Grant Programs

The Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) was founded in 2002 with the vision of strengthening the lives of individuals and families in the Korean American community and beyond. To achieve this goal, the Foundation supports community-based organizations that address critical needs in our community through the following grantmaking initiatives:

 

Community Grants Program (General Grants)

The Community Grants Program is KACF's annual grantmaking initiative, which provides one year-long grants typically between $12,000 and $30,000 to nonprofits that are making a difference in the greater New York metropolitan area. KACF's Community Grants support organizations and programs that employ holistic approaches in the following five program areas:

• Economic Security - guiding individuals towards economic sufficiency
• Health - encouraging physical, mental and socio-emotional health
• Safety - helping survivors of violence to achieve physical and emotional safety
• Senior Empowerment - fostering independence and self-sufficiency
• Youth Empowerment - promoting healthy decision-making and empowerment

The Foundation prioritizes programs that are addressing the critical needs of underserved and under-resourced communities, particularly low-income individuals and families, by providing them with access and opportunities to move towards self-sufficiency.

For Community Grants guidelines and more information on our five program areas, please
click HERE.

Technical Assistance (TA) Grants

KACF's Technical Assistance (TA) Grants program is designed to help improve the long-term strength and sustainability of the Foundation's grantee partner organizations. Priority is given to projects that focus on developing the leadership and management skills of staff and board and strengthening organizational infrastructure. These projects may include, but are not limited to, training on a specific topic, such as marketing, financial management, website development or fundraising; hiring a facilitator for a board retreat; or working with a consultant to develop a fundraising plan or a strategic plan for the organization.

The TA Grants Program is one component of KACF's Capacity Building Initiative, which includes a grantee partner-volunteer match program (Capacity Building Corps) as well as a skills-building workshop series. TA Grants are only open to current KACF grantee partners.

For TA Grants guidelines and more information on the TA Grants Program, please click HERE.

Special Projects Grants

Special Projects Grants are available to organizations and programs that have identified emerging needs in the Korean American community and are working to address them. Through the Special Projects Grants, KACF is particularly interested in funding projects that address emerging social service, organizing, or advocacy needs in our community that are not currently funded through KACF Community Grants. KACF also prioritizes projects that seek to engage both Korean and non-Korean American communities to create positive social change, and those that explore issues of Korean identity, culture, and diaspora.

Special Projects Grants are available year-around.

For Special Projects Grants guidelines and more information on the Special Projects Grants Program, please click HERE.

Inter-Community Development Fund

In October 2005, KACF launched the Inter-Community Development (ICD) initiative with a grant from the Ford Foundation with the goal of engaging other ethnic communities within the New York City region and organizing a joint community development agenda. For information on the past ICD projects, please click HERE. Building on the learnings from this initiative, we created the Inter-Community Development Fund to support projects that promote cross-ethnic/racial collaboration to strengthen our shared community.

For more information on this grant program, please contact Brennan Gang, Program Officer, at brennan@kacfny.org.