Asian American Giving

Finding solutions: What tourists won't see in San Francisco's Chinatown

On the streets of Chinatown and North Beach in San Francisco, tourists walk by shops and restaurants. But on top of these restaurants and shops and in-between alleys where few tourists venture are single room occupancy hotels (SROs) where families live. Families live in small 10x10 rooms and share a common bathroom and kitchen.  Many seniors live in these spaces and are often easy targets of abuse and coercion, with limited access to resources and assistance.

In response to the rising needs of those living in SROs, the SRO Families United Collaborative was formed. The Collaborative is a multiracial, multilingual collaboration of five community based organizations that share the common goals of organizing and empowering families living in SRO hotels to defend their rights, improve conditions in their buildings, access services, and seek decent housing. The five groups include Chinatown Community Development Center, Chinese Progressive Association, Coalition on Homelessness, South of Market Community Action Network, and a community organization serving the Mission district. These groups receive support from the government, local foundations, corporations and individuals.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, San Francisco's densely populated Chinatown is the largest enclave outside of Asia. In the 2000 Census, 100,574 individuals live in Chinatown, or about two-thirds of the overall Chinese American population in San Francisco. The Chinatown area is about 1 mile long by 1.34 miles wide.

See also: Chinatown family life - what tourists don't see; SRO History in San Francisco

Asian philanthropy news digest (01/23/10)

ABCD Lady has a feature post on the Top Ten Desis of 2009.  The list features philanthropists, innovators, and activists from the U.S. and beyond, and showcases the contributions of the South Asian diaspora. Of special interest to us are Amitabha Sandangi, CEO of International Development Enterprises (IDE), Kavita Ramdas, CEO of Global Fund for Women, and Sonal Shah, Director of White House Office of Social Innovation.

Center for the Pacific Asian Family is 19th on the Chase Community Giving Contest.  Sandra Oh, John Cho, Aaron Yoo, Lisa Ling, Archie Kao, C.S. Lee, Joan Chen, Justin Chon, Far East Movement, Kaba Modern and over 100 others of the creative community appeared in a series of video supporting the Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF). CPAF programs include a multi-lingual 24 hour call center, emergency shelter, transitional housing program, counseling services and community outreach programs that focuses on the needs of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Here's one of the persuasive clips to end violence:

More than directories to engage Asian American donors and volunteers

- Dien S Yuen

Asian American nonprofit groups are spread over the U.S. with the majority of them concentrated in states such as California, New York, Hawaii, and Texas.  While regional directories exist, there is no comprehensive directory of groups in the U.S. that serve the Asian Americans/Pacific Islander community. Organizations such as the Asian Pacific Fund (San Francisco Bay Area), Asian American Federation (NY metro area), Asian Pacific Community Fund (Los Angeles area), and the Institute for Asian American studies at UMass Boston (Boston area) have listings of affiliate organizations. Now, there is a new directory for the DC metro area.

The Metro Washington DC/Baltimore Chapter of AAPIP created CONNECT! a regional guide of nonprofits serving Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders. There are 26 nonprofit organizations listed. The Cherry Blossom Giving Circle of Greater Washington will use Connect! as their official giving guide.  It is hoped that the tool will be used to engage potential volunteers, board members and donors.

While these directories are useful to locate groups and resources for the community, I believe they are not donor-friendly tools and cannot be effectively and easily shared with others. These guides are general listings, with descriptions and contact information.  Some are hard copies while others are online listings - usually in large pdf files. Unfortunately, they do not describe detailed programs of needs or issues, provide budget information, make it easy to give, or generally evaluate the work of the organization. In other words, they do not create an easy way to engage donors, i.e., provide a platform for them to give or learn. The information is also not presented in a format that creates communities.

It seems to me that we need a national, online platform that incorporates social media tools and communicates the work of our organizations. If we want to engage donors and volunteers, then we need to make it easy for them to find us and learn about our work. The platform must also provide an effective mechanism for donors to give and if desired, be able to share it with others. It should also provide a way for donors that have similar interests to engage with each other.  

Directories of nonprofits are like the yellow telephone book for businesses. Now, let's see if we can build a platform that is user-friendly for donors in web 2.5 format.

Photo courtesy of rutty

New Asian American blogs

Asian American Health Blog.  This blog was created by a group of diverse students in the public health, public policy, non-profit and community organizing sectors to share their personal experiences and perspectives on Asian American health issues.  We need more of these outlets in our community and I applaud the group effort.  There is an article, Self Control and Eating Disorders, that is very moving.  The anonymous, Filipino American author talks about her personal experience with an eating disorder.

