About Asian American Foundation
To serve the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in their pursuit of safety, belonging, and prosperity that is free from discrimination, slander, and violence.
Focus Areas
Anti-AAPI hate prevention and responseCommunity safetyAANHPI mental health (youth)Narrative change and media/entertainment representationEducation (AAPI history / K-12 resources)Economic opportunity and small business supportLeadership development and pipeline programs
Who They Fund
communities affected by hate and racismracially marginalized groups / communities of coloreducation stakeholders (students and educators)coalitions and cross-racial community organizers
About Asian American Foundation
The Asian American Foundation’s grantmaking is built around anti-AAPI hate prevention, community safety, and narrative change, with recent large awards showing those priorities in practice. In 2024 and 2025, it gave $500,000 to Asian Health Services in Oakland for its anti-hate work, and it backed the Chinese American Service League in Chicago with $500,000 in 2024 and $400,000 in 2025 for anti-hate initiatives. That same pattern of sustained support appears in other areas of the portfolio, including education, representation, and media. The foundation also funded the Sikh Coalition in New York with $360,000 in both 2024 and 2025, indicating repeated support for aligned work over multiple years. Its mission centers on safety, belonging, and prosperity for AANHPI communities free from discrimination, slander, and violence, and the grants reflect that through a mix of service organizations, advocacy groups, and media partners. Recent awards also reached universities and cultural institutions, showing that the foundation uses both community-based and institutional partners to advance its goals.
What Asian American Foundation Funds
Anti-hate work is a major thread in The Asian American Foundation’s portfolio. It gave $415,000 to Community Youth Center of San Francisco in 2024 for the TAAF Anti-Hate Initiative, and $250,000 to Asian American Resource Workshop in Dorchester in both 2024 and 2025 for anti-hate work. Education is another clear priority: the foundation awarded $571,168 to the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois in Chicago for the TAAF Education Initiative, and $300,000 to Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Chicago for the same initiative in 2024. Narrative change appears through media and storytelling partners, including $250,000 to the Asian American Journalists Association in Martinez in 2025 and $250,000 to Center for Asian American Media in San Francisco in 2025. The foundation also supports cross-racial solidarity, such as the $750,000 grant to Jeremy Lin Foundation in Palo Alto for the TAAF Cross Racial Solidarity Initiative.
How Asian American Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster at a mid-six-figure level: the 25th percentile is $75,000, the median is $100,000, and the 75th percentile is $150,000. The recent grants list also shows repeated awards to the same organizations across years, including Asian Health Services, Chinese American Service League, Sikh Coalition, and Rideback Rise Inc. That pattern suggests ongoing partnerships rather than isolated one-off awards. The foundation is a regular funder and does not make program-related investments or grants to individuals. For at least one program, unsolicited proposals are not accepted, and the active program list shows that some initiatives are invitation-based or partnership-driven.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$9.1M
Total Assets
$77.9M
Total Revenue
$18.9M
Total Expenses
$26.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $75K and $150K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$75K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$150K
Geographic Reach
National16 states funded
About 11% of grants go to recipients in DC.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
NORMAN CHEN
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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