About Us

We’re leading the movement to fund grassroots groups that transform AANHPI lives in the here and now while fighting for the collective liberation of all people of color.

The Challenge

National philanthropic foundations give less than 0.2% of funding to AANHPI communities, and a fraction of that to AANHPIs harmed by incarceration, deportation, and violence in the U.S.

What We Do

New Breath Foundation delivers critical under-resourced, frontline groups the exact resources they need to help empower, heal, and change AANHPI lives in real time.

Our formerly incarcerated founder, along with other directly impacted leaders, steers our public foundation in growing a coalition of funders and individual donors who trust impacted communities to shape solutions that heal and transform the lives of AANHPIs and all people of color affected by the unjust U.S. immigration and criminal legal systems.

We’ve shifted to a more collaborative philanthropy, where social change is happening now—not years in the future.

New Breath Foundation was founded in 2017 by Eddy Zheng, the first formerly incarcerated AANHPI “juvenile lifer” to serve as President and Founder of a philanthropic foundation.

Our History

2016

Anonymous seed donor offers to fund Eddy’s vision of starting a philanthropic foundation

2017

New Breath Foundation becomes a 501(c)3 community-led public foundation

2018

Awards first round of grants at $13,000

2019

New Breath Foundation public launch at Local Kitchen in San Francisco

2019

Listening Tour and legal clinic to Phnom Penh, Cambodia with APSC and SEAFN to meet with deportees

2019

Awards $83,000 in grants

2020

Welcome back Cambodian deportee who attended the 2019 Listening Tour’s legal clinic; Establish Kites to Cambodia with APSC, SEAFN, and other individuals

2020

Awards $100,000 in grants

2021

Kites to Cambodia partners with CERI to pilot New Light, a virtual mental health program

2021

Mobilizes $130,000 in rapid response grants to address the rise in anti-Asian violence

2021

Launches $10M We Got Us Fund and forms the Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

2021

Awards over $2.3M in grants

2022

Fearless New Breath Fundraiser

2022

Inaugural NBF grantee convening is held remotely

2022

CAC and stakeholders nominate the second round of grantees

2022

Awards over $1.3M in grants

2023

Return to Southeast Asia to visit with deportees and organize several resource fairs with Kites to Cambodia coalition

2023

Rename Kites to Cambodia to Kites to Southeast Asia, now comprised of NBF, APSC, CERI-New Light, MN8, and SEAFN

2023

Celebrates 5 years of grantmaking at Defying the Impossible awards Ceremony and Fundraiser

2023

The second annual NBF grantee convening is held in person

2023

Awards $2.2M in grants

We are led and advised by directly impacted community members who understand the problem and know the right solutions.

New Breath Foundation is a member of the following organizations and networks.

Our Funders

New Breath Foundation is a registered, national 501c3 community-led public foundation. EIN# 81-4166805