Asian Giving Circle

A Letter from AGC’s Leadership Team

Dear Friends of Asian Giving Circle,

Nearly 25 years ago, a group of visionary AAPI leaders in Chicago looked at the philanthropic landscape and saw a glaring gap: AAPI communities were thriving, growing, and contributing — yet less than half a percent of philanthropic funding was reaching them. They decided not to wait for the system to change. Instead, they created something to start making that change.

What they created was the Asian Giving Circle (AGC), a way for individuals to come together to amplify collective giving as a community. Today, we as the AGC Leadership Team are proud to continue to steward that grassroots legacy. AGC has now granted more than $1.12 million to 62 AAPI-serving nonprofits, activated over 400 individuals as philanthropists, and helped inspire more than 50 AAPI-focused giving circles across the country. We are deeply humbled by what this community has built together, and energized by what lies ahead.

We know the work is far from finished. AAPI communities across the Chicago region remain critically underfunded by philanthropy. The organizations doing the most important, community-rooted work are often the ones with the fewest resources. And in this current moment, when AAPI communities face renewed challenges and heightened visibility, the stakes feel higher than ever. AGC is ready to step into this moment.

We also know that we need to assess what will be sustainable. Through generous multi-year funding support awarded in 2023, we are able to take the long view in a strategic planning process that charts where we’ve been, where we are currently, where we want to go, and what it would take to get us there.

That is why we are proud to share AGC’s 2026-2029 Strategic Plan.

This plan represents the collective wisdom of AGC members, grant partners, and community stakeholders who came together to ask: what does it look like for AGC to fully unlock the power of community giving? The answer was ambitious and grounding at the same time. By 2029, we aim to grow our membership threefold, increase our annual grantmaking to $250,000, and deepen the ways we support the AAPI-serving organizations that are changing lives every day. It also means building our volunteer infrastructure.

Achieving this will require all of us — longtime members and first-time givers, institutional partners and community advocates, AAPI community members and committed allies — to be bold in our asks, intentional in our growth, and rooted in the values that have always defined AGC: bold action, collective learning, collaborative spirt, equitable power, and transformative giving.

We invite you to be part of what comes next. Whether you join as a member, deepen your giving, volunteer your time, or simply spread the word, your participation matters. AGC grows stronger every time someone joins.

What Does Leadership Look Like in This Moment?
By Eric Wu, Sonia Mathew, Andrea Chwee

As we kick off 2026, we’re reflecting on this question first explored through our inaugural Nonprofit and Philanthropic AAPI Leadership Series. This series was a partnership between Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) – Chicago Chapter, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Chicago Chapter – Asian Pacific Islander Affinity Group, and Asian Giving Circle (AGC).

The series uplifted emerging leaders in our community, spotlighted their critical work, and inspired others to step forward, lead, and take action. 

• In May, we began with Esther Kang, a Race, Class and Communities Desk reporter from WBEZ, in conversation with Amanda Hwu, executive director of the Illinois Community Power Fund.
• In July, we continued the series with Nissa Rhee, co-founder and Executive Director of Borderless Magazine, in conversation with Danae Kovac, executive director of HANA Center.
• For our third and final installment, we featured a conversation with Rummana Hussain, columnist and lead opinion writer at the Chicago Sun-Times, and Julie Morita, MD, president & CEO of The Joyce Foundation.

Across these conversations, several powerful themes emerged:

Identity & Navigating This Moment

• Identity and upbringing deeply shape our values and what we bring to our work. Commitments to justice and equity are rooted in addressing the legacies of systemic discrimination experienced by Asian American communities.
• In navigating today’s turbulent landscape, leaders are balancing the need to be bold with the need to address how our communities may be targeted.  
• External pressures have made collaboration not just valuable, but essential, especially in a time when many are seeking to divide and isolate our communities. 

Connection & Partnership

• Different perspectives are essential when building coalitions. Disagreement can be healthy, and we do not need to agree on everything to move our work forward. Struggling together can build solidarity and lasting coalitions. 
• Belonging comes before belief. The fundamental skill of organizing is having one-on-one conversations, even with people who hold different beliefs. This is what helps cultivate belonging, which is needed before change can occur. 
• As resources are limited, philanthropy has to be strategic. Partnerships are key, so find partners that share common principles. 

Embracing Leadership & Growth

• Leadership may come as a calling when it is least expected. Sometimes others see leadership in us before we see it ourselves, and we should be ready to answer that call, even before we feel fully prepared. 
• It is necessary to lead with a growth mindset that says, “I haven’t done this YET,” rather than a fixed mindset that says, “I can’t do this, because I haven’t done it before.”
• It is important to be journey-oriented, not just goal-oriented, since there are many paths to one goal.

What Leadership Looks Like Moving Forward

As we look ahead, our focus is clear: meaningful, systemic change happens when more people come together across roles, organizations, and lived experiences. In 2026, we’re continuing to deepen this collective work, expand leadership pathways, and strengthen the relationships that make long-term impact possible. In closing, we leave you with this wisdom from our leaders as inspiration for the new year:

• Seek human connection and collaboration
• Think with a growth mindset about the things you haven’t done YET
• Make hope a discipline by doing every day, small acts

We look forward to our continued collaboration and partnership together! 

Andrea Chwee, AFP Chicago-API Affinity Group
Sonia Mathew, AAPIP Chicago Chapter
Eric Wu, Asian Giving Circle