Asian Community Fund FY26 Grant Applications
Application Deadline: Friday, April 24, 2026 at 5:00 P.M.
About this Application Cycle
Through its grantmaking, ACF strives to catalyze new partnerships and expand the capacity of the local AAPI nonprofit, business, and cultural sectors. To this end, ACF encourages proposals that promote cross-agency partnerships, deepen collaboration with other communities, and expand and sustain community impact beyond a single event, workshop, or gathering. The Asian Community Fund’s 2026 funding priorities are informed by the theme of uplifting Survival, Solidarity, and Stability and addressing the community’s most urgent needs, including but not limited to: legal services and advocacy, food insecurity, economic stability, community well-being and belonging. This grant application opens on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 and closes on Friday, April 24, 2026 at 5:00 PM.
About the Asian Community Fund
The Asian Community Fund (ACF) at the Boston Foundation is the first and only philanthropic fund in Massachusetts dedicated to activating, convening, and supporting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Launched in 2020, ACF is a permanent resource designed to galvanize and unite the diverse ethnicities within our community, incubate new partnerships, and build a stronger advocacy voice.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations based in Massachusetts or have a qualifying fiscal agent with 501(c)3 status.
- Applicants will be evaluated based on the organization’s mission and impact, alignment to ACF’s funding priorities, and demonstrated track record of expanding AAPI visibility, collaboration, and community power.
- Organizations of all budget sizes are eligible to apply, but priority will be given to organizations with annual operating budgets under $500,000.
- Priority will be given to organizations that serve underrepresented AAPI ethnicities and geographical regions in Massachusetts, and organizations that have not previously received funding from ACF/TBF. To ensure a broad distribution of resources, the Asian Community Fund may limit organizations to three consecutive years of funding before taking a one-year pause.
Funding Considerations
- Grants will be made for general operating support to organizations and/or projects that primarily serve the AAPI community in Massachusetts.
- Grant sizes will primarily range between $5,000-$25,000. At its discretion, ACF may consider making grants at different levels and durations. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions by June 2026.
- Organizations that received funding from ACF in 2025 will be asked to provide a brief update on how the funds were spent. Those that are selected for funding in this year’s grantmaking cycle may be asked to share their experiences via a phone call and/or brief survey midway through the grant.
- Funding will support the following types of work:
- Survival: Responding to the community’s most immediate needs and safeguarding essential services, legal rights, and wellbeing in a time of heightened vulnerability.
- Solidarity: Fostering deep partnership and collective action across communities, sectors, and movements – especially with those most marginalized – to elevate mutual support, power building, and belonging.
- Stability: Investing in the sustained health of organizations and systems by deepening organizational capacity and advancing equitable, long-term solutions for residents now and into the future.
Ineligible Requests
- Projects that will primarily benefit individuals or communities outside of Massachusetts;
- Event sponsorships; campaign capital requests; construction costs;
- Endowments; medical or academic research; sectarian or religious activities; and efforts to support candidates for political office;
- Hardship funding requests that benefit specific individuals or communities; and
- Scholarship programs, ticket sales, or admission fees.
How to Apply:
- Visit our Grants Portal to create and/or verify your user account. A few years ago the Boston Foundation updated our grant management system, so we encourage you to activate your account well in advance of submitting your grant.
- Please first try using the "Password Reset" link to access the system, as you may already be in our database. You should receive a password reset email after 10 minutes, with additional prompts and instructions.
- If you do not receive this email, click the "Register" button underneath the Login box and follow the prompts to create a new account.
- For detailed instructions on how to activate your account, please review this guide. If you have any difficulty logging in, please reach out to Danielle Kim at danielle.kim@tbf.org.
- Once in the grant portal, follow the instructions to open the Funding Opportunities and select "Asian Community Fund FY26".
- Fill out the application, and don’t forget to attach your Organizational Operating Budget (in any format you have it).
- Please complete the application on a computer (do not attempt to complete on a hand-held device).
Reminder
The deadline to apply for this grant is Friday, April 24, 2026 at 5:00 P.M.