Gender and Equity: NGEC Blog.  The National Gender & Equity Campaign is a demonstration project of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy to build and strengthen the social justice infrastructure of AA/PI communities.  NGEC focuses on building the social justice capacity of grassroots community organizations and mobilizing philanthropic resources for communities to address inequity now and to achieve long-term social change.  The blog highlights issues and publications that affect the work of the AA/PI philanthropic and non-profit community.

How are foundations communicating their work on diversity? Q & A with Paul Bachleitner

The Diversity in Philanthropy was an effort started by leading foundation trustees and staff to increase diversity in the field through open dialogue and strategic action.  It is a three-year initiative (2007-2009) that seeks to expand diversity, equity and inclusion in board and staff representation, grantmaking and contracting.  The initiative is led by Dr. Robert Ross of The California Endowment, Stephen B. Heintz of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Sterling Speirn of W.K. Kellogg Foundation.  DPP's work includes publishing case studies, research and presenting videos.  

The case study, How are Foundations Communicating Their Work on Diversity? was led by Paul Bachleitner, a consultant and founder of Bachwriter. The report focuses on communications best practices and related opportunities to expand diversity in philanthropy.  We had a chance to connect with Paul and learn more about the study.

Q: What was the purpose of the study?

The first was to do some reporting on how foundations are currently communicating their work on diversity and inclusiveness. Very little accessible information exists on the topic. My objective was to offer a snapshot that could provide some insight. 

I interviewed communications officers at five foundations that are engaging in some outstanding work in the field: Ford Foundation, C.S. Mott Foundation, The Denver Foundation, Packard Foundation, and Marguerite Casey Foundation. The central question was: how are they acting strategically to coordinate communications about their work? The case study focuses on the strategies that are most replicable or innovative. 

For instance, in 2007-8, traditional network TV and other national media outlets didn’t provide much coverage of Marguerite Casey’s Equal Voice campaign, which calls attention to the policy and economic concerns of families in communities of color and low-income communities. So, Marguerite Case approached more diverse media sources, including over 80 cultural and ethnic daily publications, local newspapers, online media (e.g., the Huffington Post), and social media (e.g., You Tube, Facebook). The result was that the campaign still gained broad, and in many ways more direct, coverage that effectively engaged the public through a wide array of media sources. The bulk of the case study is devoted to a number of similar examples that show what's happening around the country and provide actionable ideas for readers' own work.

Finding solutions: mental health and high suicide rates

Each month, we will feature one issue that we believe is a hidden need in the Asian American community and highlight how donors and community groups are tackling the issue.  This month, we are highlighting the issue of mental health and the incidence of high suicide rates in the Asian American community.  If you have any suggestions on next month's topic, please email us! 

* Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. and 8th among Asian Americans.  Elderly Asian women have higher rates of suicide than older Caucasian and African American women.  According to the Asian American Federation: Research studies have indicated that most elderly Asian women suffer from untreated depression, which could be a major suicide factor.  Other contributing factors and barriers include: unwillingness to access mental health treatment due to stigma relating to mental illness, lack of knowledge about available resources, shortage of providers with appropriate language skills, personal attitude about self reliant and wishing not to be a burden to family members, and issues related to isolation and difficulties adapting to US culture.  The campaign to raise awareness about the issue can be found at Asian American Suicide Prevention & Education.

* South Asian Mental Health Awareness in Jersey (SAMHAJ) provides support, education and advocacy for South Asians affected by serious mental illness.  SAMHAJ has educational materials including a documentary that traces the lives of people from diverse backgrounds affected by serious mental health.  In addition, a SAMHAJ has published Asha's Journey, a comic book account of a young Indian-American woman's struggle with bipolar disorder.

* The Asian Pacific Fund published a report on mental health care.  According to the Fund: Early studies found that more than half the members of some Asian ethnic groups suffer from a range of mental illnesses, including chronic depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, family violence, alcoholism and substance abuse.  Nearly one out of every two Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will have difficulty accessing mental health treatment because they cannot find services that meet their language needs.  The report highlights the programs of the Asian Community Mental Health Services and Asian Pacific Psychological Services, both located in the Bay Area. 

In addition, the Asian Pacific Fund collaborated with several Asian community agencies to produce the health education video, Healing the Spirit: Treatment of Depression Among the Asian Elderly.  The video portrays depression in a culturally-relevant way so elderly Asians and their family members and caregivers can learn about the symptoms of depression, its effects and how treatment can help. The video features writer Amy Tan and is available in nine languages: Cantonese, English, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

What other groups are working on these issues and who is supporting them?  Please let us know!

Photo courtesy of Kamal H.

