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Queer Justice Fund (2009-2015)

AAPIP recognizes that building greater democracy in philanthropy and in our communities requires a gender and equity framework that includes a sexuality lens, providing an opportunity to explore LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) AAPI issues.

AAPIP has a history of supporting LGBTQ AAPI communities. In 2009, as an outgrowth of the National Gender & Equity Campaign, AAPIP began a concerted effort to learn, research, and listen to LGBTQ AAPI groups and leaders to determine how to better partner and support this community that has various assets, challenges, and needs. Our research finds that the capacity and the infrastructure of LGBTQ AAPI groups varies widely with the level of engagement with their membership, their leadership and volunteer development, and program work. The majority of LGBTQ AAPI community organizations are all-volunteer led with a handful that have paid staff and they provide important cultural, social, and educational support and offer opportunities for political organizing, community building, and leadership development.

As a response to the continued lack of funding for LGBTQ AAPI communities and lack of support for AAPI community organizations to integrate a sexuality lens and LGBTQ issues into their social justice work, AAPIP identified a need to address these funding disparities and to develop efforts to inform and educate the philanthropic field through the development of the Queer Justice Fund.

Goals

The Queer Justice Fund focuses on philanthropic advocacy, community philanthropy, grantmaking, and capacity building. These are our goals:

  • To inform the philanthropic field and leverage new philanthropic capital to LGBTQ AAPI communities and issues
  • To build the capacity, infrastructure, and leadership of autonomous LGBTQ AAPI groups to ensure they are visible, empowered, and sustainable
  • To support alliance building between heterosexual AAPI ally organizations and LGBTQ AAPI community groups and to support the integration of LGBTQ AAPI issues and a sexuality lens to the organization and their programmatic work
  • To reach, engage, and build individual donors through local and national LGBTQ AAPI giving circles

Community Partners

Past Community Partners

Philanthropic Partners

Past Philanthropic Partners

Accomplishments

  • 2010 Queer Justice Fund awarded $195,000 in grants to six organizations
  • 2011 The Queer Justice Fund – along with NQAPIA, API Wellness Center, and the White House Initiative on AAPIs – hosted the first LGBT AAPI Youth and Advocates event at the White House
  • 2011 QJF helped develop the Red Envelope Giving Circle and the Rainbow Dragon Fund, two LGBTQ AAPI giving circles
  • 2012 AAPIP released Missed Opportunities: How Organized Philanthropy Can Help Meet the Needs of LGBTQ AAPI Communities
  • 2012 Rainbow Dragon Fund and the Red Envelope Giving Circle, two LGBTQ AAPI giving circles, made grants to local community organizations totaling $20,000
  • 2012-2014 QJF developed and implemented BRIDGE Project, a capacity building and leadership development program with 5 LGBTQ AAPI organizations with paid staff
  • 2013 QJF BRIDGE cohort organizations served on panels in immigration and racial profiling workshops at the Advancing Justice Conference and on the plenary panel on LGBTQ Issues for the AAPI community
  • 2013 Partnered with API Equality Los Angeles and API Equality Northern California and released Q & A Snapshots on how to engage the Chinese American, Filipino American, and Korean American communities on LGBTQ issues
  • 2014 Organized a Queer Justice Fund BRIDGE panel on LGBTA AAPI community issues for AAPIP’s Giving Circle Convening
  • 2014 AAPIP’s Giving Circle Network made $43,708 in grants to LGBTQ AAPI organizations and projects. Red Envelope Giving Circle and Dinner Guys (LGBTQ AAPI giving circles) granted $24,000. Asian Giving Circle, Circle of Change, Friends Doing Good, and Sansei Legacy (non-LGBTQ AAPI giving circles) granted $19,708.
  • 2015 Released with Funders for LGBTQ Issues an infographic on LGBTQ AAPI needs, assets, and funders.