New York AAPI coalition, lawmakers rally for $54.35 million in state funding

More than 100 advocates from the AAPI Equity Budget Coalition (EBC) gathered at the New York State Capitol on Feb. 10, pressing Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature to include $54.35 million in AAPI community funding in the FY2027 state budget.

Driving the news: The coalition was joined by State Sen. John Liu and Assemblymember Grace Lee, chair of the Asian Pacific American Task Force, along with several other lawmakers. Liu stressed that immigrant communities face mounting threats, noting that “in the face of growing hostility from the Trump White House, this investment is more critical than ever.”

Meanwhile, Lee cast the debate as a question of values, arguing that “New York must match its values with its budget and fully fund the AAPI Equity Budget to show that we truly stand with Asian American communities across our state.” Catherine Chen, CEO of the Asian American Federation, warned that recent federal funding cuts and freezes have left many families uncertain about their SNAP benefits and at risk of losing healthcare coverage, making state investment all the more urgent.

About the EBC: New York has allocated AAPI equity funds in every state budget since FY2023, when Lee and former State Sen. Iwen Chu led efforts to pass the first-ever $30 million package. The EBC seeks to support more than 150 nonprofits that provide linguistically and culturally tailored services, ranging from mental health care and food assistance to anti-hate programs and cultural initiatives.

The funding reaches a wide range of organizations like the Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, which uses it to shore up mental health and workforce programs, and AWAKE, which channels it toward counseling, job training and financial relief for more than 2,000 women and children in abusive conditions.

The big picture: A 2025 report by Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy found that just 34 cents of every $100 distributed by U.S. funders reaches AAPI communities. In New York, the AAPI population has surged nearly 38% over the last decade, five times the rate of overall population growth, widening the gap between community need and available resources.

As federal programs grow less reliable, community organizations have found themselves absorbing demand that Washington is no longer meeting, and advocates say the stakes for AAPI New Yorkers have rarely been higher.