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New Breath Foundation (NBF) mobilizes resources to support Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) harmed by the unjust immigration and criminal justice systems to heal, keep families together, and build movements that shift narratives and policies. We are organizers and directly impacted leaders who are building a community of funders and donors committed to providing hope and healing to AAPIs facing violence, incarceration, and deportation.
I’ll be honest: I’ve been putting off answering your question “How do foundation leaders stay clear-eyed in this moment?” As I sit to write, our Northern California skies are hazy with wildfire smoke. It strikes me as a metaphor for this moment, 19 months into COVID, when our visions of a post-pandemic future are shifting yet again. I definitely don’t feel clear-eyed.
Our team recently returned from a Summer refresh, where we pumped the brakes on the remarkable array of activities we are cooking up and allowed the team to recharge in anticipation of the second half of the year. It’s part of our commitment to centering wellness in racial equity, and while time off alone can’t address all the challenges facing workers in these existential times, it’s a good start.
One of the things I love about being President of NCG is how powerfully I am reminded of the privilege and responsibility of the position. Leading the organization whose charge it is to strengthen philanthropic practice in Northern California has never had more meaning than it does today.
COVID-19 had housing advocates worried. The underlying causes of homelessness – structural racism, income inequality, and lack of affordable housing – were exacerbated by the pandemic and were going to add to the problem.
Working in racial equity and social justice in the philanthropic sector is challenging because the “personal is political,” and there often feels like no break from our 9-5 roles. We don’t get to take off our skin or the grief we feel in our bodies from the years of oppression of racism that our people have endured.
Although the missions, strategies, and goals of our foundations are different, we share the belief that the grant application process should be simpler, and it is our responsibility as funders to reduce the burdens we place on grantseekers wherever we can. That is what our newly launched Common Application for the Arts is all about.