The Asian American Foundation, Robin Hood Foundation, Surdna Foundation, New York Women’s Foundation, Bank of America, and the City of New York Commit Upwards of $35 Million to AAPI New Yorkers to Bolster Public Safety and Small Businesses

‍The Asian American Foundation, Robin Hood Foundation, Surdna Foundation, New York Women’s Foundation, Bank of America, and the City of New York Commit Upwards of $35 Million to AAPI New Yorkers to Bolster Public Safety and Small Businesses

TAAF Announces Additional Investment in NY with First Regional Office

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New York, NY (May 5, 2023) - The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) with partners Robin Hood Foundation, Surdna Foundation, New York Women’s Foundation, Bank of America, and the NYC Mayor’s Office, today announced that upwards of $35 million is being committed to supporting the safety and wellbeing of AAPI New Yorkers over the next five years. TAAF announced an additional commitment to NY by opening a regional office to support the community. 

Founded in 2021 in response to the historic rise in discrimination and violence against AAPIs, TAAF is focused on mobilizing resources and focusing efforts on four core initiatives through its five year portfolio strategy: Anti-Hate, Education, Narrative Change, and Resources & Representation. In each portfolio, TAAF will provide nonprofits one-time grants for specific programs or multi-year grants aimed at capacity-building to deepen impact and ensure long-term sustainability. In addition, TAAF will continue to execute high impact programs aligned with our initiatives and events that bring people together across sectors to meet the evolving needs of the community. In early 2023, the organization opened its regional office in NYC to address the unique needs and opportunities of AAPI New Yorkers. Leading the office is Eugena Oh, a native New Yorker who joins TAAF from the “I Have A Dream” Foundation where she served as President and CEO.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up nearly 18% of New Yorkers, and despite owning nearly 23% of all NYC small businesses, one in four are living in poverty. As a community, they have historically experienced hate, bias, and challenges in their pursuit of belonging and economic security. These challenges have been magnified since the pandemic, so TAAF’s NYC strategy will focus on public safety and economic empowerment for AAPI New Yorkers.  

As part of TAAF’s portfolio strategy, the organization will invite its partners to co-invest in each initiative to significantly multiply the commitment to create transformational impact. The public-private partnerships to support the AAPI New Yorkers signal not only the immense need of the community but that leading organizations are committed to ensuring a better future isn’t only possible but is within reach.

Fourteen leading AAPI community organizations have joined TAAF to create the NYC Anti-Hate Collaborative Network which will provide support to survivors of anti-Asian hate incidents, aggregate and centralize data on these incidents, and drive public awareness about the severity and prevalence of these incidents. TAAF’s NYC Anti-Hate Collaborative Network partners include: Adhikaar, Asian American Federation (AAF), Chhaya Community Development Corporation, Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), Homecrest Community Services (HCS), Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC), Korean Community Services (KCS), Mekong NYC, MinKwon Center, Sakhi, Sapna NYC, Sikh Coalition, and Womankind.

TAAF also recognizes that in the wake of the pandemic, Asian American businesses experienced sharper declines in consumer spending than businesses owned by other groups.  TAAF is partnering with NYC Department of Small Business Services to commission research on the state of AAPI small businesses, and to unlock further resources for AAPI small business owners, both for public safety and economic empowerment. TAAF is committed to ensuring that private-public partnerships aimed at supporting small businesses include our AAPI small business community, and that financial products designed for small businesses can be leveraged with appropriate cultural and linguistic sensitivities to benefit AAPIs.

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Hear from the coalition partners:

“We recognize the complexity and diversity, the beauty and resilience of the New York City AAPI community, and want to respond to New Yorkers’ needs by providing resources that center community-based solutions,” said Norman Chen, chief executive officer of TAAF. “We are delighted and honored to support the fourteen inaugural nonprofit partners of the NYC Anti-Hate Collaborative, who have been tirelessly working to serve diverse NYC communities across all boroughs for decades. We are thrilled that our partners at Robin Hood Foundation, Surdna Foundation, New York Women’s Foundation, Bank of America, and the City of New York are joining this effort to support AAPI New Yorkers. TAAF is proud to work alongside longtime champions and invaluable advocates of New York City, who have been leading the way with their commitments to the broader community.”

