“We Are 18%”: CACF and 30+ Community-Based Organizations Call on City Council to Fund the Future of AAPI New Yorkers
New York, New York (May 6, 2026) – Over 200 nonprofit leaders, service providers, community members and elected officials gathered on the steps of New York City Hall on Wednesday to call on City Council to support a City Budget that lifts up our city’s most marginalized residents and the nonprofits who serve them.
Representing over 30 different Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community-based organizations (CBOs) from across the five boroughs, the crowd joined in chants of “We are 18%” and “We need a fair and inclusive NYC budget” as they urged Councilmembers to support AAPI-led and -serving across the five boroughs of New York City, community members joined forces with City Council members at the vibrant gathering to call for an inclusive City Budget that protects the needs of all AAPI New Yorkers (New York City’s fastest growing racial population).
NYC Councilmembers Ty Hankerson, Sandy Nurse, Pierina Sanchez and Susan Zhuang all spoke in support of funding the needs of the city’s AAPI community.
The 18% and Growing campaign is specifically calling for the following:
● Enhance the AAPI Community Support Initiative to $7.5 million to expand social services by AAPI serving community-based organizations.
● Enhance the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund (CCNSF) to $10 million to provide capacity building support to Black, Latinx, and AAPI-led community-based organizations.
● Enhance the Access Health Initiative to $4.5 million to support community-based organizations (CBOs) providing critical, linguistically accessible healthcare services and outreach efforts.
“Every day, New York City’s AAPI-led and -serving community-based organizations see firsthand the escalating crises in food security, healthcare, and language access. But while our CBOs are on the front lines, funding for this essential work has simply not kept pace,” said Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung, Co-Executive Directors of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF). “Initiatives like the AAPI Community Support Initiative and the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund are more than just budget lines — they are the infrastructure that sustains our neighborhoods. As New Yorkers face unprecedented uncertainty due to drastic federal changes to the social safety net, we urge the City Council to stand with our most marginalized residents by fully funding and enhancing these vital programs.”
"New York City has always been defined by the people who come here in search of opportunity, community, and a better future,” said Councilmember Justin E. Sanchez. “Local government has a responsibility to make sure new families and residents have the resources, support, and pathways they need not just to settle here, but to truly thrive. When we invest in welcoming communities, we strengthen the cultural and economic fabric that makes New York City the greatest city in the world."
“While AAPI's make up almost 18% of the city population, we receive less than 2% of funding from the Department of Cultural Affairs,” said Lisa Gold, Executive Director of the Asian American Arts Alliance. “This matters because visibility shapes perception and opinion and by funding our community equitably, all New Yorkers can benefit from seeing our stories and seeing themselves in each other.”
“As an AAPI-serving organization on the frontlines, we see every day how underinvestment leaves older adults and families without the language-accessible, culturally competent services they need,” said Wai Yee Chan, CEO of Homecrest Community Services. “In 2025 alone, Homecrest served over 10,000 clients and resolved more than 17,000 case management needs — yet demand continues to outpace capacity. As a past CCNSF recipient, we used those funds to build systems that ensure no one falls through the cracks, but sustaining and expanding this work requires continued investment. Strengthening AAPI CSI, Access Health NYC, and CCNSF is critical to closing service gaps and ensuring AAPI communities—18% and growing—are funded equitably.”
“Indo-Caribbean and AAPI survivors of gender-based violence face systems that are underfunded, inaccessible, and often retraumatizing. These budget gaps directly impact whether survivors can access safe housing, language justice, and culturally competent care—especially for immigrants navigating added barriers,” said Simone Jhingoor, Executive Director of Jahajee. “At Jahajee, we see how underinvestment forces survivors to choose between safety and survival. We stand with the 18% & Growing Campaign in calling for a city budget that truly invests in the dignity, healing, and needs of our communities.”
“Eighteen percent and growing is not just a slogan, it is a call for New York City to finally match its values with real investment in AAPI communities. For far too long, AAPI communities across New York City have been expected to do more with less, even as the needs of our communities continue to grow in urgency and complexity,” said Jeehae Fischer, Executive Director of The Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC). “At KAFSC, we see every day how immigrant AAPI survivors of gender-based violence face enormous barriers to safety and healing, including language access challenges, cultural stigma, isolation, and a deep lack of culturally responsive services. That is why fiscal equity matters. Investing in initiatives like AAPI CSI, AHNYC, and CCNSF means ensuring that community-based organizations like ours have the resources to meet people where they are, respond with dignity and cultural competence, and provide life-saving support before crises deepen. Our communities deserve not only to be seen, but to be meaningfully invested in.”
“New York City's budget has never kept pace with its AAPI communities. That gap is not incidental, and for the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean survivors of gender-based violence that Sakhi for South Asian Survivors work with across NYC, that gap can mean the difference between safety and silence,” said Kavita Mehra, Executive Director of Sakhi for South Asian Survivors. “AAPI-led organizations have spent decades building the case management, crisis response, legal advocacy, and mental health services that this city has never resourced at scale, and every year the demand grows while the funding does not. Enhancing the AAPI Community Support Initiative, the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund, and Access Health NYC is an overdue debt to communities that have long been here, building this city, while not receiving the equity they deserve.”
Fiscal equity is essential because too many communities—including South Asian youth and families—are overlooked when resources are broadly distributed. Within every community, there are vast discrepancies in lived experience, economic stability and mobility, access to services, and language needs. If funding does not account for these realities, underrepresented groups will continue to face real barriers—from navigating school systems to accessing critical support,” said Sonia B. Sisodia, Executive Director of South Asian Youth Action. “Nonprofits like South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) see these gaps every day. With over two decades of partnership with multiple City and State agencies, it is clear that without a more intentional, equitable approach to funding, we risk missing the full picture—leaving young people without the support they need to thrive.”
“The United Chinese Association of Brooklyn serves an AAPI community that has long been historically underserved, facing language barriers, economic insecurity, and limited access to culturally responsive support,” said Ansen Tang, President and CEO of United Chinese Association of Brooklyn. “Fiscal equity would allow us to expand critical direct services, such as social services, affordable health insurance, youth programs, and senior services and assistance while closing widening gaps in care by funding culturally competent programming that mainstream systems too often fail to provide. For our organization, these funds mean saving and transforming lives: hiring bilingual staff, sustaining emergency aid, and ensuring no neighbor in Brooklyn is left invisible or unheard.”
“The AAPI diaspora in New York City, particularly immigrant and low- to moderate-income communities, has historically been underserved and faces significant barriers to accessing culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Many individuals experience gaps in essential resources due to language access, cultural stigma, and limited outreach from mainstream service providers,” said Qua Liang, Executive Director of United Cultural Association. “Increased funding would allow our organization to expand direct services, including health education, social support, and community-based programs tailored to these needs. This investment would help bridge service gaps, promote equity, and ensure our community has access to the support necessary to thrive.”
“New York State must expand funding for AAPI communities to meet the scale, urgency, and complexity of our needs. As our communities continue to grow, so does the demand for culturally competent services, language access, and direct support that families, seniors, youth, women and vulnerable New Yorkers rely on every day,” said Somia Elrowmeim, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Women’s Empowerment Coalition of NYC. “Equity cannot exist without resources that truly match reality. This is the time for bold action and deeper commitment, because expanding funding for AAPI communities means investing in a stronger, more just future for all New Yorkers.”
Photos from Monday’s rally can be downloaded here. Please credit photographer Kristen Blush in all usages.
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