In the first few months of my role here, one question I’ve heard has been “Why do you exist? What’s the importance of focusing on ‘just’ the Korean community?”
It’s an understandable question. In return, the question that arises in my mind as I see the work of our grantee partners is, “How can we take care of others if we can’t take care of our own?” No one will know what we need better than us. And the work that the KACF-SF community is doing to take care of its own is impressive work:
Building resilient institutions by making capacity-building grants to Korean-led organizations like the Korean Community Center of the East Bay and Korean American Community Services
Advocating for established non-Korean organizations to see us and the greater AAPI community in all our complexity, in part by making grants to organizations like the Asian Women’s Shelter to translate and adapt their existing domestic violence programs as culturally-specific models
Reimagining philanthropy as a vision of care that truly builds shared power, through community gatherings like this year’s Bay Area K-Coalition Town Hall
This year, we raised more than $1.1 million to do this work—a record for our young organization. Thank you for all the ways you contribute to this powerful work of taking care of each other. As we move deeper into this holiday season and all of its hectic activity, we hope we can take a moment to stop, reflect on the values and causes that are closest to our hearts, and continue to heal: ourselves, our community, our world.
With deep gratitude,
Tim
Announcing our 2022-2023 Community Grants Partners!
We are excited to announce our Community Grants recipients for 2022-2023: API Legal Outreach, Korean American Community Services, and Korean Community Center of the East Bay! KACF-SF is proud to support these dedicated nonprofit organizations and their hardworking staff serving the community members with essential services. Through KACF-SF funding, these are the programs that our grants partners will be overseeing in the coming year:
API Legal Outreach: Educate the Korean American community in the Bay Area on their legal rights, encourage and assist those eligible to apply for US citizenship or their immigration remedies while addressing any other legal needs related to housing rights or family law issues.
Korean American Community Services: Provide culturally competent, client-centered, and community-integrated services for Korean American seniors in order to increase independence and access to community resources while reducing social isolation.
Korean Community Center of the East Bay: Reduce the deepened social isolation of Korean seniors caused by the pandemic and rebuild our senior community through in-person essential services, leadership development, community engagement, and advocacy.
We are Accepting Applications for Karen Ha Scholarship
Since 2019, KACF-SF has supported high school seniors and junior college students with college scholarship opportunities. Through this scholarship program, we provide financial assistance of up to $10K ($2.5K per year, up to 4 years) and mentorship opportunities to talented and under-resourced students attending California public colleges or universities as undergraduates. You can learn more about scholarship eligibility and download the application form from our website.
Make a Difference for Korean American Communities in Need Make a difference this holiday season!
As the end of 2022 approaches, we are asking you to become a monthly sustaining donor at just $22 per month. Your contribution would ensure that the critical services KACF-SF supports for Korean Americans are sustained—meals and wellness programs for isolated seniors, Korean-language therapy, legal aid, and support for domestic violence survivors.
The Korean American Community Foundation of San Francisco (KACF-SF) provides grants and capacity-building assistance to community-based organizations serving the needs of under-resourced Korean Americans in the greater Bay Area. Our mission is to build a vibrant, healthy, and empowered Korean American community. KACF-SF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your donations are tax deductible.
