Grants
The Korean American Community Foundation® (KACF) was founded in 2002 by a group of Korean American leaders in New York with a simple idea: philanthropy by and for the community. The goal was to address the chronic underinvestment in the Korean immigrant community by raising funds for programs serving under-resourced Korean American individuals and families, while also mobilizing community members to give and be part of a philanthropic movement.
Over the past 22 years, we have distributed $14 million in grants and supported over 400 projects helping low-income Korean and Asian American immigrants in the greater New York area. While we are continuing to fund in the greater New York area, we have recognized and heeded the call for funding support in other regions with large Korean American populations. To that end, we established a National Grants program to support projects that are aligned with our grantmaking goals: increasing the economic security of low-income Korean and Asian Americans.
We are now accepting proposals for Community Grants and National Grants. If you would like to receive notifications of funding opportunities in your inbox, please subscribe to our mailing list.
National Grants
National Grants are only available to organizations based outside of New York and New Jersey.
We are interested in projects that are looking to:
- close the data gaps on the needs of the Korean American community
- seed or support ongoing collaborative or coalition-building projects
- nationally-focused projects to address barriers to economic security
- regional projects aligned with our grantmaking goal
Grant Amount: The maximum grant amount is $75,000. We provide general operating and program-specific support. General operating grants are only available to organizations with a budget of $3 million or less.
Grant Period & Renewal: National Grants are multi-year (2 years). No organization will receive more than one National Grant in any one grantmaking year. National Grants are awarded once a year.
If you are interested in applying for a National Grant, we highly recommend that you attend our virtual RFP briefing on August 1, 2024 at 1pm ET.
Community Grants (NY/NJ)
Community Grants are available to only organizations based in New York and New Jersey.
We are interested in projects that are looking to:
- provide services to address short- and long-term needs to achieve economic security (i.e. education, workforce development, public benefits counseling, affordable housing, healthcare, etc.)
- engage in community organizing and advocacy to address root causes of economic instability and poverty and/or advocate for systems change to ensure more resources are accessible to our community
Grant Amount: The maximum grant amount is $100,000. We provide general operating and program-specific support. General operating grants are only available to organizations with a budget of $3 million or less.
Grant Period & Renewal: Community Grants are multi-year (3 years). Grantee partner organizations do not need to reapply after the first year of funding. No organization will receive more than one Community Grant in any one grantmaking year.
How We Define “Economic Security”
We define economic security as having the resources to realize the full economic potential of individuals and families through educational attainment, meaningful employment, financial literacy, public benefits, access to affordable housing and home- ownership, and other pathways to immediate and long-term economic stability.
Learn more about our grantee partners and the initiatives we fund: kacfny.org/grantee-partners.
Eligibility
The Foundation prioritizes organizations that are working with Korean Americans as a target population or within the larger group of constituents served by the program. We are particularly interested in organizations that:
- are working with Korean Americans either as a target population or within the larger group of constituents served by the organization/program.
- are engaging in partnerships with other community organizations and stakeholders;
- have the intention of providing comprehensive support to constituents;
- are measuring and documenting quantitative and qualitative outcomes; and
- can clearly articulate how KACF’s grant will advance their work.
KACF will only consider organizations that:
- are a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization or have a fiscal sponsor that is 501(c)3;
- have an operational history of at least 6 months;
- have an established and working Board of Directors; and
- have filed IRS Form 990 and/or audited financials.
Funding Restrictions
KACF does not provide funding for:
- individuals;
- capital fund projects;
- endowments;
- fundraising events;
- feasibility studies;
- real estate purchases;
- public or private schools, colleges or universities;
- political causes or campaigns to elect candidates to public office; or
- programs that do not comply with Federal, state, or local equal employment statutes.
Key Dates
| Application Deadline | Thursday, August 22, 2024 |
| Initial Review Notification | Early September 2024 |
| Site Visits | September–November 2024 |
| Grant Period | December 15, 2024–December 15, 2027 |
| RFP Briefing (Virtual) | Thursday, August 1 (1-2pm ET) |
| Application Deadline | Friday, August 30, 2024 |
| Initial Review Notification | Early September 2024 |
| Site Visits | September–November 2024 |
| Grant Period | December 15, 2024–December 15, 2026 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can nonprofit organizations in New York or New Jersey apply for a National Grant? What if they are off-cycle and currently not receiving a KACF grant?
Nonprofit organizations in New York and New Jersey are encouraged to apply for a Community Grant. National Grants are only available to organizations based outside of New York and New Jersey, even if the organization is currently not receiving a KACF grant.
Can nonprofit organizations in New York or New Jersey apply for a National Grant to support its collaborative or coalition-building work?
Organizations in New York and New Jersey can be part of a collaborative that is applying for a National Grant but should not be the lead organization that is applying. Moreover, we are seeking collaboratives and coalition-building work that is nationally-focused although it may have members in New York or New Jersey.
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