Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP)2026 Philadelphia Metro Area AANHPI Funding Snapshot
U.S. Institutional Giving for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities
For every $100 awarded by funders in the Philadelphia metro area, AANHPI communities received 14 cents.
The Philadelphia metro area is home to more than 340,000 Asian Americans and more than 11,000 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, 8.4% of the regional population. Between 2019 and 2023, these communities received $30.2 million of the $21.9 billion awarded by institutional funders in the region, or 0.14% of regional philanthropic funding.
That rate is less than half the national average of 34 cents per $100. It is also moving in the wrong direction: funding peaked at 0.17% in 2022 and fell to 0.12% in 2023. Philadelphia’s philanthropic sector has the infrastructure and the institutions to do more. The data shows a gap between existing capacity and current investment.
Key Findings
14 cents, less than half the national average. Philadelphia-area funders directed 0.14% of regional philanthropy to AANHPI communities over five years, compared to the national average of 0.34%. The AANHPI population represents 8.4% of the metro area. The population and funding gap is among the largest of any metro analyzed in this series.
Funding declined after a brief peak. Regional AANHPI funding grew from $3.3 million in 2019 to $8.1 million in 2021, then declined to $5.3 million in 2023, lower than where it started in 2020. Post-peak contraction signals responsiveness to visibility moments rather than sustained commitment.
Funding is highly concentrated. The top 5 funders account for 37% of all AANHPI funding in the region. The top 20 account for 67.5%. The William Penn Foundation alone provided $4.3 million across 44 grants, more than any other regional funder by a significant margin. Although we applaud the William Penn Foundation for their significant contributions, this concentration means the ecosystem depends on a small number of institutions, and broadening the base of engaged funders is a clear lever for growth.
Private foundations dominate. Among the top 20 funders, private foundations account for 51.3% of the region’s AANHPI funding, and public charities account for 16.2%. Community foundations and corporate-affiliated donor-advised funds, which drove significant national growth in AANHPI funding between 2019 and 2023, are not represented among Philadelphia’s top funders, suggesting an underutilized avenue for growth.
Human Rights, Arts & Culture, and Community & Economic Development are the top-funded issue areas. Philadelphia’s issue area profile differs from the national pattern, where Human Services ranks second. Health — a major need in a metro area with significant immigrant and refugee populations — accounts for just 7.3% of regional AANHPI funding, compared to 14.7% nationally. While it is great to see Arts & Culture being funded at higher levels, the low level of funding for Health and Human Services may be concerning and require further examination.
685 grants over five years. Across the five-year period, 685 grants were directed to AANHPI-serving organizations in the Philadelphia metro area, an average of 137 grants per year across a regional population of more than 350,000 AANHPI residents.
What This Data Means for Philadelphia
For Philadelphia-area funders: The regional philanthropic sector awarded $21.9 billion over five years. AANHPI communities, 8.4% of the metro population, received $30.2 million of that, or 0.14%. If you fund health equity, immigrant rights, economic development, arts and culture, or civic engagement in the Philadelphia metro, you are funding issues that affect AANHPI communities. This report identifies where investment is already happening and where the gaps are largest.
For funders outside the top 20: Two-thirds of regional AANHPI funding comes from 20 institutions. The remaining third comes from a broad range of funders whose engagement has not been systematically tracked or expanded. Regional and community foundations, corporate giving programs, and donor-advised fund administrators have room to become more active participants in this ecosystem.
For advocates and chapter members: This data quantifies what many already know from experience, Philadelphia’s AANHPI communities are systematically underfunded relative to population, need, and the overall scale of regional philanthropy. These findings provide evidence to bring into funding conversations, strategic planning, and advocacy with institutional partners.
The Opportunity
Philadelphia’s philanthropic sector has demonstrated it can fund AANHPI communities. The infrastructure of grantee relationships, regional funders, and issue alignment already exists. The challenge is that current investment is too narrow, too concentrated, and trending downward. Broadening funder engagement, bringing community foundations and DAF administrators into the ecosystem, and sustaining commitments beyond visibility moments would each represent meaningful progress.
AAPIP’s Philadelphia Chapter is available to connect funders with AANHPI-serving organizations, share data, and support strategic conversations about increasing investment in the region.
Questions or want to discuss these findings? Contact us at aapip@aapip.org
Ready to increase investment in Philadelphia’s AANHPI communities? Email us at aapip@aapip.org to connect with local organizations and explore funding strategies, or learn about AAPIP membership.