CACF’s 18% and Growing Campaign Rallies in Bensonhurst Park for A Fair and Equitable NYC Budget
Brooklyn-based members of the 18% and Growing campaign pose with Councilmember Alexa Avilés (center) after Tuesday’s rally.
Over 70 community members, service providers, community leaders, advocates, and elected allies raised their voices to lift up the health, education, and language access needs of New York City’s AAPI community.
BROOKLYN, NY (May 13) — Over 70 AAPI advocates, service providers and community members from CACF’s 18% and Growing budget advocacy campaign gathered in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst Park on Tuesday to rally for equitable funding for the borough’s diverse AAPI communities.
Local City Councilmembers Alexa Avilés and Susan Zhuang joined over 60 Brooklyn-based members of CACF’s 18% and Growing campaign, which was founded nearly 20 years ago to advocate for budget equity in New York City. Rallygoers in attendance included representatives and community members from Apna Brooklyn Community Center, Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC), Homecrest Community Services, United Chinese Association of Brooklyn, and Women’s Empowerment Coalition of NYC. The crowd joined in chants of “We are 18%” and “We need a fair and inclusive NYC budget” as they urged New York City Council to support AAPI-led and -serving community-based organizations across the five boroughs of New York City.
Throughout the rally, speakers centered the main points of the 18% and Growing campaign’s budget ask, which are:
Enhance the AAPI Community Support Initiative to $7.5 million to expand social services by AAPI serving community-based organizations to address the fiscal equity needed to build bridges between culturally competent and linguistically accessible services and the most vulnerable AAPI New Yorkers.
Enhance the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund (CCNSF) to $7.5 million to provide capacity building support to Black, Latinx, and AAPI-led community-based organizations.
Enhance the Access Health NYC Initiative to $4.5 million to support community-based organizations (CBOs) who provide education, outreach, and assistance to marginalized New Yorkers on how to access health care and coverage.
Councilmember Alexa Avilés addresses Tuesday’s rally.
“At a time when so many New Yorkers are worried about the future of the programs and social services they rely on, it’s more important than ever for New York City Council to invest in initiatives that uplift the needs of every day people,” said Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung, Co-Executive Directors of CACF, which leads the 18% and Growing campaign. “City Council-supported programs like the AAPI Community Support Initiative, Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund, and the Access Health Initiative provide critical resources to community-based organizations across the city that are doing the vital work of supporting our communities, regardless of their language fluency or immigration status. We urge the Council to support the enhancement of these critical programs in the New York City Budget.”
"I am proud to stand with the 18% and Growing Campaign that is advocating for a just and fair budget for our AAPI New Yorkers. Although 18% of our city's population is made up by our vibrant AAPI communities, last year, just 5.3% of the NYC budget went towards investments in those communities. This underinvestment has hindered public safety, community health, and quality of life in neighborhoods like Sunset Park. Together, we must continue to fight and ensure that our next budget includes adequate funding for the Community Support Initiative, Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund, and Access Health NYC,” said Councilmember Alexa Avilés.
"Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are the fastest-growing demographic in New York City, now making up 18%—or 1.2 million— of our population. Yet, the City invests just $0.79 per AAPI resident," said Councilmember Shahana Hanif, Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus. "As the first Bangladeshi elected to the City Council, representing the fastest-growing Asian American community in NYC, I understand the urgency of aligning our budgets with the realities of our communities. I proudly join CACF in calling on the City to expand the AAPI Community Support Initiative and the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund to $7.5 million each, and to increase Access Health NYC to $4.5 million. These investments are critical to achieving true budget justice for AAPI New Yorkers."
“New York’s vibrant AAPI community deserves the best. Full investment in a population representing 18% of New York (and growing) is a must,” said Councilmember Chi Osse. “As both a Member of the New York City Council and a New Yorker of Asian heritage, I am proud to support the initiative.”
“The AAPI community is the fastest growing community and we cannot be ignored. In the last budget, the city invested last than six percent in AAPI communities. That is one third of what every other New Yorker is receiving,” said Councilmember Susan Zhuang. “I support CACF pushing for more fiscal investment, including $4.5 million for the Access Health NYC Initiative. My team found there are a handful of Asian language accessible mental health providers throughout the city, and most through translators. These facts cannot be ignored. We cannot be ignored. We deserve access like every other New Yorker.”
Councilmember Susan Zhuang addresses Tuesday’s rally.
"Homecrest Community Services is proud to be a recipient of the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund (CCNSF), a key priority of the 18% and Growing Campaign. Between January to December 2024, we resolved over 12,000 cases and served more than 7,000 clients across our centers—and now, with our new center in Sunset Park, we’re seeing a growing demand for comprehensive social services. CCNSF funding is critical for us to modernize our case management system and provide coordinated, responsive care across sites. Fiscal equity means closing long-standing gaps, allowing us to deliver culturally competent services that meet the needs of our community,” said Homecrest Community Services’ President & CEO Wai Yee Chan.
“We are fighting for fairness. The AAPI community in NYC has shaped the city as it is today,” said Ansen Tang, President of the United Chinese Association of Brooklyn at the rally. “Now, more than ever, our voices cannot be ignored. Our voices matter, our votes matter.”
“The AAPI diaspora and the communities we serve — including Arab and immigrant women — have been historically underserved and excluded from equitable funding and resources. There is a growing gap in access to culturally competent social services, including ESL classes, workforce training, and gender-based violence prevention,” saidSomia El-Rowmeim,Chief Executive Officer of Women’s Empowerment Coalition.“Allocating these funds would allow our organization to expand direct services, including social support and language access programs, that meet the unique needs of our community. Fiscal equity is essential to ensure our community receives the resources needed to thrive with dignity, opportunity, and inclusion.”
More photo of Tuesday’s rally can be found here.
For more information please email Lakshmi Gandhi, CACF’s Senior Communications Coordinator, at lgandhi@cacf.org.
