May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month — a time to celebrate the diversity, resilience, and contributions of our communities. But celebration alone isn’t enough.

As someone who’s worked in and around philanthropy for years, I’ve seen firsthand how AANHPI communities are often underfunded, overlooked, or treated as an afterthought in broader equity conversations. That’s why I was heartened to learn — first through a conversation with Miguel Lopez and later through the leadership of Amenah Gulamhusein — about the San Diego Foundation’s new AANHPI Fund.

The fund’s first round of grants focuses on youth mental health and suicide prevention — addressing a crisis that’s quietly become the leading cause of death among AANHPI youth.

I’ve spoken with countless AANHPI youth over the years who’ve shared stories of bullying, isolation, or feeling like they didn’t belong — and I carry those stories because I lived one of them, too. I grew up surrounded by other Asian Americans, yet I was still singled out for being different, for not fitting someone else’s idea of what an Asian kid should be. As a teenager, there were times when I quietly questioned whether I wanted to keep going.

I share that not for sympathy, but because I know similar stories are still playing out across our schools and neighborhoods. I know what it would’ve meant to hear someone say: Your pain is valid. You matter. You’re not alone.

That’s what makes the AANHPI Fund so vital. It’s not just a financial commitment — it’s a cultural one. It’s an acknowledgment that our youth deserve more than resilience; they deserve real support.

San Diego has the seventh-largest AANHPI population in the country, yet local philanthropic support has historically been limited or reactive. Many Asian Americans give generously, but often through informal channels like family, churches, or community mutual aid. Concepts like guanxi — a network of trust-based relationships — shape how many of us approach giving. Traditional philanthropy often overlooks these cultural nuances, and in doing so, misreads quiet generosity as disengagement.

Read the full article about the San Diego Foundation’s new AANHPI Fund by Charles Lu at Times of San Diego.