Philanthropy & diversity: Q & A with Meghna Shah

Rockefeller Professional Advisors (RPA) produced three studies on diversity in philanthropy last year.  Meghna Shah, a former Associate at RPA, co-authored the reports, Philanthropy in a Changing Society and Diversity and Inclusion: Lessons Learned from the Field.  Meghna also served as Editor of Diversity in Action: Strategies with Impact. We were honored to have the opportunity to ask Meghna several questions about the findings.

Meghna Shah is currently a William J. Clinton Fellow of the American India Foundation.  She will be spending the next ten months working on capacity-building projects for Saath, an NGO that creates market linkages for India's urban and rural poor.

1.  What were some of your responsibilities as an Associate at RPA?

At RPA, I worked on a diversity portfolio that included a series of publications on diversity in philanthropy, made possible by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, as well as the Cultures of Giving Fund, a Special Project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors made possible by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The Fund empowers emerging donor communities to lead, develop and grow philanthropic resources for community social change causes. We made grants to culturally-specific and multi-cultural social change funds to increase the impact and effectiveness of individual and collective giving in these communities.  The fund invests in the capacity of community organizations to address community needs.

2.  You recently worked on a three-part publication project at RPA on diversity.  In Philanthropy in a Changing Society: Achieving Effectiveness through Diversity, the first publication, you looked at how diverse the top foundations were in the U.S.  What are some of the results?

For Philanthropy in a Changing Society, our goal was evaluate progress and determine future needs.  We compared diversity in the field to the general population in 2006, and then looked retrospectively at progress over twenty-five years. Using data from the Council on Foundation and the Foundation Center, we analyzed diversity in staffing, governance and grantmaking to communities of color.

In 2006, overall diversity in foundation staffing lagged behind population diversity. Notably, there was significantly less diversity on the leadership level than among program staff. For example, program officer diversity was 35% in 2006, while just 5.8% of CEOs were from minority groups. Interviews with grant-makers revealed that efforts at increasing diversity in the field have been aimed at recruiting diverse program staff. This makes sense, as program officers are responsible for linking foundation assets to communities. Still, diversity needs the support of leaders in the field.

Asian Pacific Fund announces $285,000 in grants

The Asian Pacific Fund made ten grants totaling $150,000 to community groups for the 2008 -2009 year.  The purpose of the grants is to cushion the impact of the economic downturn and "offset the loss of substantial government and corporate funding." Grant recipients include:

* Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center * Asian Women's Shelter * Charity Cultural Services Center * Community Youth Center * Family Bridges * Friends of Children with Special Needs * Kimochi * Oakland Asian Students Educational Services * Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation * Wu Yee Children's Services

The Asian Pacific Fund also announced five grants totaling $135,000 to support Japanese Americans and emerging communities.  Grant recipients include:

* Cambodian Community Development, Inc. -- $25,000 for general support of naturalization services and youth cultural programs, and for organizational capacity building. 

* Lao Family Community Development -- $24,000 for the Multilingual Homeownership Center to provide services for Asian clients facing eviction or home foreclosure. 

* Richmond Area Multi-Services -- $35,000 for school-based intervention and outreach for children and youth with mental health problems, and for the retention of a Tagalog-speaking counselor. 

* Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay -- $15,000 for general support of senior service programs. 

* Yu Ai Kai -- $35,000 for respite care for seniors and support for family caregivers of the frail elderly.

Photo courtesy of shapeshift

Live blogging: Stimulating innovation in journalism that strengthens communities

The Renaissance Journalism Center hosted: Seizing the Moment II: Turning Challenge into Opportunity: a panel and roundtable discussion about how news and community media organizations are re-imagining traditional models- in journalism, business and technology - to gather and distribute content to communities.

Jon Funabiki is the Director of the Renaissance Journalism Center. Below is the panel discussion of "How media organizations are adopting, adapting and innovating."  The moderator was Paul Lamb of Man on a Mission Consulting.  Speakers included: Geoffrey Samek: Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Sacramento Press, Kenji Taguma, President, Nichi Bei Foundation, and Jennifer Gilomen, Director of Public Media Strategies, Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC).

AsianWeek no longer publishing print edition

AsianWeek has stopped publishing their regular print newspaper.  However, they will continue to publish on-line newspaper editions.  This seems to be the trend for newspapers lately.  I like the idea actually - less waste and it is easier to access their content when traveling.  I wonder though if it means nationally, ethnic newspapers will all see a decline during the economic crunch.  How many will survive?

I hope we will see more coverage of non-profit and philanthropy articles soon.  From the publishers:

The economy and the news business have experienced their own changes. There are fewer major newspapers, fewer newspaper readers and fewer newspaper advertisers than ever before. A faltering economy has accelerated the decline. Meanwhile, Asian Pacific Americans have led the way in the digital revolution migrating away from print media and into receiving their news and information electronically.

Photo courtesy of geekstinkbreath