Did you participate in the #NotOneDime boycott of Black Friday in solidarity with Ferguson supporters, which may have contributed to the day’s reported 11% drop in sales relative to previous years? Did you reject the crass consumerism of Cyber Monday? Hopefully, you’ve got a little bit of extra change in your pocket then; and I’ve got just the groups that could use it!
Today, is the third annual Giving Tuesday, a day to encourage community members to be inspired by the holidays and give to their favourite charities and non-profit organizations.
For those of us in the Asian American & Pacific Islander community, it can be hard to know what organizations are out there. In previous years, Giving Tuesday had created a registry of participating non-profits, but only a few AAPI groups were listed. So, last year, I created a master-list of AAPI non-profits and invited you to browse the site and pick one (or more!) to donate to. This year, I’ve updated the master-list, and it appears after the jump.
However, before you click through, I strongly encourage you to consider donating to the Boggs Center’s trust for Grace Lee Boggs’ hospice care. The trustees of the fund are dedicating one hundred percent of donations to Boggs’ medical and caregiver costs, to offset the $8000/month bill she has been facing since entering hospice care earlier in the year. As Boggs’ trustees write:
Grace has always put the needs of others before her own. But now she is in need of your support.
You can contribute to the Boggs Center’s trust for Grace Lee Boggs here.
If you have additional funds available, please consider making a donation to any one of these awesome AAPI non-profit organizations. For many of these groups, your donation will be tax-deductible (websites will give specific information), and the funds will go to supporting a very good cause in relation to the Asian American & Pacific Islander communities.
If your group has been left off this list, please let me know in the comments section below and I will happily update as soon as possible. This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all AAPI non-profits, but it can’t hurt to make it more comprehensive!
National / Civil Rights
- APIA Vote: dedicated to increasing civic and voter participation among APIAs
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ): dedicated to advancing APIA civil rights; note that there are six separate chapters of AAAJ that each do amazing work on their own. Donations should be directed to specific chapters.
- Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund (AALDEF): dedicated to protecting and advocating for legal and civil rights of Asian Americans
- Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAIC): dedicated to improving APIA political participation
- Association of Filipinas, Feminists Fighting Imperialism, Re-feudalization, and Marginalization (AF3IRM): National, empowering Filipino American feminism and fighting transnational imperialism
- Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA): progressives advocating for entire AAPI community and dedicated to immigrant rights, language diversity, and remidies for racial injustice
- Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP): dedicated towards fostering leadership within the APIA community
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA): dedicated to professional development and advocacy for APIAs working in the legal system
- National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP): leadership organization for APIA professionals
- National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (CAPACD): dedicated to addressing housing and community needs for lower-income APIAs
- OCA: dedicated to advancement of Asian Americans
National / Civil Rights / Ethnic Group-Specific
- Boat People SOS: advocacy on behalf of Vietnamese American community
- Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement: dedicated to advocacy for Native Hawaiians
- Filipino Advocates for Justice: formerly Filipinos for Affirmative Action, advocating for Filipino American social and economic justice
- Hmong National Development: dedicated to advocacy for Hmong Americans
- Japanese American Citizens League: dedicated to advancement of Asian American civil rights
- Kizuna: Los Angeles-based, leadership/social justice education programs for Japanese American youth
- Laotian American National Alliance (LANA): advocacy for Laotian Americans
- National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC): promoting civil rights and political involvement for Korean Americans
- National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NAFFAA): association of Filipino American organizations, focused on advocacy
- Sikh American Legal Defense & Education Fund (SALDEF): dedicated to protecting and advocating for legal and civil rights of Sikh Americans
- South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT): dedicated to advocacy for South Asian Americans
- Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC): dedicated to advocacy for Southeast Asian Americans
- The Sikh Coalition: dedicated to protecting civil rights for all, including Sikh Americans
- Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC): focused on empowerment and civic engagement of NHPI community
National / Gender & Sexuality
- Asian-American Women’s Political Initiative (AAWPI): focused on engaging and empowering AAPI women in politics and government
- Center for Asian Pacific American Women: focused on improving the personal and professional lives of Asian American women
- National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF): dedicated to advancing equality for Asian American women
- National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance: dedicated to advocacy for LGBTQ Asian Americans
- Nomi Network: dedicated to increased economic opportunities for survivors and at-risk women victimized by human trafficking, currently focused on Southeast Asian and South Asian women.
