17 Ways You Can Support the Asian American Community Right Now

Non-profit community organizations and funds that deserve your time and money.

March 17, 2021

17 Ways You Can Support the Asian American Community Right Now — A rally against anti-Asian hate in Seattle, March 13, 2021.Jason Redmond / Getty Images

On Tuesday, a white gunman shot and killed eight people at massage parlors in Atlanta. All but one of the victims were women, and all but two were Asian. While officials are thus far unwilling to deem it an outright hate crime, this event is just the latest in a time of staggeringly widespread violence against Asian Americans. Between 2019 and 2020, hate crimes targeting Asian Americans increased by nearly 150% across major cities—many of these were in NYC, where an investigation by The City indicates that hate crimes against Asians increased ninefold. Below, GQ staffers highlight some of the organizations working to end the violence and support the AAPI community across the country. If you’re in a position to give, these projects and organizations are a good place to start.

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Butterfly is a network formed in 2014 by Canadian sex workers to support and advocate for the rights of Asian migrant sex workers. In addition to regular workshops, the organization operates a 24/7 emergency hotline and conducts research into issues that affect its work. Its most recent report centers on how one simple bylaw change in Toronto law could significantly improve the level of safety for workers in massage parlors.

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Founded in 2010, the Atlanta branch of Asian Americans Advancing Justice is the first and only nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in Georgia and the Southeast.
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NAPAWF seeks to build power for all women by advocating for policy changes that would drive systemic change. Since 1996, it has largely advocated using a reproductive justice framework that focuses on reproductive health, economic justice, and immigration.
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From the early '70s on, the AALDEF has worked to protect and promote the civil rights of Asian Americans by providing resources and advice to Asian American communities across the country.

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Founded in 2020, the Welcome to Chinatown Longevity fund aims to support and protect at-risk small businesses in Manhattan's Chinatown with $5,000 grants.
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The Asian Pacific Fund—which has worked to support and strengthen the Bay Area's Asian and Pacific Islander communities for many years—set up this COVID-19 Recovery Fund to distribute funds among local nonprofits working to address critical pandemic issues, including the rise in anti-Asian racism, higher fatality rates, and longer unemployment.
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For more than three decades, the CAAAV has worked to organize and build grassroots community power among low-income Asian immigrants and refugees in New York City.
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Apicha provides affordable healthcare services to underserved and "otherized" people in New York City, including Asians and Pacific Islanders, Latinos, African Americans and other people of color.

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Founded in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement, AAPI Women Lead is a Bay Area-based group that aims to strengthen the political and social platforms of Asian and Pacific Islander communities in the United States, with an emphasis on raising awareness around gender and racial discrimination.
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Since the onset of the pandemic, Heart of Dinner has worked to combat food insecurity and isolation within NYC’s elderly Asian American community by delivering hot food and fresh produce to over 1,500 seniors across three boroughs.
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Based in San Francisco, the Chinese Progressive Association was founded in 1972 and advocates for better living and working conditions for the immigrant Chinese community. Through organizing, mutual aid, and education, CPA works to empower the Chinese community and demand equal rights.
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The Asian Mental Health Collective's mission is to normalize and destigmatize discussion of mental health within the Asian community. Much of this work involves creating blog posts and resources for social media, but the company is constructing a massive database of Asian therapists working in both the United States and Canada. Once completed, it could go a long way in making people feel more comfortable seeking out therapy for themselves.

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Since 2004, FCC has been bolstering the Filipino communities in San Francisco by providing access to safe spaces and services that address issues such as domestic violence, workers' rights, and immigration needs.
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Founded in 1981, AAJA promotes Asian American and Pacific Islander representation in the newsroom and across media, and works to ensure accurate news coverage of AAPI communities.