writers workshop, which points to support for arts and cultural production tied to Asian American work rather than a single art form.
The typical award is around $20,000. The grant-size distribution shows a p25 of $16,250, a median of $20,000, and a p75 of $20,000, with the recent list ranging from $15,000 to $30,000.
Yes. The recent grants list includes recipients in Brooklyn and New York City, Seattle, and Los Angeles, and the recipient country distribution is entirely US-based. The foundation’s giving scope is regional.
Yes. Asian Arts Initiative serves as a tax-exempt fiscal sponsor for approved projects, including non-incorporated groups, individual artists, and grassroots initiatives. The program provides a financial umbrella plus administrative and financial processing, and it accepts unsolicited projects aligned with the mission.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Asian Arts Initiative that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Projects must align with AAI's mission and community focus. Intended for non-incorporated groups, individual artists, or projects that need access to 501(c)(3)-style funding/donations. Specific eligibility decisions are made by AAI during the sponsorship review.
Deadline: Not specified on page; appears to accept applications on an ongoing basis.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unity LLC | OAKLAND, CA | $35,000 | 2026 | to support Unity Press & Skateboarding's charitable and educational work celebrating queer, trans, and BIPOC communities through inclusive skateboarding, art, and music events in public spaces and downtown venues. |
| Spark Greatness LLC | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $30,000 | 2026 | Donation investment for Dear Chinatown Documentary |
| NEO Philanthropy Inc | new york, NY | $32,500 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| Asian Americans United | Philadelphia, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp | Philadelphia, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| Norris Square Neighborhood Project | philadelphia, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| Fleisher Art Memorial | phil, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| Fractured Atlas | New York, NY | $15,000 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| Taller Puertorriqueo inc | Philadelphia, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| Vox Populi Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| Movement Alliance Project | philadephia, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| The Attic Youth Center | Philadelphia, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| illReality Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance | Philadelphia, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| Urban Affairs Coalition | Philadelphia, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| CHINA RESIDENCIES INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $30,000 | 2024 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| MUSEUM OF CHINESE IN AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| WING LUKE MUSEUM OF THE ASIAN | SEATTLE, WA | $20,000 | 2024 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| PING CHONG AND COMPANY | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM | LOS ANGELES, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
| ASIAN AMERICAN WRITERS WORKSHOP | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2024 | CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS |
Unity LLC
$35,000to support Unity Press & Skateboarding's charitable and educational work celebrating queer, trans, and BIPOC communities through inclusive skateboarding, art, and music events in public spaces and downtown venues.
Spark Greatness LLC
$30,000Donation investment for Dear Chinatown Documentary
Vox Populi Inc
$15,000CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS
illReality Inc
$15,000CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS
Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance
$15,000CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS
CHINA RESIDENCIES INC
$30,000CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS
MUSEUM OF CHINESE IN AMERICA
$20,000CREATE/DIRECT ART PROJECTS
