You’ve heard of Black Friday. You’ve heard of Cyber Monday. But, you may not have heard of Giving Tuesday. Launched last year, Giving Tuesday (or #GivingTuesday, for all you Twerps) is a collaboration between thousands of charities to create an unofficial national day of giving.
That’s right – a day to celebrate the true spirit of the holiday season. Not 25% off televisions, or 50% off domain name registration; no, Giving Tuesday is a call to think about someone else and to do just a little bit to make this world a little bit better. And, in its inaugural year, Giving Tuesday managed to raise nearly $10 million in donations, a nearly 50% increase in giving compared to years before this event was organized.
This year, more than 8000 local and national charities are again coming together to participate in Giving Tuesday.
Here’s your list of Asian American efforts and links to either their organization homepages, or their #GivingTuesday campaigns. Please consider making a donation:
National / Civil Rights
- APIA Vote: dedicated to increasing civic and voter participation among APIAs
- Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA): dedicated to advancement of Asian Americans
- Asian American Justice Center (AAJC): dedicated to advancing APIA civil rights
- National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF): dedicated to advancing equality for Asian American women
- Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund (AALDEF): dedicated to protecting and advocating for legal and civil rights of Asian Americans
- The Sikh Coalition: dedicated to protecting civil rights for all, including Sikh 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.
- 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
- Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAIC): dedicated to improving APIA political participation
- Boat People SOS: advocacy on behalf of Vietnamese American community
- Center for Asian Pacific American Women: focused on improving the personal and professional lives of Asian American women
- Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement: dedicated to advocacy for Native Hawaiians
- Japanese American Citizens League: dedicated to advancement of Asian American civil rights
- Hmong National Development: dedicated to advocacy for Hmong Americans
- National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance: dedicated to advocacy for LGBTQ Asian Americans
- Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP): dedicated towards fostering leadership within the APIA community
- Laotian American National Alliance (LANA): advocacy for Laotian Americans
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA): dedicated to professional development and advocacy for APIAs working in the legal system
- National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC): promoting civil rights and political involvement for Korean Americans
- 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
- National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NAFFAA): association of Filipino American organizations, focused on advocacy
National / Healthcare
- Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF): working towards improved healthcare access for APIAs
- Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organization (AAPCHO): association of community health clinics serving underserved Asian American, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander communities
- 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 & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF): increasing access for underprivileged APIA students to higher education
- Asian American LEAD: youth development programs for underprivileged APIAs
National / History & Arts
- South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA): documenting and preserving the voice of South Asians
- National Japanese American Memorial Foundation (NJAMF): preserving the history of Japanese American service
- East-West Players: telling the stories of Asian Americans on-stage
- Kearny Street Workshop: San Francisco-based, oldest Asian American arts organization in the country
Local (General Advocacy)
- Asian American Community Involvement (AACI): Santa Clara-based
- Asian American United (AAU): Philadelphia-based
- Cherry Blossom Giving Circle: Washington DC-based
- Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center: Boston-based
- AYPAL: Oakland-based, focusing on low-income APIA immigrant community
- Oakland Asian Cultural Center: Oakland-based
- Chicago Korean American Resource & Cultural Center: Chicago-based chapter of NAKASEC
- Korean Resource Center LA (KRCLA): Los Angeles-based chapter of NAKASEC
Local / Healthcare
- Asian Health Services Youth Program: Oakland-based, focusing on reproductive health
- Community Health for Asian Americans (CHAA): Oakland-based
Local / Youth Development
- Apex for Youth: NYC-based, youth from low-income backgrounds
Special Events
- 3rd Annual Holiday Gala | National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP): winter charity fundraiser to benefit underprivileged & immigrant kids during the holidays, December 12th, 7-11pm, San Francisco, CA
If you know of an APIA organization participating in Giving Tuesday that has been left off this list, please leave a comment and I will update this post.
Updated 11:27am – Reorganized list to categorize. Added Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center!
Updated 2:25pm – Added many new orgs!
Updated 3:30pm – Added NAAAP’s holiday gala to benefit underprivileged children!
Updated 3:51pm – Added several national organizations (and more coming when I get a chance to cross-reference with those listed here), and Apex for Youth, a local NYC-based organization.
Updated 4:22pm – Added more national orgs, and tweeted out. Need to take a break for work; back to it in a bit!
Just a quick clarification: this listed started as all organizations I found registered with the #GivingTuesday campaign, however, due to overwhelming interest has now expanded to become a more comprehensive list of APIA organizations (regardless of their explicit participation in #GivingTuesday or not). As a comprehensive list of APIA-centric charities, I know this list is incomplete; please help me fill in the gaps over the course of today!
Updated 6:00pm – Okay, finished cross-referencing with all members of the National Council for Asian Pacific Americans. Thanks for your patience!
Updated 12/4/2013 – Added East-West Players!
Updated 12/17/2013 – Added Kearny Street Workshop!
