CACF: Coalition for Asian American Children and Families

We’re sending so much gratitude to all of the community members, elected officials, and member and partner organizations that came out on Tuesday to celebrate the power of our communities with us at our 2024 Catalyst for Change Awards Gala. As this year’s gala theme so eloquently states, the support and funds raised from our gala attendees will allow CACF to continue IGNITING ACTION on behalf of AAPI New Yorkers. Your generosity will help us support our growing policy, leadership, and grants and contracts teams as we continue to advocate for AAPI communities across the state. We’re especially grateful to our incredible Catalyst for Change honorees James C. Rhee of the red helicopter and Maya Wiley of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights for their inspiring remarks about their families and their journeys as advocates and changemakers in the United States. Thank you too to our incredible emcees Ernabel Demillo and Vivian Lee for expertly hosting the evening and to our auctioneer Paul Florez-Taylor for leading such a spirited paddle raise and live auction. And, of course, we were so happy to have our ASAP Youth Leaders Ashwyn Lu-Huda and Clarissa Kunizaki expertly moderate a panel discussion with our awardees. Our current Youth Leader cohort was also a major part of the evening, with ASAPer Olivia Kim paying tribute to the power of ASAP and the importance of youth advocacy. Our ASAPers also networked and played a specifically designed AAPI trivia game with our guests throughout the reception. Thank you too to all of the elected officials and staff representatives who came out to celebrate the power of New York’s AAPI communities. We opened our event with Office of the New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ powerful opening remarks during the reception. We are also so glad Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, Assemblymember Steven Raga, Office of the New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, New York City Councilmembers Crystal Hudson, Shekar Krishnan, Linda Lee, and Julie Won, and our AAPI Equity Budget Champions Assemblymember Grace Lee and Senator John Liu were able to join us. Stay tuned for even more photos and videos from the event in the coming days!

CACF was honored to sponsor the 2025 Change InSight Data Equity Summit hosted by the Chinese American Service League. The community-based organizations in our coalition see every day how clear, disaggregated data on AAPI New Yorkers is essential to getting our communities the resources they need to thrive. One of the summit’s highlights was a panel discussion moderated by CACF’s Co-Executive Director Vanessa Leung on why disaggregated data matters. We are so grateful to our panelists Amy Vertal of the The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Lan Doan of the New York University Center for Asian American Health, and Councilmember Julie Won for taking the time to join us!

CACF’s ASAP Youth Leaders headed to City Hall to speak out against the proposed $400 million in cuts to essential education programs in NYC Department of Education schools during Thursday's preliminary budget hearing. We are proud to be part of the Coalition for Equitable Education Funding and will resist any effort to cut these essential services for New York City’s children and families. Our Youth Leaders see firsthand what a difference programs for English Language Learners, anti-bullying initiatives, mental health support, and language access services for immigrant and limited English proficient families make each day. We are so appreciative of our ASAPers Ayesha, Brandon, Kyae, and Waiza for sharing their words during this important budget fight.

You’re invited to join CACF at Change InSight’s 2025 Data Equity Summit this Thursday! We’re honored to sponsor this year’s Data Equity Summit, which will focus on the importance of community-centered data and its impact on public policy. The summit will kick things off with opening remarks by CACF’s Co-Executive Director Anita Gundanna and the morning panel will be moderated by Co-Executive Director Vanessa Leung and will feature several of our coalition members and longtime partners discussing the importance of better data, particularly when it comes to creating federal, state, and local policies. Be sure to RSVP for this important March 13 summit at https://lnkd.in/eRnJnc6P or the link in our bio. We hope to see you there!

The?heart?of?CACF?has always been the?90+ member organizations?that make up our diverse AAPI coalition. On February 7, we were honored to bring together leaders from community-based organizations from across the city for our?annual Membership Convening. A highlight of the event was a peek into CACF’s?AAPI Statewide Agenda?priorities, which draw on conversations we have had with our member and partner organizations. As our team continues our listening year, we look forward to getting input on our agenda priorities from our partners, supporters, and Youth Leaders from across the state.

Since 2022, the CACF co-led Equity Budget Coalition has been there for AAPI communities across New York State. On February 25, CACF funded a bus filled with community advocates to Albany for the annual Equity Budget Coalition Advocacy Day! Watch as our EBC members and our AAPI Equity Budget champions raise their voices in support of the $54.34 million #AAPIEquityBudget, which would provide critical funding to New York's diverse AAPI community-based organizations. Help us get the word out about this critical funding by sharing our recap today! ??: Relentless Awareness LLC

We're just over two months into 2025, and our work has never felt more important. It’s clear that if we don’t stand up for ourselves, then no one else will. This year we’re committed to creating a statewide AAPI agenda, meeting with community leaders to understand their challenges and unify the interests of AAPI communities in New York State. In line with that mission, we’re also expanding our support to youth, families, and organizations, investing in a brighter future while building a community that’s too powerful to ignore. Our voices are louder together. Follow us on social to stay up-to-date on how you can be part of the movement.

Did you spot CACF’s Asian American Student Advocacy Project in this powerful Chalkbeat piece? Our ASAP Youth Leaders thoughtfully break down why having more AAPI teachers in NYC schools matters. As our young people note, having a diverse teaching workforce plays a crucial role in demolishing the model minority myth while also providing students with a critical source of support during their formative years. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eTa5d9j5

In 2024, CACF launched the AAPI Community Development Fund (CDF). What makes the CDF unique? It created a critical pathway for community-based organizations across NYS to access government dollars through the NYS AAPI Equity Budget. Without which, these organizations may not have the resources they need to support their communities. The CDF funds projects that: ?Combat hate, bias, and racism ?Address mental health needs and increase safety for AAPI New Yorkers ?Provide essential social and health services to enhance well-being @aaartsalliance is one of the organizations that received funds from the CDF. Go check out their page to see what they’ve been up to. Swipe through to discover how the CDF is uplifting AAPI New Yorkers across the state!

CACF’s staff and Youth Leaders were out in full force in Albany earlier this month to raise our voices in support of inclusive curriculum in New York State’s public schools. As co-founders of the REACH Coalition, we were proud to rally our community as part of REACH’s third annual Advocacy Day in support of Senate Bill 3334 / Assembly Bill A4638, which calls for the development of an AANHPI curriculum in New York State’s public schools. We join our fellow REACH Steering Committee members in urging the New York State Legislature to pass this vital bill in both houses in 2025. We are sending a huge thank you to all of the young people from CACF's ASAP program and our virtual community network AYCAN for joining us and telling lawmakers firsthand why an AANHPI curriculum matters. Video by Relentless Awareness LLC