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:
Addressing mental health needs and increase community safety for AAPI New Yorkers
Addressing hate, bias, and racism
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.
