May 2024: Celebrating Heritage Month

Dear Friends,

Happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) Heritage Month! This May marks the third anniversary of TAAF's founding, and I am writing to you with heartfelt gratitude for your commitment to our mission to building greater safety, belonging, and prosperity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) across the country.

With your support, we’ve reached new levels of impact for the AAPI community, which you can read more about in our inaugural Annual Impact Report:

• Since 2021, TAAF has directly distributed $25 million in grants, awards, and  sponsorships to over 150 AAPI organizations. In 2023 alone, we granted $11 million across our four core pillars through our Portfolio Strategy.
• In 2021 and 2022, TAAF’s AAPI Giving Challenge partners delivered over $1.8 billion in impact directly to AAPI communities and causes through direct grants, pro-bono services, leadership development, supplier diversity, and more.
• In 2023, we launched our $65 million five-year Portfolio Strategy to support the  AAPI nonprofit community, and offered multi-year and one-year grants to over 50 partners across the country.
  

May also ushers in the release of our annual STAATUS (Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the U.S.) Index, the leading body of research of American attitudes and perceptions of Asian Americans, with over 20,000 people surveyed since 2021. Data and research from Americans of all backgrounds about AAPIs are critical to inform public policy, community-based solutions, and long-term systemic change.

In this year’s STAATUS Index, we found that the Asian American community continues to be subjected to hate, violence, and discrimination, even as Americans don’t think hate toward Asian Americans has increased. Shockingly, 32% of Asian Americans said they were called a slur, and 29% said they were verbally harassed or verbally abused in the past 12 months!

These statistics demonstrate why our work continues to be timely and critical. In 2024, TAAF is expanding the Anti-Hate National Network to 14 cities with our dedicated community partners, who provide support and resources to over 50% of all AAPIs in the US. In addition, we are piloting an AAPI incident tracker database for New York City to better understand the state of anti-AAPI hate, launching a first-of-its kind national study on AANHPI youth mental health, and developing a curriculum repository to support educators who are teaching AAPI history in classrooms.

We thank each of you for your continued commitment and shared vision for this work. This is a mission that is too large for any single individual or organization — it takes all of us, together, to build the world we want for our elders, our children, and ourselves.

In solidarity,

Norman Chen‍
CEO, The Asian American Foundation

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DATA & RESEARCH

Understanding AAPI visibility and representation through the 2024 STAATUS Index

Americans don’t think hate towards Asian Americans has increased, but Asian Americans disagree.

Data from STAATUS 2024 reveal that, contrary to overall American opinion, Asian Americans continue to be subjected to hate, violence, and discrimination at alarming rates – and even worse – don’t believe it will stop anytime soon.

• Only 33% of Americans think hate towards Asian Americans has increased in the past year, compared to 61% of Asian Americans themselves.
• Meanwhile, over the past 12 months: 32% of Asian Americans across the country report being called a slur, and 29% said they were verbally harassed or verbally abused.
• Southeast Asian Americans report even higher incidences of being called a racial slur (40%), verbal harassment or abuse (38%), and threats of physical assault (22%).
• 43% of Americans lack any awareness of the 2022 attacks in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay that took the lives of 16 Asian Americans.
• Reflecting the fear and anxiety that many in our community feel, 41% of Asian Americans think they are likely to be the victim of a physical attack in the next 5 years because of their race, ethnicity, or religion.

We need to break the “STAATUS quo.” Four years after our original findings made waves, more than half (52%) of all Americans still can’t name a famous Asian American. Out of the responses that were mentioned, Jackie Chan (9%), who is actually a Hong Kong citizen, remains the leading response.  Bruce Lee (5%) and Kamala Harris (2%) continue to be the next most common responses.
Because of discrimination, violence, and lack of representation, only 38% of Asian Americans completely agree they belong, and even fewer (19%) feel they are fully accepted – the lowest among all racial groups in the U.S. Visibility and representation aren’t just buzzwords, but actually vital to the safety and belonging of the AAPI community.  

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To combat misconceptions and violence towards the AAPI community, Americans say racism will decrease with increased representation, connection, and education.

Read the full STAATUS Index Report here

• The top 3 ideas for decreasing racism are to teach the history of Asian Americans in K-12 schools and colleges (41%), increase visibility of Asian Americans in American society (41%), and provide more opportunities to interact with Asian Americans (39%).

New this year: For the first time, the STAATUS Index includes expanded subgroup analyses with data about East Asians, Filipinos, South Asians, Southeast Asians, and Native Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders.

