In April, NCRP launched the Movement Investment Project, a new initiative to help foundations and donors better connect their resources with grassroots movements for social justice. This year the Movement Investment Project is focusing on the pro-immigrant movement at a time when the safety and prosperity of new Americans is under significant threat.

This AAPI Heritage Month, it’s time to recognize that philanthropy has an Asian American exclusion problem.

As foundations and donors begin to think about how better to support the pro-immigrant movement, philanthropists should be especially mindful of how better to recognize the complexity of the AAPI community and support its leaders.

They can start by recognizing the long history of Asian immigration in the U.S., the diversity of AAPI communities and the powerful potential for movement leadership we bring to the table.

Philanthropy can invest in a future that celebrates the diversity of the AAPI population.

Here are some ways to start:

  • Understand how the racism and exclusion of the AAPI community has occurred throughout American history.
  • Learn how that history has affected how the AAPI community is represented today and how it connects to your own funding priorities.
  • Disaggregate the data. What are the disparities among the different AAPI communities where you fund? What disparities exist between states with different AAPI populations?
  • Support AAPI-led pro-immigrant, advocacy and grassroots organizations. They are the ones who know the experiences of their communities the best, and increasing support for these organizations can be a powerful start of long-term change for the whole movement.
  • Include AAPI voices at the table. Make sure that the AAPI community and the diversity of their experiences is included in conversations about strategic priorities or grantmaking decisions.

Read the full article on the exclusion of Asian American populations in philanthropy by Stephanie Peng at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.