The Peng Zhao and Cherry Chen Foundation concentrates its philanthropic support on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) civic power and cultural representation. Their giving emphasizes building advocacy infrastructure and capacity for AAPI communities and investing in storytelling and media pathways for AAPI voices. Grants are few but large and strategic, aimed at national-scale organizations and programs that increase representation and leadership.
Two $2,000,000 grants to The Asian American Foundation anchor The Peng Zhao and Cherry Chen Foundation Inc’s recent record and show its central aim: building infrastructure for AAPI advocacy, power, and representation. That pattern continues across a smaller set of strategic awards that reach into AAPI storytelling, community services, and leadership development. The foundation’s support is concentrated on organizations that expand civic voice and strengthen the institutions around AAPI communities rather than on broad, distributed grantmaking. Kartemquin Educational Films received $300,000 to establish the Peng Zhao & Cherry Chen Fund for AAPI Voices at Kartemquin, supporting the next generation of AAPI nonfiction storytellers. Chinese American Service League received $166,667 for wraparound social services in Chicago and a new effort to capture data on AAPI and vulnerable populations. The foundation also backed The Second City Inc - Victor Wong Fellowship Program, which trains emerging AAPI comedic talent. Other grants point to related interests in philanthropy cultivation and Korean-American community support. Across these awards, the foundation uses large, targeted grants to reinforce AAPI institutions, media pathways, and community-serving organizations.
AAPI civic power is the clearest thread in the foundation’s recent giving. The largest grants went to The Asian American Foundation to build infrastructure for improving AAPI advocacy, power, and representation. That same logic appears in support for Asian Pacific Community Fund, which was funded to cultivate philanthropists and invest in organizations that help underserved Asian and Pacific Islanders prosper. Their arts and media work is equally specific. Kartemquin Educational Films received funding to establish the Peng Zhao & Cherry Chen Fund for AAPI Voices, aimed at the next generation of AAPI nonfiction storytellers. In performing arts training, The Second City Inc - Victor Wong Fellowship Program was funded to train emerging AAPI comedic talent. Community support also shows up in direct service grants. Chinese American Service League received funding for wraparound social services in Chicago and for a new data-gathering effort focused on AAPI and vulnerable populations.
$2M
$86.3M
$40.1M
$3.3M
Most grants fall between $30K and $300K, with a median of $167K.
25th Percentile
$30K
Median
$167K
75th Percentile
$300K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in IL.
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Highly concentrated giving: very few, large grants with repeat support to a primary national grantee. Emphasis on capacity-building and program endowments rather than many small awards; national, issue-focused investments.
Notable grantees: THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION, KARTEMQUIN EDUCATIONAL FILMS
The foundation’s typical grant size is relatively large, with a p25 of $30,000, a median of $166,667, and a p75 of $300,000. The recent record shows a small number of high-value awards, including repeated support for the same organization across multiple years. The Asian American Foundation appears in both 2023 and 2025 with identical $2,000,000 grants, and The Second City Inc - Victor Wong Fellowship Program also received follow-on support in 2023 and 2025. It is classified as a regular funder, not a DAF, and it also funds individuals.
Grantmaking is regional and lands entirely in the United States in the recent sample. Chicago appears repeatedly, with grants to Kartemquin Educational Films, Chinese American Service League, and The Second City Inc - Victor Wong Fellowship Program. New York also appears through Korean American Community Foundation, while San Francisco appears through The Asian American Foundation. Although the foundation is headquartered in Miami, no recent grants in the data go to Florida recipients.
Its typical grant size is sizable: the 25th percentile is $30,000, the median is $166,667, and the 75th percentile is $300,000. The recent record also includes two $2,000,000 awards, which places the foundation toward the larger end of grantmaking.
The recent grants emphasize AAPI civic power and representation, AAPI storytelling and media, performing arts training for AAPI talent, and community-serving work for AAPI and vulnerable populations. The named grants point to advocacy infrastructure, nonfiction film, comedy fellowships, and wraparound social services.
Yes. The Asian American Foundation received $2,000,000 in both 2023 and 2025 for AAPI advocacy infrastructure, power, and representation. The Second City Inc - Victor Wong Fellowship Program also appears in both 2023 and 2025, showing repeated support for the same training program.
The top state by grant count is New York, but the recent grants also cluster in Chicago and San Francisco. In the sample provided, every grant recipient is in the United States, and 0% of grants went to recipients in the foundation’s Florida headquarters state.