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PROGRAMS

TAAF’s Inaugural Annual Impact Report

Highlights of our four core pillars include:  

• Anti-Hate: As part of our Anti-Hate National Network, we have funded and convened 56 partners in nine major metropolitan areas that cover over 40% of the AAPI population in the country.
• Education: Over 30,000 Illinois students were taught Asian American history through the TEAACH Act Collaborative. We have shared lessons learned in Illinois with AAPI education leaders in 22 other states, including Wisconsin, Nevada, Washington, and New York.
• Narrative Change: We co-hosted the first-ever AAPI House at Sundance Film Festival and launched the AAPI Creative Development Directory, listing over 200 talent development opportunities for creatives.
• Resources and Representation: With funding from The Walmart Foundation, TAAF launched The AAPI Nonprofit Database, an award-winning interactive tool that connects donors, volunteers, and partners with over 750 AAPI nonprofits.
  

Together with you – our nonprofit and corporate partners, donors, and broader community – we have been able to work towards a better future for AAPIs across the country. Thank you.

Read our Annual Impact Report here!

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PROGRAMS

Sharing resources for AANHPI Heritage Month

Our AANHPI Heritage Month Toolkit is a curated collection of AANHPI-centered resources and recommendations to inspire you to celebrate our histories and cultures in the coming month!

Looking for additional organizations to support? Don't forget to visit the Webby Award-winning AAPI Nonprofit Database to explore the thousands of AAPI-focused initiatives happening every single day.

Download the AANHPI Heritage Month Toolkit!

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NARRATIVE CHANGE 

Celebrating AAPI voices at the White House Correspondents’ Brunch

On Saturday, April 27th, TAAF, Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), and Enfranchisement Productions brought together over a hundred journalists, civic leaders, nonprofit executives, and corporate partners for our second annual “Our Voice – A White House Correspondents’ Brunch.”

A celebration of AAPI excellence in journalism and allyship & solidarity with communities of color, we honored our AAPI White House correspondents – a growing list of phenomenal and talented journalists including Nandita Bose (Reuters), Sophia Cai (Axios), Weijia Jiang (CBS), Seung Min Kim (Associated Press), MJ Lee (CNN), Serena Marshall (Scripps News), Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy (USA Today), Sabrina Siddiqui (Wall Street Journal), and Selina Wang (ABC News). They were welcomed by a host committee including Niala Boodhoo, Juju Chang, Chris Nguyen, Katie Phang, Jose Antonio Vargas, and many more.

Special thanks to our co-sponsors NBC Universal, National Education Association, Associated Press, Future Friends, Johnson & Johnson, Mrs. Bakewell’s, National Association of Manufacturers, P&G, Scripps, and the Very Asian Foundation for supporting us.

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Partner Spotlight

TAAF is honored to build with incredible community partners with the support of our AAPI Giving Challenge partners.

Each month we highlight the impact of their work and support of our grantees.

Meet our partners by clicking the image below to learn more about their work.

NAPAWF centers and amplifies the lived experiences of AAPI communities to achieve social, political, and structural change.

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Genesis House is committed to supporting AAPIs by creating spaces for AAPIs to reflect on Korean heritage and history, build connections, and celebrate their cultural heritage.

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Convenings

TAAF in Community

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ICYMI

Leading AAPIs in the news

Teaching K-12 AAPI and Hmong history is now law in WI

The Wisconsin State Senate has unanimously approved a bill to require schools to teach Asian American and Hmong history, marking the success of a 20-year movement of Wisconsin-based Hmong and Asian American advocates, policymakers, and educators. READ MORE

SALDEF’s Sikhs in Storytelling Event

TAAF is honored to support Anti-Hate National Network partner SALDEF ’s upcoming event “Sikhs in Storytelling!”.  On May 11, they will delve into the rich tapestry of Sikh history and culture with Sikh Americans taking center stage, shattering stereotypes, and sharing their diverse narratives through the power of storytelling. BUY TICKETS HERE

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars queen Plastique Tiara competes for TAAFRuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars queen Plastique Tiara competes for TAAF

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars queens are competing for $200,000 and a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame starting May 17. And for the first time, the winner’s cash prize is going to a charity of the winner’s choosing. READ MORE

Act to Change’s Imagine a World Without (AAPI) Bullying

To commemorate the 6th Annual National AAPI Day Against Bullying & Hate, Anti-Hate National Network partner Act to Change is hosting Imagine a World Without (AAPI) Bullying on May 18th in Los Angeles. The immersive luncheon will feature impact panels and roundtable discussions while also honoring Vincent Chin who would have celebrated his 69th birthday. BUY TICKETS HERE