Asian Community Fund distributes largest grant round in its history

The grants span arts and culture, social services, education, economic development, health and civic engagement organizations, and bring the fund’s total grantmaking to over $1.63 million since 2022. With its grantmaking, the ACF strives to catalyze new partnerships, respond to emerging community needs, and expand the capacity of the local AAPI nonprofit, business, and cultural sectors. Founded in 2020, the ACF has partnered with and supported the work of 107 local Asian-serving community nonprofits to date.

“At a time when a broad cross-section of vulnerable communities is under assault, we are proud to be broadening and deepening our support for AAPI organizations across Massachusetts,” said Danielle Kim, Executive Director of the Asian Community Fund. “We stand with the rest of the Boston Foundation in our efforts to meet this critical moment and protect the rights, health, and wellbeing of all our residents and communities.”

Importantly, 34% of these 60 organizations are first-time ACF grant recipients. The median annual revenue of these grantees is $112,098, and 73% have operating budgets under $500,000. The 2025 grant cycle prioritized funding for underrepresented ethnicities and geographies in Massachusetts, organizations with smaller annual operating budgets, and applicants who had not previously received funding from the ACF or TBF.

The growth in community needs is demonstrated by an increase in applications to the Fund this spring. The ACF received 118 applications in this round, amounting to $1,637,788 in total funding requests – more than double the number of applicants and funds requested just two years ago. In addition to the $530,000 distributed through this spring’s annual open grantmaking cycle, the ACF previously allocated $45,500 in discretionary off-cycle grants earlier this year.

Taken together with the Boston Foundation’s Safety Net Grants and other programs, this grantmaking round is part of more than $825,000 in support for AAPI organizations this spring, plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in support from Asian Community Fund and Boston Foundation donors.

“In partnership with ACF’s Advisory Committee and our network of volunteer reviewers, we have been able to more than double ACF’s annual grantmaking over the past three years, said Paul W. Lee, Chair and Co-Founder of the Asian Community Fund. “We are grateful for the generosity of our donor community and proud to celebrate our collective impact in supporting the Commonwealth’s vibrant and growing AAPI population.”

2025 grantees (sorted by amount)