CACF’s AAPI Community Development Fund Announces Fourth Awardee Cohort

 The fund’s 29 awardees reflect the diversity and geographic reach of New York’s AAPI community

New York, New York (May 1, 2025) – To commemorate the start of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) proudly announced the names of the 29 community-based organizations across New York State that make up its 2025-26 AAPI Community Development Fund awardees on Thursday morning.

The 2025-26 AAPI Community Development Fund awardee cohort is the largest in the fund’s history. This year’s awards range from $5,000 - $30,000 per organization, with a record 75 percent of the allocated funding going to support community-based organizations outside of New York City. Regions represented by this year’s awardees include the Capital Region, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Mid-Hudson, Southern Tier, and Western New York.

“It’s an honor to kick off AAPI Heritage Month by announcing our largest awardee cohort in the history of CACF’s AAPI Community Development Fund, said CACF’s Co-Executive Directors Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung. “Since its inception, the AAPI Community Development Fund has provided a much-needed source of support for community-based organizations working each day in our neighborhoods and communities across New York State to support mental well-being and community safety, healing, racial literacy programming, life affirming multi-social services, and so much more. The tremendous breadth of the work of our 2025-26 awardees is a testament to the vital work of community organizations and the need for funding and support for New York State’s AAPI community, which remains the fastest growing population in the state.”

The AAPI Community Development Fund provides a critical source of state funding to nonprofit organizations that are culturally responsive, language accessible, and are trusted resources within the communities they serve in the following ways:

  1. Addressing mental health needs and increase community safety for AAPI New Yorkers

  2. Addressing hate, bias, and racism

  3. Providing critical social and health programs and services

This fund is made possible through New York State, and the tireless advocacy of the AAPI Equity Budget Coalition, conceived and co-founded by CACF.  

The full list of the 2025-26 CDF awardees is below:

Afghans For A Better Tomorrow

Alliance for Refugees and Immigrants

Asian Pacific American Public Affairs Association - Buffalo/Niagara

AWAKE - Asian Women's Alliance for Kinship & Equality

Buffalo Chinese Health Professionals (BCHP)

Buffalo United for Peace

Chinatown Youth Initiatives

Deaf New American Advocacy

Durga Temple Of Westchester

Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund

Foundation for Filipino Artists

India Center of Westchester

InterGrowth Foundation

Keepers Connections

Metropolitan Asian Deaf Association

Myanmar Multiethnic Sociocultural Association

New York Coalition for Asian American Mental Health

Pacific Island Film Festival

Pakistani Community of CNY

Project Ready

Refugee Welcome Corporation

Rochester's LACE

Roslyn Grace

SPEAK (a Supportive Place for Empowering Asian Americans & Kin)

Suffolk County Police Asian Jade Society

Sukanya Burman Dance

Tea Arts and Culture

The Westchester Music of India Group

Yemeni American Merchants Association

For more information or to be connected with one of our CDF awardees, please email Lakshmi Gandhi, CACF’s Senior Communications Coordinator, at lgandhi@cacf.org.

CACF

Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) is the nation’s only pan-Asian children and families’ advocacy organization bringing together community-based organizations as well as youth and community allies to fight for equity for Asian Pacific Americans (APAs).

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