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“We are incredibly proud to partner with TAAF in celebrating the extensive contributions of the AAPI community in New York City. The contributions of AAPI New Yorkers are too often overlooked, and its organizations underfunded. The AAPI community is diverse, including the fastest growing immigrant population in the city with the highest rates of poverty among immigrant groups. As New York City's largest local poverty fighting philanthropy, Robin Hood is proud to partner with TAAF and other AAPI organizations over the next five years to ensure AAPI New Yorkers have full access to opportunities that enable AAPI communities to thrive and feel welcomed, respected, and acknowledged," said Richard R. Buery, Jr., CEO of Robin Hood Foundation.

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“No matter who you are, or where you come from, New York City should always be a place where everyone can safely go home,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “We are thrilled that TAAF agrees and will be opening their first regional office in our great city. Today’s announcement is a leap towards creating a stronger, more resilient Asian American and Pacific Islander community in New York City and I am so proud to be a part of this coalition of public and private institutions working together to ensure better futures for more AAPI New Yorkers.”

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"Small businesses drive economic growth and keep our great city thriving. We are excited to partner with TAAF to provide AANHPI businesses with critical tools that not only protect them against disruption, but empower them to reach their greatest economic potential,” said NYC Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Kevin D. Kim.

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“I am excited to lead TAAF’s Greater New York Area Regional Office to support the incredible work of our community based organizations. Our 14 nonprofit partners are the best of New Yorkers, tirelessly fighting for equity, inclusion and most importantly belonging for all AAPIs. TAAF is humbled to be joined by our foundation and corporate partners and the City of New York who share our vision for this community. It’s an honor to be able to make a positive impact in the place I’ve always called home and I look forward to creating and contributing to a thriving city for all New Yorkers,” said Eugena Oh, TAAF’s NY Regional Director, 

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“We are proud to join TAAF and AAPI leaders to support community-led solutions for economic justice, safety, and healing for the AAPI community. The New York Women's Foundation has been committed to the Asian Community since the Foundation’s inception 36 years ago.  Asian women are part of our founders, Board leaders and members, staff members and grantee partners. We have and always will stand with Asian women,” said Ana Oliveira, President and CEO of The New York Women’s Foundation. 

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ABOUT THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION (TAAF)

TAAF is dedicated to building a safer, more inclusive future for AAPIs everywhere. Founded in 2021 in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate and address the long standing underinvestment in AAPI communities, TAAF funds best in class organizations working to mobilize against hate and violence, educate communities, and reclaim our narratives through our core pillars of Anti-hate, Education, Narrative Change, and Resources & Representation. Through our grants, high-impact initiatives and events, we’re creating a permanent and irrevocable sense of belonging for millions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. For additional information about TAAF, please visit www.taaf.org.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES (SBS)

SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information, visit nyc.gov/sbs, call 311, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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ABOUT THE NEW YORK WOMEN’S FOUNDATION

The New York Women’s Foundation is a platform for women (cis and trans) and nonbinary people, and a force for change. Our mission is to create an equitable and just future for all women and girls by uniting cross-cultural and community alliances that ignite action. The Foundation invests in women-led, innovative, and bold community based solutions that promote the economic security, safety, and health of the most overlooked women. For more information, visit www.nywf.org.  

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ABOUT ROBIN HOOD

This year Robin Hood celebrates its 35th year of funding, supporting, and connecting New York’s most impactful community organizations at the forefront in the battle against poverty. We’re NYC’s largest local poverty-fighting philanthropy and since 1988, we’ve invested more than $3 billion to elevate and fuel the permanent escape of New Yorkers from poverty. Last year, through grantmaking with 300+ community partners, we created pathways to opportunities out of poverty for more than 325,000 New Yorkers, and through our strategic partnerships on child care, child poverty, jobs, and living wages, we are scaling impact at a population level for the more than 1.4 million New Yorkers living in poverty. At Robin Hood, we believe your starting point in life should not define where you end up. To learn more about our work and impact, follow us on Twitter @RobinHoodNYC or go to robinhood.org.

ABOUT THE SURDNA FOUNDATION

The Surdna Foundation seeks to foster sustainable communities in the United States — communities guided by principles of social justice and distinguished by healthy environments, inclusive economies, and thriving cultures. For over five generations, the Foundation has been governed largely by descendants of John E. Andrus and has developed a tradition of innovative service for those in need of help or opportunity. Learn more: https://surdna.org/