The foundation backs AAPI-serving and AAPI-led institutions across advocacy, arts, community services, and philanthropy cultivation. Recent recipients include The Asian American Foundation, Kartemquin Educational Films, Chinese American Service League, The Second City Inc - Victor Wong Fellowship Program, Asian Pacific Community Fund, and Korean American Community Foundation.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $2,000,000 | 2025 | TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO IMPROVE ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER ADVOVACY, POWER AND REPRESENTATION |
| THE SECOND CITY INC - VICTOR WONG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | THE VICTOR WONG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF AAPI COMEDIC TALENT. |
| ASIAN PACIFIC COMMUNITY FUND | LOS ANGELES, CA | $24,000 | 2025 | TO CULTIVATE PHILANTHROPIST TO INVEST IN ORGANIZATIONS THAT EMPOWER UNDERSERVED ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS (AAPI) TO PROSPER BY BUILDING HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES, CREATING A STRONGER AAPI VOICE AND DEVELOPING AAPI LEADERS |
| THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $2,000,000 | 2024 | TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO IMPROVE ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER ADVOVACY, POWER AND REPRESENTATION |
| ASIAN PACIFIC COMMUNITY FUND | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | TO CULTIVATE PHILANTHROPIST TO INVEST IN ORGANIZATIONS THAT EMPOWER UNDERSERVED ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS (AAPI) TO PROSPER BY BUILDING HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES, CREATING A STRONGER AAPI VOICE AND DEVELOPING AAPI LEADERS |
| THE SECOND CITY INC - VICTOR WONG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2024 | THE VICTOR WONG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF AAPI COMEDIC TALENT. |
| CHINESE AMERICAN SERVICE LEAGUE | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | THE GRANT SHALL BE USED TO SUPPORT CASL'S WORK TO SERVE THE AAPI COMMUNITY, AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS MORE BROADLY, IN CHICAGO WITH WRAPAROUND SOCIAL SERVICES AND A NEW EFFORT TO CAPTURE DATA ON THE NEEDS AND EXPERIENCES OF AAPI POPULATIONS. |
| THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $2,000,000 | 2023 | TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO IMPROVE ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER ADVOVACY, POWER AND REPRESENTATION |
| KARTEMQUIN EDUCATIONAL FILMS | CHICAGO, IL | $300,000 | 2023 | THE GRANT WILL ESTABLISH AND FUND "THE PENG ZHAO & CHERRY CHEN FUND FOR AAPI VOICES AT KARTEMQUIN," AN INITIATIVE THAT PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF AAPI NONFICTION STORYTELLERS AS THEY WORK TO BRING NEW STORIES TO AUDIENCES AND BUILD CAREERS IN THE FILM INDUSTRY. |
| CHINESE AMERICAN SERVICE LEAGUE | CHICAGO, IL | $166,667 | 2023 | THE GRANT SHALL BE USED TO SUPPORT CASL'S WORK TO SERVE THE AAPI COMMUNITY, AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS MORE BROADLY, IN CHICAGO WITH WRAPAROUND SOCIAL SERVICES AND A NEW EFFORT TO CAPTURE DATA ON THE NEEDS AND EXPERIENCES OF AAPI POPULATIONS. |
| THE SECOND CITY INC - VICTOR WONG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM | CHICAGO, IL | $30,000 | 2023 | THE VICTOR WONG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF AAPI COMEDIC TALENT. |
| KOREAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | WORKING TO ADDRESS THE MOST PRESSING NEEDS IN THE KOREAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND BEYOND. TO THE SUPPORTERS; KACF PROVIDES A WAY TO MAGNIFY THE IMPACT OF THEIR GIVING AND TO BUILD BRIDGES ACROSS GENERATIONS & COMMUNITIES |
THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION
$2,000,000TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO IMPROVE ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER ADVOVACY, POWER AND REPRESENTATION
THE SECOND CITY INC - VICTOR WONG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
$25,000THE VICTOR WONG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF AAPI COMEDIC TALENT.
ASIAN PACIFIC COMMUNITY FUND
$24,000TO CULTIVATE PHILANTHROPIST TO INVEST IN ORGANIZATIONS THAT EMPOWER UNDERSERVED ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS (AAPI) TO PROSPER BY BUILDING HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES, CREATING A STRONGER AAPI VOICE AND DEVELOPING AAPI LEADERS
THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION
$2,000,000TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO IMPROVE ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER ADVOVACY, POWER AND REPRESENTATION
TO CULTIVATE PHILANTHROPIST TO INVEST IN ORGANIZATIONS THAT EMPOWER UNDERSERVED ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS (AAPI) TO PROSPER BY BUILDING HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES, CREATING A STRONGER AAPI VOICE AND DEVELOPING AAPI LEADERS
THE SECOND CITY INC - VICTOR WONG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
$25,000THE VICTOR WONG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF AAPI COMEDIC TALENT.
THE GRANT SHALL BE USED TO SUPPORT CASL'S WORK TO SERVE THE AAPI COMMUNITY, AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS MORE BROADLY, IN CHICAGO WITH WRAPAROUND SOCIAL SERVICES AND A NEW EFFORT TO CAPTURE DATA ON THE NEEDS AND EXPERIENCES OF AAPI POPULATIONS.
THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION
$2,000,000TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO IMPROVE ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER ADVOVACY, POWER AND REPRESENTATION
THE GRANT WILL ESTABLISH AND FUND "THE PENG ZHAO & CHERRY CHEN FUND FOR AAPI VOICES AT KARTEMQUIN," AN INITIATIVE THAT PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF AAPI NONFICTION STORYTELLERS AS THEY WORK TO BRING NEW STORIES TO AUDIENCES AND BUILD CAREERS IN THE FILM INDUSTRY.
CHINESE AMERICAN SERVICE LEAGUE
$166,667THE GRANT SHALL BE USED TO SUPPORT CASL'S WORK TO SERVE THE AAPI COMMUNITY, AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS MORE BROADLY, IN CHICAGO WITH WRAPAROUND SOCIAL SERVICES AND A NEW EFFORT TO CAPTURE DATA ON THE NEEDS AND EXPERIENCES OF AAPI POPULATIONS.
THE SECOND CITY INC - VICTOR WONG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
$30,000THE VICTOR WONG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF AAPI COMEDIC TALENT.
WORKING TO ADDRESS THE MOST PRESSING NEEDS IN THE KOREAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND BEYOND. TO THE SUPPORTERS; KACF PROVIDES A WAY TO MAGNIFY THE IMPACT OF THEIR GIVING AND TO BUILD BRIDGES ACROSS GENERATIONS & COMMUNITIES