Grantmaking
Our philanthropic approach relies on going directly to the source—the community itself.
Making decisions together
At New Breath Foundation, we take a participatory grantmaking approach. We work with our grantees and take their cues.
We are uniquely positioned to identify and support pivotal grassroots AANHPI organizations.
The entire NBF staff and board are activists and advocates with substantial movement-building experience and knowledge. NBF President and Founder Eddy Zheng spent over 20 years in California prisons and immigration jails, and he has worked in the nonprofit sector since 2007.
Our team collectively brings decades of experience in nurturing relationships with trusted grassroots groups and leaders to inform our work. New Breath Foundation is sought out as subject matter experts by philanthropy, media, and the community. Our Community Advisory Committee—composed of AANHPI grassroots organizers and those with lived experience in the unjust U.S. immigration and criminal legal systems—offers expert guidance in our grantmaking and programs.
Our relationships go beyond the typical grantor-grantee transaction.
We understand that grassroots groups need urgent funding to save lives. We don’t require grantees to fill out long applications or reports to get the crucial resources they need. Our team’s in-kind support for grantees also includes:
- Advising on 501(c)3 organizational development
- Coaching for executive leadership
- Connecting grantees to new funders
- Uniting grassroots organizers to build community with one another
Supporting trusted AANHPI grassroots communities
Two Types of Grants that Strategically Advance Our Mission
The We Got Us Fund
New Breath Foundation established the We Got Us Fund in response to rising anti-Asian violence and to address the need to assist frontline organizers. The organizations we support:
- Fight scapegoating
- Cultivate culturally relevant healing
- Promote cross-racial solidarity
- Protect communities from systemic and interpersonal violence
New Breath Fund
The New Breath Fund offers entry points for organizations doing great work in one or more areas:
- Hope and healing
- Keeping families together
- Movement building
Grantee Spotlight
‘Ekolu Mea Nui
'Ekolu Mea Nui works to transform Hawai’i’s justice system through Native Hawaiian cultural practices and values that innovate alternatives to incarceration, restore the human spirit, build resilient ʻohana (families), and change inequitable laws and policies.
For Grantseekers
Our grantmaking is currently invitation-only. You may submit a common proposal through JustFund, where you can seek support from NBF and over 400 other funders at the same time. Unfortunately, NBF does not have the capacity to respond to every proposal submitted. But if you are a fit, we will contact you.