Philanthropy Has Long Ignored AAPI Communities. It’s Overdue for a Reckoning

A recent rally in San Francisco against anti-Asian hate. Sheila Fitzgerald/shutterstock

As an Asian American working in philanthropy for over a decade, I have seen our sector ignore the struggles and violence against Asian Americans time and time again. Even as foundations grappled with the toxic racism of America, they were often silent on AAPI issues. This invisibilization is a form of violence itself, and the time for reckoning and real change is now. Our institutions must get off the sidelines and do the work to address the racial inequities.

Philanthropy has a critical role in supporting strong civil societies and resilient communities, but we must recognize that all of our program areas, from poverty, climate change, reproductive justice, arts, education and beyond, have one common enemy—the systematic subjugation of our communities by a culture run on white supremacy and misogyny. For an industry that thrives on the rhetoric of learning and evaluation, our institutions have utterly failed to listen to impacted communities—Asian Americans included—that have first-hand knowledge of racism and how to overcome it.

It’s not for our lack of trying that philanthropy continues to fall behind. My AAPI colleagues do their best every day to raise awareness of these issues while working for institutions built on stolen wealth, while constantly subjected to microaggressions, and while maintaining accountability to our communities. My colleagues of color are hired to juice diversity numbers but aren’t given the budgets to back up the lofty language of diversity, equity and inclusion. According to the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equality, only 8 to 9% of philanthropic funding goes to communities of color. And according to AAPI Data, only 0.26% of funding goes to AAPI communities. 

Without change, philanthropy will miss the boat on some of the most innovative social justice strategies being led by AAPIs today. In Georgia, Stephanie Cho of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta and Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood at Asian American Advocacy Fund have been organizing AAPI communities for years alongside other groups organizing Black, Latinx, and other communities of color. They built spaces of solidarity across communities in Georgia, and during the 2020 election, Asian Americans in Georgia had the highest turnout in history, up 91% since 2016—and yet, AAPI organizers’ leadership in the state is still overlooked. Imagine what would be possible if they were actually funded at scale.

Nationally, our sector already has excellent AAPI leadership, practicing philanthropy with the bold vision necessary for true constructive impact, largely because we have put in the hard work to understand our role in advancing racial justice. In 2018, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) released a statement on racial equity that acknowledged the complexity of how we are both harmed by white supremacy and complicit in it, along with a commitment to better understand our role of solidarity with fellow communities of color.  

It’s time for funding institutions to put in the same amount of emotional labor that they have forced onto their staff of color. Funders need to have hard conversations about how their money is moving, as well as how disruptive and violent their practices are. Funders need to address white supremacy and misogyny head on, evaluating whether enough resources are going into communities of color, into multiracial organizing, and into the hands of leaders who can fight back against racial violence and hate. If an institution’s funding does not reflect this level of support, it’s important they build partnerships with funders who do have the bona fides to help make more informed decisions. 

My organization, Way to Win, where I am chief of staff, launched in 2018 to move resources to organizations that are led by people of color and organize power for cross-community solidarity. We center leaders working in communities that are most impacted by injustice. In 2020, 4.9% of Way to Win’s funding went to groups led by AAPIs, and all of our funding to multiracial power-building. While this funding is not enough, we are committed to having the tough conversations when needed so that no community is left to fight the violence and oppression of this country on its own.

We urge our philanthropic colleagues to join us in this fight, and consider how their funding can both better support the communities most affected by American racism, and be a part of the multiracial solidarity that is fighting against it. Philanthropy’s ability to help build a stronger and healthier society depends on it. 

Tori Miyagi is vice president and chief of staff at Way to Win.