(Washington, DC) – As we continue to celebrate DC Values week, today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA) is proud to announce the awarding of a combined $213,302 in grant funding to ten community-based organizations that serve District AAPI residents. Grants were awarded in amounts between $5,000 and $40,000 to each organization.
“Washington, DC is one of the strongest, most diverse, and most vibrant cities in the world,” said Mayor Bowser. “The Asian American and Pacific Islander community is one of the fastest-growing and most linguistically diverse populations in Washington, DC, and is a community that has faced unique challenges throughout the pandemic. As we build on our progress and advance our values, these grants will help us remain a city that is welcoming, accessible, and full of opportunity.”
The Mayor’s allocation for the MOAPIA Community Grant Program as part of the agency’s overall budget for FY2022 reflects the unique needs of the AAPI community. MOAPIA’s FY2022 budget also includes additional resources to directly and intentionally address the rise of anti-AAPI violence and harassment that the community has faced during the pandemic.
“The MOAPIA Community Grant Program will allow the Mayor and our agency to make critical investments that will directly address the unique needs of the AAPI community in this moment,” said Ben de Guzman, MOAPIA Director. “From the work to ensure that underserved sectors of the community - low-income families, immigrants, undocumented residents - have equitable access to the District’s COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts, to the rise of anti-AAPI hate and bias motivated violence that we’ve seen in the public health emergency, the issues facing our community require specific interventions that these grantees are uniquely positioned to provide.”
The grant funding is aligned with the Bowser Administration’s priorities and values, and its aim is to support community programs focused on education, job and economic development, public safety, civic engagement, health and wellness, youth engagement, arts, and COVID-19 recovery. For the FY22 Community Grant Program, the grantees were selected based on the degree to which they meet these priorities and target their efforts to serve underprivileged AAPI residents in Washington, DC.
The following organizations will receive the grant for FY22:
- Asian American Youth Leadership Empowerment and Development (AALEAD)
- Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote
- Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center
- Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project
- Chinatown Service Center
- Hepatitis B Initiative of Washington, D.C., Inc.
- Housing Counseling Services
- Japan-America Society of Washington
- Uptown Community Initiatives
- Washington English Center
On Saturday, October 23, at 11:00 a.m. Mayor Bowser and the Mayor’s Office on Community Affairs (MOCA) will host an Open House Meet & Greet. The Open House, which will be at the Reeves Center, will give residents an opportunity to learn more about the 12 constituent offices within MOCA and the services and resources they provide.