The Asian American Federation (AAF) advocates for the Asian community, focusing its efforts in New York City and the tri-state area (where New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut meet) on issues related to immigrant services, research, policy advocacy, and grantmaking to third-party nonprofits. 1
The Asian American Federation created the Hope Against Hate Campaign, a multifaceted program consisting of community safety volunteers in Asian enclaves around New York City, creating “safe zones” for Asians in businesses and faith centers, victim support services, and more. 2 The Asian American Federation claims to have helped over 15,000 people with incident reports, safety trainings, and victim services through the Hope Against Hate Campaign. 1
The Asian American Federation seeks to increase civic engagement of the Asian community in the tri-state area. AAF has partnered with a group of third-party allies and advocacy groups to create the AAPI Power Coalition. 3 AAF has created voter guides and reached 275,000 individuals in the tri-state area with its voter drive and civic engagement efforts. 4
Opposition to Immigration Enforcement
The Asian American Federation’s Florida branch was a signatory to a letter organized by Asian Americans Advancing Justice, which called for the curtailment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities, including demands to “stop issuing ICE detainer requests to local law enforcement.” 5 The letter also called for promoting “the unity of LGBTIQ families by amending immigration laws,” establishing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, establishing full labor rights for migrant workers regardless of their legal status, and restricting the use of verification services such as E-Verify. 5
Opposition to TikTok Ban
The Asian American Federation was listed among the supporters of a letter opposing recent efforts to ban TikTok in the United States. 6 Executive director Jo-Ann Yoo spoke against the ban, writing in an article entitled, “The Cost of Anti-Asian Rhetoric: Asian Americans are the Victims,” claiming that policies such as the proposed TikTok ban would “put forth a dangerous assumption” that individuals with ancestry from a nation such as China “can only be dangerous and disloyal” to the United States. 7
Funding
In 2022, the Asian American Federation reported revenues of $12.3 million and total assets of $17.8 million. 8
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation donated $850,000 to the Asian American Federation in 2022. 8 The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation, with revenues exceeding $70 million and assets over $3.5 billion in 2022. 9
Surdna Foundation donated $200,000 to the Asian American Federation in 2022. The Surdna Foundation is a left-of-center grantmaking foundation with revenues of $50 million and assets of $1.2 billion in 2022. 10
Grants
The Asian American Federation donated $538,890 to the Hamilton-Madison House in 2022. Hamilton-Madison House, based in New York, operates a behavioral health clinic which is, outside of Los Angeles, the “largest out-patient service for Asians in the United States.” 11
The Asian American Federation donated $396,386 to Asian Americans for Equality in 2022. Asian Americans for Equality advocates for Asian Americans by working on issues related to the Asian community such as affordable housing, civil rights, and immigrant services. Asian Americans for Equality has either developed or preserved more than 1,200 affordable housing apartments in the New York City area for immigrants and low-income individuals over the past three decades. 12
People
The executive director for the Asian American Federation is Jo-Ann Yoo. 1 Before coming to the Asian American Federation, Yoo worked as the director for Asian Americans for Equality, and as the director for the New York Immigration Coalition before that. 13
MacKenzie Scott made an unrestricted grant of $5,000,000 to Asian American Federation. Mission: Established in 1989, with the mission to raise the influence and well-being of the pan-Asian American community through research, policy advocacy, public awareness, and nonprofit support, AAF is the largest umbrella leadership organization in New York serving diverse Asian American communities that make up the fastest-growing population in the city, state, and country.
$900,000
2021
Mother Cabrini Health Foundation
CHANGING MINDS, CHANGING COMMUNITIES MENTAL HEALTH PROJECT
$850,000
2022
Mother Cabrini Health Foundation
CHANGING MINDS CHANGING COMMUNITIES MENTAL HEALTH PROJECT 2023
$750,000
2024
Mother Cabrini Health Foundation
PROVIDE ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION AND TREATMENT SERVICES FOR ASIAN COMMUNITIES
The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) announced the launch of its Anti-hate National Network, which includes AAPI Action Centers to combat anti-aAPI hate. For its AAPI Action Centers, TAAF is starting with three pilot cities, Chicago, IL , New York, NY, and Oakland, CA. The Asian American Federation will serve as the NYC AAPI Action Center and has received a grant of $500,000 from TAAF to support its Hope Against Hate Campaign which offers preventative safety trainings like upstander intervention and self-defense strategies, robust victim support services, and centralized ways to report assaults in order to get connected to services. The Asian American Federation is also spearheading a safety ambassador program to train volunteers in NYC to accompany AAPI community members in public places to help curb assaults and harassment.
Engage Asian American donors of New York in fund generation, priority setting and grants to community-based organizations to improve mental health outcomes and better serve vulnerable Asian communities
$150,000
2025
New York State Health Foundation
provide services in urban and rural communities and coordinate activities across partners to support a broad statewide response
ADVISED – TO HELP ASIAN AMERICAN FEDERATION INC. TO PROVIDE DIRECT SUPPORT TO SUPPORT AAF'S MISSION ON CRITICAL ISSUES FOR IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION. EDUCATION. MENTAL HEALTH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NYC.
