Asian Community Fund 2025 Grant Application
Application Deadline: Monday, May 12, 2025 at 5:00 PM
About the Asian Community Fund
The Asian Community Fund (ACF) at the Boston Foundation is the first and only philanthropic fund in Massachusetts dedicated to activating, convening, and supporting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Launched in 2020, ACF is a permanent resource designed to galvanize and unite the diverse ethnicities within our community, incubate new partnerships, and build a stronger advocacy voice.
About this Application Cycle
ACF’s grantmaking approach focuses on strengthening the broader AAPI community ecosystem across Massachusetts and advancing policy and systems change. Through its grantmaking, ACF strives to catalyze new partnerships, expand the capacity of the local AAPI nonprofit, business, and cultural sectors, and respond to emerging community needs. To this end, ACF encourages proposals that promote cross-agency partnerships, deepen collaboration with other communities, and expand and sustain community impact beyond a single event, workshop, or gathering.
This grant application closes on Monday, May 12, 2025 at 5:00 PM.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations based in Massachusetts or have a qualifying fiscal agent with 501(c)3 status.
- Applicants will be evaluated based on the organization’s mission and impact, alignment to ACF’s strategic pillars, and demonstrated track record expanding AAPI visibility, collaboration, and community power.
- Priority will be given to organizations that serve underrepresented AAPI ethnicities and geographical regions in Massachusetts, organizations that have not previously received funding from ACF/TBF, and organizations with annual operating budgets under $500,000.
- Organizations that received funding from ACF in 2024 will be asked to provide a brief update on how the funds were spent. Those that are selected for funding in this year’s 2025 grantmaking cycle will be asked to share their experiences via a phone call and/or brief survey midway through the grant.
Funding Considerations
- Grants will be made for general operating support to organizations and/or projects that primarily serve the AAPI community in Massachusetts.
- Grant sizes will primarily range between $5,000-$15,000. At its discretion, ACF may consider making grants at different levels. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions by late June 2025.
- Funding will support proposals that advance one or more of ACF’s strategic pillars:
- Convening: Bringing communities together to elevate AAPI visibility, belonging, and narrative change, with a focus on expanding and sustaining impact beyond a single event, workshop, or gathering.
- Catalyzing: Fueling new collaborations or innovations to tackle systemic gaps and opportunities facing AAPI residents in Massachusetts.
- Capacity Building: Expanding the reach and impact of programs that advance partnerships, solidarity, and systems change.
How to Apply:
- Visit our Grants Portal to create and/or verify your user account. The Boston Foundation recently updated our grant management system, so we encourage you to activate your account well in advance of submitting your grant.
- Please first try using the "Password Reset" link to access the system, as you may already be in our database. You should receive a password reset email after 10 minutes, with additional prompts and instructions.
- If you do not receive this email, click the "Register" button underneath the Login box and follow the prompts to create a new account.
- For detailed instructions on how to activate your account, please review this guide. If you have any difficulty logging in, please reach out to jobelle.mesa@tbf.org.
- Once in the grant portal, follow the instructions to open the Funding Opportunities and select "Asian Community Fund 2025".
- Fill out the application, and don’t forget to attach your Organizational Operating Budget (in any format you have it).
- Please complete the application on a computer (do not attempt to complete on a hand-held device).