CACF Statement on New York State's $20M Investment in AAPI Community

CACF staffers and members of our Coalition pose with a CACF banner at the New York State Capitol on April 4, 2022.

NEW YORK (April 18, 2022) -- The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community-based organizations across the State applaud a $20 million investment, specifically allocated to support diverse AAPI communities across New York State. This historic funding, administered through the Department of State, will help address the rise in anti-Asian violence and the traumatic impacts of COVID-19 on the AAPI community. In the face of these growing challenges impacting the AAPI community, New York State’s commitment to AAPI New Yorkers is a crucial step towards ensuring that our diverse communities are no longer overlooked and under-resourced.

While this year’s budget did not include our full ask of $64.5 million that AAPI organizations, community leaders, and allies in labor, business, faith, philanthropy and nonprofit sectors called for, the $20 million investment is a significant step towards addressing dire issues in the AAPI community.

State Senator John C. Liu (center) meeting with members of CACF staff and our partners at the Center for the Integration and Advancement of New Americans (CIANA), the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), and the Korean-American Family Service Center on Monday, April 4 at his Albany office.

To combat the abhorrent rise in anti-Asian hate and violence, we must address racism in all of its forms. We are proud that this investment will uplift AAPI organizations who are providing direct service programs and initiatives that support community wellbeing and racial healing across communities. The largest part of this investment will uplift the work of AAPI community-based organizations addressing community safety, unemployment, food insecurity, gender-based violence, and rising mental health needs. Through this investment, tens of thousands of AAPI New Yorkers will have access to vital life-affirming social services and programming that are critical to our ongoing healing and recovery. CACF is hopeful that a portion of the $20 million investment will support bringing an AAPI curriculum to New York State’s public schools. Funding allocated in the NY State budget will also continue to support collaborative efforts to improve the effectiveness of data collection methods and systems for diverse AAPI communities.

Members of our Coalition meet with Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou to discuss the $64.5 million AAPI Equity Budget on April 4, 2022.

Thank you to Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, Senator Liu, Assemblymember Niou, Assemblymember Mamdani, and all our champions in government who work tirelessly to ensure that the voices of AAPI New Yorkers are heard. And importantly, we are ever-grateful to our coalition of over 75 AAPI organizations from across the State who collectively fought for the AAPI Equity Budget.

While more work remains to be done, we are confident that this investment will prove critical in promoting the health, wellness, and safety of our communities. And we look forward to continued commitment from New York State to supporting our diverse AAPI community.

Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani meets with members of our Coalition to discuss the AAPI Equity Budget on Monday, April 4.