Seeking to Soar: Foundation Funding for Asian American & Pacific Islander Communities
March 24, 2021
Surdna grantee Asian American / Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) recently released Seeking to Soar: Foundation Funding for Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities.
This new report finds that foundation funding designated for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities only accounts for 0.20 percent of all U.S. grantmaking. It report notes:
- While the AAPI population in the United States more than doubled in size, foundation funding for AAPI communities flatlined, totaling a mere $174 million in 2018 – even when overall philanthropic giving was rising.
- Put differently, for every $100 awarded by foundations for work in the United States, only 20 cents is designated for AAPI communities.
- As a percentage of overall grantmaking, funding designated specifically for AAPI communities has declined since peaking at 0.60 percent in 2002 and 2009.
- The funding is also heavily concentrated among a handful of foundations. The top five funders accounted for nearly 40 percent of all philanthropic support for AAPI communities. This creates instability where any shift can topple that lifeline.
