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Photos from AAPIP 2010 National Philanthropy Summit
Philadelphia Chapter's National Livestream Viewing Party & Regional Celebration

 

About the Philadelphia Chapter

The AAPIP Philadelphia Chapter evolved from a Friends of AAPIP group that started in 2001 when the Council on Foundations’ annual conference was held in Philadelphia. The Friends of AAPIP consisted of leaders in the philanthropic community who wanted to empower organizations serving Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and serve as a resource and link between nonprofits and the philanthropic sector. Friends of AAPIP held workshops for nonprofits, which included funder panels and sessions on evaluation and grantmaking trends in AAPI communities. In 2007, Friends of AAPIP became a formal chapter. The Philadelphia Chapter is growing and is establishing itself as a strong presence in the Delaware Valley.

Goals

The Philadelphia Chapter strives to advance philanthropy and AAPI communities. We:

  • Serve as a resource for and about AAPI communities.
  • Serve as a linkage for AAPI communities.
  • Incubate new ideas and approaches to support AAPI communities.

Strategies

  • Educate the philanthropic sector about issues facing AAPI’s. We develop a forum/network of individuals interested in AAPI issues and provide educational and/or brainstorming sessions, for example, on national and regional trends in giving to AAPI communities.

  • Promote equity, diversity and leadership in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector. We are developing a pipeline of AAPI candidates for foundation boards and/or nonprofit boards.

  • Develop a diverse membership organization of AAPI supporters – foundations, government, funding intermediaries, etc. We are compiling a targeted database of potential members.

The Philadelphia Chapter embraces individuals, private organizations, and public agencies that seek to better AAPI communities in the Delaware Valley. Our members represent different areas of the philanthropic community. Board and staff members from public and private grantmakers as well as nonprofit groups are invited to lend their talent and experience. Individuals providing services to grantmakers or investing in AAPI communities are also encouraged to join. We invite anyone concerned about issues related to AAPI’s and philanthropy to participate in our special events. Those interested in joining AAPIP may attend our chapter meetings. Our chapter normally meets on a quarterly basis, convening more frequently as necessary. Last, we are always looking for opportunities and welcome suggestions about ways our chapter can make a greater impact.

Chapter co-chairs

  • R. Mimi Iijima, Pennsylvania Humanities Council - (215) 925-1005 -  rmiijima (at) pahumanities (dot) org
  • Mailee Walker, Claneil Foundation - (610) 941-1141, mwalker (at) claneil (dot) org

Steering Committee Members

Kristine Alvarez, Nonprofit Finance Fund - Fernando Chang-Muy, Wachovia Regional Foundation - John W. Chin, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation - Mary A. Faustino, Methodist Hospital Foundation - Anuj Gupta, City of Philadelphia - Gina Y. Koo, Nonprofit Finance Fund - Edward Y. Kung, Ph.D., The Philadelphia Foundation - Andrew P. Toy, The Merchants Fund - Beatriz F. "Bia" Vieira, The Philadelphia Foundation - Geraldine Wang, William Penn Foundation

Come Join Us!

Contact our chapter co-chairs or the Membership Office at AAPIP (membership at aapip dot org) with any questions. » Download the AAPIP Individual Membership Form (PDF)

Institutional Members

(If your institution is listed here, you may already be eligible for AAPIP Membership. Contact us by email: membership at aapip dot org.)

  • The Philadelphia Foundation
  • William Penn Foundation


Local Resources

We are raising awareness about our region’s rapidly increasing immigrant populations, the need for a concerted regional response to immigrant integration, and the need for more investment in our growing AAPI communities.

To boost understanding of immigration trends in the Delaware Valley, we collaborated with The Philadelphia Foundation, William Penn Foundation, Wachovia Foundation, and Independence Foundation in sponsoring a study by the Brookings Institution – Recent Immigration to Philadelphia: Regional Change and Response.

We are also publicizing the findings of AAPIP’s report, Growing Opportunities – Will Funding Follow the Rise in Foundation Assets and Growth of AAPI Populations?. This 2007 study reported that giving trends of the top U.S. foundations to AAPI communities have not kept pace with the growth of these communities or of foundation assets.

We are organizing a giving circle to cultivate individual donors and boost giving to AAPI communities.

In collaboration with regional chapters of AAPI professional groups – Asian American Women's Coalition, Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and National Association of Asian American Professionals, we are coordinating the launch of a giving circle with matching dollars. The giving circle will promote individual philanthropy to AAPI communities and foster future AAPI civic leaders.

We are considering workshops for grantmakers to encourage greater understanding of diversity and AAPIs. We are exploring the possibility of partnering with Delaware Valley Grantmakers and other funder affinity groups to present sessions on diversity, from serving immigrant communities to preparing a diverse philanthropic workforce for the future.

We are developing a systematic means to increase the number of AAPIs on foundation boards.

We are a resource for foundations and other grantmakers who are interested in recruiting talented and experienced AAPIs for their boards. Our plan is to create a database of qualified individuals, vetted by AAPIP Philadelphia chapter members.