BMPP fuels good ideas that advance social justice in Asian/Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

We are emerging from a period of great suffering and pain with new relationships and learnings. More than ever, we see that reimagining a more caring and inclusive shared future is an on-going process.

There is no vaccine to eliminate disparities in public health, economic insecurity, racism, misogyny and reactionary nationalism, only our continued collective will to love and take care of each other radically and wholly. Indigenous, Black, Asian, and Latinx communities (usually included in the umbrella of BIPOC) came together in new and unprecedented ways to shelter each other from the devastating and unequal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the heightened political vitriol of 2020.

We are more than our collective pain; we are a collective opportunity to create our own shared future where every person (and especially those who have suffered the most) are heard, included and have the power to design solutions that chart paths towards better outcomes for everyone.

The BMPP Giving Circle is made up of a group of families who believe that we can build a better future for all of us when we come together to celebrate, learn about, and fuel the change we want to see in the world. As communities and neighborhoods rebuild, we want to contribute to supporting efforts that focus on building solidarity across communities and support efforts that focus on healing and care, in whatever form it may take.

For our 2021 grant round, we will make micro-grants of up to $2,500 for projects led by or are serving Asian/Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, including the AMEMSA (Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian) communities that are focused on building solidarity across racialized communities made most vulnerable at this time, and healing projects that support communities during this time.

This can include (but is not limited to) community and neighborhood organizing efforts, community teach-ins that liberate the mind and creates opportunities to unlearn and relearn community-centered histories and issues, work that centers the needs of communities in issues-based advocacy and power building, and providing healing and care for communities, artists, organizers, etc.

IMPORTANT: You must be located in the Upper Midwest region (Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Iowa) and the project must serve the Asian/Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

PLEASE NOTE: We will not support existing or ongoing projects. If the project builds out a new area of an existing program then please explain how so we will consider it.

Ways to submit an application (choose one).

  1. Submit a written narrative online.

  2. Create a YouTube video (5 min limit) – use the online application form to send us the link. Be sure to answer all the following questions:

    • Provide the name of 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is sponsoring your project.

    • Tell us about yourself.

    • Tell us about your idea and project. Why is it needed now?

    • How will you use the money? (You can apply for any amount up to $2,500)

    • What impact will your project have if you successfully complete it? How will it have helped to advance justice for Asian/Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the Upper Midwest region (Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin)?

  3. If you would rather speak to someone and have them help you complete the application, please call one of our members below:

    • Annika: 612-367-7989

    • Jon: 612-520-1842

    • Taylor: 651-261-9316

For more information, see our FAQs.

Deadline: July 29, 2021 at 11:59pm CT

We are accepting applications until Friday, July 29, 2021 at 11:59pm CT. Grants will be reviewed after the deadline and decisions will be made in August 2021. You will be notified in August if you have been awarded a grant.

Ready to submit?

Your online application cannot be saved, so we suggest you copy and paste the questions into a Word document and then work on it. When you are ready, come back and submit your online application. The online applications do not save as you work on them, and we will not receive a complete proposal till you click on the 'SUBMIT' button.

By submitting this application you give BMPP permission to review and use this information for our giving circle work.