U.S. Institutional Giving for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities

For every $100 awarded by institutional funders in the Seattle metro area (King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties), AANHPI communities receive 15 cents.

The Seattle metro area is home to more than 760,000 Asian Americans, nearly 19% of the region’s population, and more than 62,000 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, representing another 1.6%. Together, AANHPI residents make up more than 20% of the metro area. Between 2019 and 2023, these communities were directed $73.1 million of the $49 billion awarded by institutional funders in the region, 0.15% of total regional philanthropy.

Seattle’s funding rate sits well below the national average of 34 cents per $100. In a region where one in five residents is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander, and where institutional philanthropy granted nearly $49 billion across the Seattle Metro Area between 2019 and 2023, the gap between population and investment is significant and closeable.

Key Findings

• Seattle funds AANHPI communities at less than half the national rate. At 0.15%, regional giving falls well short of the national average of 0.34% (which is in itself abysmally low for the fastest growing population in the U.S.), despite Seattle’s AANHPI population representing a larger share of the metro than in most regions analyzed.
• $73.1 million over five years supports a community of more than 820,000 people. For a metro area where AANHPI residents account for more than 20% of the population, this level of investment reflects a structural gap rather than a funding landscape commensurate with community size and need.
• Funding is highly concentrated. The top 20 funders account for 69.4% of all AANHPI funding in the region, $50.8 million of $73.1 million. This concentration means that decisions by a small number of institutions have an outsized effect on the entire funding landscape.
• Multiple funder types are already engaged. Public charities account for 24.9% of top-20 funding, public foundations 14.1%, corporate donor-advised funds 13.9%, private foundations 9.7%, and community foundations 6.9%. The infrastructure across funder types exists; the question is whether each will deepen engagement.
• Human Rights is absent from Seattle’s top issue areas. Nationally, Human Rights is the leading issue area for AANHPI funding, reflecting increased attention to anti-Asian hate, voting rights, and civil liberties. In Seattle, the top three are Human Services, Arts & Culture, and Health, a gap that warrants attention given the region’s civic and advocacy landscape.

The Investment Gap

Seattle is home to major institutional philanthropy, a large and established AANHPI community, and a growing ecosystem of AANHPI-serving organizations. The region’s AANHPI population, more than 820,000 people, represents 3.2% of all Asian Americans and 3.8% of all Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. That scale of community, combined with $49 billion in regional philanthropy, creates significant capacity for increased investment.

At 15 cents per $100, Seattle’s current funding rate does not reflect that capacity.

Why This Data Matters

For Seattle-based funders: Your institution operates in one of the most AANHPI-dense metropolitan areas in the country. The infrastructure to fund AANHPI communities exists across multiple funder types. The data shows a structural gap between the size and need of this community and the level of investment it receives. This gap represents a concrete opportunity to shift practice.

For community foundations: Community foundations are positioned to respond to local AANHPI needs across all three counties in this metro statistical area. Given the geographic spread of the AANHPI population across King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties, community foundation investment can reach communities that national funders may miss.

For advocates and AAPIP Seattle Chapter members: This data provides a concrete baseline. Seattle’s funding rate is below the national average in a region where AANHPI residents represent a larger-than-average share of the population. That combination – large community, low investment, concentrated funders – points to specific, actionable asks.

The Opportunity

The concentration of AANHPI funding among Seattle’s top 20 funders means that a relatively small number of institutions have significant leverage to shift the regional average. The absence of Human Rights from the top funded issue areas, combined with a growing civic landscape, points to specific areas where new investment would be both timely and impactful.

Seattle’s AANHPI communities are not a marginal or emerging population in this region,  they are more than one in five residents. Philanthropy in this region has the resources and the relationships to fund at a level that reflects that reality.

Questions about the findings or want to discuss what they mean for your institution? Contact us at aapip@aapip.org.

Ready to invest in Seattle’s AANHPI communities? Email us at aapip@aapip.org to explore funding strategies, or learn about AAPIP membership at aapip.org/join-us.