National / Environmental
- Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN): Oakland-based, coalition of Asian Americans advocating for sustainable environmental policy and practice
National / Healthcare
- Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches (A3M): builds database of marrow donors for Asian Americans
- Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF): working towards improved healthcare access for APIAs
- Asian Pacific Islander Obesity Prevention Alliance (APIOPA): addresses social, cultural, environmental, and political factors that contribute to growing Asian American obesity rates
- Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organization (AAPCHO): association of community health clinics serving underserved Asian American, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander communities
- Banyan Tree Project: organization advocating for HIV/AIDS awareness in the AAPI community
- National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA): dedicated to promoting mental health and well-being for APIA community
- National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse (NAPAFASA): dedicated to addressing substance abuse within APIA community
- National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA): advocacy and service organization focusing on APIA elders
- National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians (NCAPIP): organization of APIA physicians advocating on behalf of improved healthcare
National / Labour Rights
- Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA): dedicated to advancing Asian American worker rights
National / Youth Development
- Asian American LEAD: youth development programs for underprivileged APIAs
- Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF): increasing access for underprivileged APIA students to higher education
National & Local / History & Arts
- Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA): dedicated to addressing the needs of Asian Pacific American librarians, and librarians who serve the AAPI community
- Asian American Writers’ Workshop (AAWW): New York-based, presenting and supporting Asian American writers
- Chinese American Museum: Los Angeles-based, preserving/presenting the history of Chinese Americans
- Center for Asian American Media (CAAM): dedicated to the funding, distribution and exhibition of independent works by Asian American creators in film and digital media.
- Common Ground: Santa Ana-based, local social justice/community-oriented performance series
- East-West Players: telling the stories of Asian Americans on-stage
- FilAm Arts: Los Angeles-based presenting and supporting the Filipino American artist community
- Grateful Crane Ensemble: Los Angeles-based, presenting Japanese American stories and music
- Japanese American Museum of San Jose: San Jose-based, preserving/presenting the history of Japanese Americans
- Japanese American National Museum: Los Angeles-based, preserving/presenting the history of Japanese Americans
- Kearny Street Workshop: San Francisco-based, oldest Asian American arts organization in the country
- Kollaboration National, presenting Asian American talent
- Museum of Chinese in America: New York-based, preserving/presenting the history of Chinese Americans
- National Japanese American Memorial Foundation (NJAMF): preserving the history of Japanese American service
- South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA): documenting and preserving the voice of South Asians
- Tuesday Night Project: Los Angeles-based, building Asian American community and art, longest still-running Asian American free art series
- Vietnamese Arts and Letters Association (VAALA): Santa Ana-based, presenting and supporting the Vietnamese American artist community
- Visual Communications: Los Angeles-based, documenting, preserving, and presenting the work of Asian American visual artists/filmmakers
- Wing Luke Museum: Seattle-based, preserving/presenting the history of Asian Americans
Local / General Advocacy
- Asian American Community Involvement (AACI): Santa Clara-based
- Asian American Community Services of Central Ohio (AACS Ohio): Ohio-based
- Asian American Resource Workshop: Boston-based
- Asian American United (AAU): Philadelphia-based
- Asian Prisoner Support Committee: Oakland-based, provides support, advocacy, and education for and about Asian Americans in the prison system
- ASPIRE: San Francisco-based, empowering undocumented immigrants in fight for immigrant rights
- AYPAL: Oakland-based, focusing on low-income APIA immigrant community
- Chinese Progressive Association: Boston-based, focused on advocacy for Chinese American community
- Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association Lowell: based in Lowell, Massachusetts, focused on improvement of quality of life for Cambodian American community
- Cherry Blossom Giving Circle: Washington DC-based
- Chicago Korean American Resource & Cultural Center: Chicago-based chapter of NAKASEC
- Korean Resource Center LA (KRCLA): Los Angeles-based chapter of NAKASEC
- Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA): Orange County-based
- Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) Los Angeles-based, raising local Filipino American communities
- South Asian American Policy & Research Institute (SAAPRI): Chicago-based, focused on conducting research and making public policy recommendations
Local / Community Centers and Historic Districts
- Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center: Boston, MA
- Chinatown Community Development Center: San Francisco, CA
- Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) Los Angeles-based, presenting and supporting Japanese American culture
- Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC): Los Angeles-based, strengthens Los Angeles Asian American communities and neighborhoods through housing and community development
- Oakland Asian Cultural Center: Oakland, CA
- San Gabriel API PFLAG Los Angeles-based, provides education, support, and engagement opportunities for parents and families of LGBTQ-identified Asian Pacific Islanders
- Sustainable Little Tokyo Los Angeles-based, building a tangible vision for a sustainable Los Angeles Jtown
- Thai Community Development Center: Los Angeles, CA
Local / Gender & Sexuality
- API Equality – LA: Los Angeles, educates, empowers, and activates LGBTQ Asian American community
- API Equality – Northern California: Northern California, educates, empowers, and activates LGBTQ Asian American community
- Banteay Srei: Oakland-based, focused on Southeast Asian American women, youth development
- Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA): San Francisco-based, involves and activates Gay and bisexual Asian/Pacific Islanders in the California Bay Area
- Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY) New York-based, outreach and activism for Gay Asian Pacific Islander men in New York
- Khmer Girls in Action: Long Beach-based, focused on Southeast Asian American women, youth development
- Monsoon | United Asian Women of Iowa: Iowa-based, focused on ending gender-based violence
- My Sister’s House: Sacramento-based, focused on serving AAPI women and children impacted by domestic violence
- Satrang SoCal: Los Angeles-based, serves to create a safe South Asian community for LGBT*Q people
Local / Labour Rights:
- Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance: Los Angeles-based
Local / Healthcare
- APAIT: Los Angeles-based, provides healthcare to medically underserved communities living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS
- Asian Health Services Youth Program: Oakland-based, focusing on reproductive health
- Asian Pacific Community in Action: Arizona-based
- Asian Pacific Development Center (APDC): Colorado, focusing on mental health, physical health, and other in-language services for the state’s immigrant and refugee populations
- Asian American Drug Abuse Program (AADAP): Los Angeles-based, provides substance-abuse services to medically underserved communities
- Center For the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF): Los Angeles-based, provides outreach, emergency, and mental health services to API who are surviving sexual assault and/or domestic abuse
- Community Health for Asian Americans (CHAA): Oakland-based
Local / Youth Development
- Apex for Youth: NYC-based, youth from low-income backgrounds
- VAYLA New Orleans: New Orleans-based, youth development, multi-racial
Special
Please note that inclusion of an organization on this list does not imply endorsement by Reappropriate of all the group’s activities or positions, nor does it imply endorsement by the non-profit of any writing — generally or specifically — on Reappropriate. I encourage you to do additional research on any non-profit that appears on this list before making a contribution.
Thank you for considering a donation in support of Giving Tuesday!
Updated (12/1/2014 11:46pm): Added APALA and AACS Ohio!
Updated (12/2/2014 10:40am): Added Asian American Resource Workshop and Asian Pacific Community in Action. Alphabetized lists.
Updated (12/2/2014 12:15am): Added VAYLA New Orleans, Banteay Srei, Monsoon | United Asian Women of Iowa and Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association Lowell.
Updated (12/2/2014 1:45pm): Added Asian Pacific Development Center
Updated (12/2/2014 9:13pm): Added Khmer Girls in Action, Filipino Advocates for Justice, Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance, Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), Thai Community Development Center, Chinese Progressive Association, My Sister’s House, Chinatown Community Development Center, Asian-American Women’s Political Initiative (AAWPI), South Asian American Policy & Research Institute (SAAPRI), Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), Tuesday Night Projeect, Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA), Asian American Writers’ Workshop (AAWW)
Updated (12/2/2014 10:38pm): Added about thirty more organizations. Too many to list here! Many thanks to @seanmiura and @spamfriedrice, among others, for the many suggestions!
