AAPI Civic Engagement Fund

Applications for the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund’s (AAPI Fund’s) 2025-2026 Creative Catalyst Fellowship Program are due next Thursday, March 6.? ? This program provides opportunities for independent artists to engage the public in critical issues impacting AAPIs* across the country. We will consider various art forms, such as music, video, visual arts, performing arts, poetry, and more. ? Up to eight artists will receive $30,000 contracts to produce work with the potential to break through mainstream media and catalyze conversations around themes of?In it Together, Belonging, and Voting Together.? ? To find out more, go here:?https://lnkd.in/e5_Ubsfm.? ? To Apply: Submit your application by filling out?this form. The deadline to apply is?March 6, 2025?at midnight HT / 2:00 am PT / 5:00 am ET. Selected artists will be notified of their application status by late April. The program period starts on May 1, 2025 and ends December 2025. Additionally, artists will be expected to attend the Creative Catalyst Fellows Retreat in July 2025. ? View our Frequently Asked Questions?HERE. If your question is unanswered here or you need more details, please email?[email protected]?with “CC inquiry.” ? *AAPIs include people from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and the Pacific Islands.

Applications for the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund’s (AAPI Fund’s) 2025-2026 Creative Catalyst Fellowship Program are due on March 6. This program provides opportunities for independent artists to engage the public in critical issues impacting AAPIs across the country. We will consider various art forms, such as music, video, visual arts, performing arts, poetry, and more. Up to eight artists will receive $30,000 contracts to produce work with the potential to break through mainstream media and catalyze conversations around themes of In it Together, Belonging, and Voting Together. To find out more, go here: https://lnkd.in/e5_Ubsfm.

We have an amazing opportunity from an allied partner to nominate five AAPI social media influencers to participate in a year-long program to improve upon their content and increase their reach. Do you know anyone you’d like to suggest for this program? ? The criteria is pretty simple. These influencers: ? - Are values aligned - Are rooted in their community - Regularly post on a social media platform - Have over 500 followers on any social media platform - Have a high level of engagement with their audience (comments and likes) - Create great cultural content that engages, educates, or entertains - Create content that is not focused on politics ? We’ve all seen how our opponents have amped up their use of social media channels. Now is our chance to move more AAPIs into the mix. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gS8thBWb Submit your nominations here: https://lnkd.in/gnxdsnUa ? We need your ideas by Friday, February 14, 2025.

The AAPI Civic Engagement Fund (AAPI Fund) is issuing a request for proposals for our 2025-2026 Creative Catalyst Fellowship Program. This program provides opportunities for independent artists to engage the public in critical issues impacting AAPIs* across the country. We will consider various art forms, such as music, video, visual arts, performing arts, poetry, and more. Up to eight artists will receive $30,000 contracts to produce work with the potential to break through mainstream media and catalyze conversations around themes of In it Together, Belonging, and Voting Together.? To find out more, go here: https://lnkd.in/e5_Ubsfm.?

Last but not least, our final Creative Catalyst fellow is Kat Evasco! Kat is an award-winning writer, theater maker, filmmaker, and cultural strategist. Through her Creative Catalyst fellowship, she produced “Get Your Tita,” a short comedic film that tells the story of a Filipino American family. In the film, against the backdrop of a birthday party, family members talk about issues that have a personal impact on their communities. ?? Follow Kat on Instagram at @katevascostories and on Twitter at @icreatewithyou. Learn more about all six of the fellows here: https://lnkd.in/dPBXJTZ7

Through our Creative Catalyst Fellowship, Houston-based artists Sonny K. Mehta and Aris Kian Brown collaborated to create “Sounds of Solidarity,” a series of short videos that showcase the shared experiences of Asian American and Black communities. The series integrates poetry in both English and Urdu/Hindi and an educational toolkit facilitating critical conversations about solidarity, anti-Blackness, and allyship. Follow Sonny at @riyaaz_qawwali and Aris Kian at @rosewaterframes on Twitter! Watch their video series and access their toolkit here: https://lnkd.in/dJXYRxy4 Stay tuned for our next Creative Catalyst spotlight! ?

Our next featured Creative Catalyst fellow is Safwat Saleem. As a multidisciplinary artist, Safwat's work weaves together themes of preservation, belonging, and joy. Through his fellowship, Safwat created the multimedia project, “Anxieties of an Immigrant Father.” The project includes unique charts that map Safwat’s anxieties as an Asian American and immigrant father, drawings that point to the anxieties experienced by the larger AAPI community, especially going into an election year. Follow Safwat on Instagram at @safwtf and explore his drawings here: https://lnkd.in/dJPGvRPQ ??Stay tuned to our page as we’ll be more from our other Creative Catalysts??

Next up on our feature of the AAPI Fund's Creative Catalyst fellows is Lehuauakea! Lehuauakea is a Native Hawaiian artist with a focus on kapa making – breathing new life into traditional practices. For their Creative Catalyst project, they created a series of fine art illustrations that include ?ōlelo Hawai?i (Native Hawaiian language), as well as digital posters that are being shared free of charge with educators. Follow Lehuauakea on Instagram at @lehuauakea and view their digital posters here: bit.ly/lehuauakea Follow along on AAPI Funds socials today as we continue spotlighting our amazing Creative Catalyst fellows. ??

We’re so proud to support our 2023-2024 Creative Catalyst fellows, six independent artists whose work are a testament to the importance of creativity in activating civic engagement in AAPI communities and driving social change. Starting here with our first fellow feature, GB! GB Tran has been a publishing cartoonist for 20 years, and through his Creative Catalyst fellowship, developed an interactive webcomic, “Voting Together.” The comic aims to increase participation on Election Day, November 5, among the most diverse and second largest generational demographic in the U.S.: Gen Z. Follow GB on Instagram at @fatherhoodsurvivalguide and check out his comic at VotingTogether.com. Stay tuned to our socials to see more incredible projects from our Creative Catalyst fellows. ??

We’ve awarded $1M more in grants to 13 grassroots groups to boost AAPI civic engagement on November 5. Check out where we fund here: https://lnkd.in/exVm_XmE ? These new grants follow the $6.2MM awarded to 52 organizations across the country this spring. We are here to create a thriving multiracial democracy.?? ? “With weeks away from the general elections, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders need to come together and vote together. That is how we create a thriving, multiracial democracy.” - EunSook Lee, AAPI Fund.? ? Read more in our press release here: https://lnkd.in/enxRiERk? ?