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Jeremy Lin Foundation Announces CYC as a Grantee

Jeremy Lin Foundation Announces Bay Area Grantees

Focused on Overlooked AAPI Youth Needs

The Foundation’s granting coincides with Lin’s signing with the Santa Cruz Warriors

The Jeremy Lin Foundation is pleased to announce it has awarded over $200,000 in grants to five community-based organizations working to improve opportunities for underserved youth in the Bay Area.  The recipients are Community Youth Center (CYC), East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC), Harbor House, Asian American Community Involvement (AACI) and Stop AAPI Hate. Together, these organizations work with over 11,000 underserved youth, 30-75% which are Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI).

In the past few years Jeremy has been especially moved by the needs of the AAPI community, particularly those who are underserved yet often overlooked. The “model minority” myth distorts the reality that nearly one in four (23%) AAPIs in California are working but struggling with poverty.* On top of that, COVID has caused a rise in anti-Asian racism.  From March through July of 2020, Stop AAPI Hate received approximately 350 reports of anti-Asian discrimination involving youth nationally**.

In 2020, Jeremy gave $1.5M for COVID-19 relief and racial injustice, and fundraised for more through his campaign “Be the Light.” Jeremy wrote about his heart for this campaign and his reaction to the anti-Asian racism in his piece, The Darkness Has Not Overcome It.

The Jeremy Lin Foundation took a data-driven and community needs approach to identifying organizations serving AAPI youth in low income areas, with strong leadership and high impact results, and low access to philanthropic capital.

 “As I get older, I’m more and more interested in how to develop strategies for philanthropy with both depth and impact,” said Lin. “The Asian American experience is close to my heart and I want to see more youth feel empowered in their identities. The Bay Area has always been home base to me and the Jeremy Lin Foundation is thrilled to partner with these organizations to further our mission of empowering underprivileged youth.”

About the Jeremy Lin Foundation

Jeremy Lin founded the Jeremy Lin Foundation to love and serve children and youth, by providing hope, empowerment and leadership development. Because Jeremy believes God first loved us, we have the capability and opportunity to love others through our actions and giving of our resources (1 John 3:16-18). The Jeremy Lin Foundation is a 501 c3 non-profit organization. 100% of the proceeds donated to the foundation will go to supporting non-profit organizations that are making an impact in the lives of children and youth and their communities.

*Data from 2019 PRRI and AAPI California Workers Survey

** Stop AAPI Hate youth report (March-July)