#bmppgiving

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Bo Thao-Urabe, BMPP Giving Circle | (415) 407-0959 Mobile | [email protected]

Minneapolis, Minnesota (January 6, 2014) – Building More Philanthropy with Purpose (BMPP) Giving Circle announced that it made seven additional grants in Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2014. Since 2013, BMPP has made 13 grants to social justice projects in the Asian American community in the Midwest.

BMPP Giving Circle was founded in 2012 by a small group of Asian American families who wanted to build on their community’s traditions of giving using the tools of American philanthropy. That tool is in the form of a giving circle where BMPP donor families pool their funds together and collectively decide what they want to support. BMPP began making micro-grants in 2013 to advance the lives of Asian Americans, and in its first year funded projects focused on farming, youth civic engagement, cycling, entrepreneurship, and storytelling.

Their 2014 funds supported the following organizations and efforts:

Don’t Buy Miss Saigon Coalition to develop a toolkit and provide organizing support to other areas where the play is being hosted,

Saint Paul Public Schools to put on its first Hmong youth and staff leadership conference,

A general operating grant to the Hmong American Farmers Association,

Support to enable the Karen Student United Association at Saint Cloud State University to host the first Karen Culture Day,

ManForward to expand its Midwest Hmong Youth Leadership Retreat that brings Hmong boys ages 13-18 years old from their respective communities together to discuss manhood and gender equity, as well as develop non-violent behaviors, and

Hmong Center of Green Bay to develop a Money Management program for Hmong youth 13 and over, and

Building Our Future Campaign to work with women and their communities from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and China to address gender injustices towards building healthy and safe families and communities.

BMPP Giving Circle prides itself on making its grant-making application as simple as possible so that smaller groups who may not be familiar or have resources to hire professional grant writers can access philanthropic support. For many grant seekers, BMPP grants provide essential support to making their projects reality.

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The BMPP Giving Circle is made up of Asian American families from Minnesota and Wisconsin who come together to celebrate, learn about, and pool our financial resources to support innovative projects that advance justice and equity. Because we come from cultures of generosity and giving, we aspire to model those attributes by finding new practices in American philanthropy that help us to fuel the change we want to see in the world. Additionally, because we know that Asian Americans receive less than 1 percent of philanthropic dollars[1] in the United States we want to help fill some of that gap by putting our dollars towards Asian American focused efforts that receive little philanthropic support.

Our donor families include:

Bo Thao and Dennis Urabe, and their daughter Emi

Cheng Her and his children: Asya, Logan, and Julia

Elizabeth Yang and Elliot Vang and their children: Evan and Evelyn

Kaohly and Kong Her and their daughters: Taylor and Ayden

Kaosong Vang and Choua Yang and their children: Roan and Aria

Paul and Phoua Vang and their children: Kal-El, Gabe and Neela

Terri Thao and Cheng Vang and their children: Doua Zong and Touly 

BMPP has gifted over $30,000 to 13 projects in Minnesota and Wisconsin since 2013.

BMPP is a donor advised fund of the Headwaters Foundation, and a member of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy’s National Giving Circle Network.

March 15, 2014 (Saint Paul, MN) – To celebrate a successful year of giving, the Building More Philanthropy with Purpose (BMPP) Giving Circle, started by eight Asian American families in the Twin Cities, hosted its first community celebration with families, friends, and supporters. Title “Pho the Good of All,” the attendees heard from the community projects that received funds and enjoyed a pho lunch.

“Starting a giving circle is a great way to build on our community’s giving culture,” shares Kaohly Her.

In recent years, giving circles have become a bigger part of philanthropy, especially in emerging communities. It has great appeal because it brings people together to raise, pool, and grant money together. Giving circles allow for a wide range of giving style, philosophy, and values. Some giving circle members donate money, while others volunteer their time, skills, and expertise in the organizations that their giving circle funds. Members often meet and eat; they laugh; they choose a wrong to right. They pool their resources and make a plan to go about being a force for good in their community. Giving circles also provide social networks, leadership development, peer support, and learning among its members.

Ele Vang’s family joined the giving circle early on. He remarks, “We joined because it’s such a fun way for our family to give and be a part of choosing where our funds go. ”

At the celebration, the six organizations that received BMPP funds shared the outcomes of their projects. The six organizations are: Asian Economic Development Association (AEDA), Center for Hmong Arts & Talent (CHAT), Cycles for Change (C4C), Hmong American Farmer’s Association (HAFA), Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota (LACM), and the Minnesota Food Association (MFA).

"Our giving circle is not meant to stand-in for established foundations, but with such a young population and strong giving cultures we are tapping into our greatest assets so we can be a part of the solution,” says Bo Thao-Urabe, who co-founded BMPP.

“We tend to only hear about the needs in our community, so this celebration is an opportunity to celebrate something positive together,” says Dia Lee, a BMPP member.

BMPP will have two rounds of giving in 2014. For more information, please Email [email protected] or visit bit.ly/1oAG6oQ.