The Hmong Impact Giving Network Awarded its First Grant
April 17, 2020
SEATTLE, WA - The Hmong Impact Giving Network is pleased to announce that we have awarded our first grant in the amount of $2,500 to the Hmong Institute in Wisconsin to support their Hmong Brighter Future project. This project is designed to serve Hmong children with emotional disorder, chronic stress, PTSD, depression, and school tensions with the intent to provide access to culturally mental health services where Hmong children will be able to seek help and cope with their daily stresses and for building a resilient and stronger Hmong community to support their children to grow up mentally prepared for their future.
“The Hmong Institute is a new non-profit and it means a lot to receive a small grant from the Hmong Impact Giving Network. We believe that in order to build strong roots, we need to ensure that we have the well-being of our Hmong children in mind and a priority. As we begin to address this unmet need, we are excited and thankful for the work of Hmong philanthropists. We look forward to be a stronger partner as we embark together in tackling the social and emotional challenges in our Hmong community”, said Mai Zong Vue, MSSW, Hmong Institute’s Board President
The Hmong Impact Giving Network (formerly the Hmong Impact Giving Circle) is a national network of Hmong giving circles in the US that cultivates effective Hmong philanthropists, strengthening Hmong nonprofits and investing in collaborative solutions to tackle the Hmong community’s social challenges. The Hmong Impact Giving Network’s mission is to unite and build a community of Hmong philanthropists to invest together in their communities and is fiscally sponsored by Philanthropy Northwest in Seattle, WA.
“We are grateful to have received 13 applications from across the country and our members chose the Hmong Institute for their work in mental health which is also one of HIGN’s grantmaking focus areas. We would like to give more in 2021 and if anyone is inspired to make a difference in our community too or want to learn more about how giving circles or collective philanthropy work, please come join us by becoming a member of the Hmong Impact Giving Network. We have changed our membership structure to make it easier for people to be involved based on their time commitment and leadership capacity”, said Cynthia Yongvang, co-founder and chair of the Hmong Impact Giving.
For more information about the Hmong Impact Giving Network, to donate or become a member, please explore our website.
“The Hmong Institute is a new non-profit and it means a lot to receive a small grant from the Hmong Impact Giving Network. We believe that in order to build strong roots, we need to ensure that we have the well-being of our Hmong children in mind and a priority. As we begin to address this unmet need, we are excited and thankful for the work of Hmong philanthropists. We look forward to be a stronger partner as we embark together in tackling the social and emotional challenges in our Hmong community”, said Mai Zong Vue, MSSW, Hmong Institute’s Board President
The Hmong Impact Giving Network (formerly the Hmong Impact Giving Circle) is a national network of Hmong giving circles in the US that cultivates effective Hmong philanthropists, strengthening Hmong nonprofits and investing in collaborative solutions to tackle the Hmong community’s social challenges. The Hmong Impact Giving Network’s mission is to unite and build a community of Hmong philanthropists to invest together in their communities and is fiscally sponsored by Philanthropy Northwest in Seattle, WA.
“We are grateful to have received 13 applications from across the country and our members chose the Hmong Institute for their work in mental health which is also one of HIGN’s grantmaking focus areas. We would like to give more in 2021 and if anyone is inspired to make a difference in our community too or want to learn more about how giving circles or collective philanthropy work, please come join us by becoming a member of the Hmong Impact Giving Network. We have changed our membership structure to make it easier for people to be involved based on their time commitment and leadership capacity”, said Cynthia Yongvang, co-founder and chair of the Hmong Impact Giving.
For more information about the Hmong Impact Giving Network, to donate or become a member, please explore our website.
December 15, 2019
The Hmong Impact Giving Network (HIGN) is pleased to issue a request for proposal for its 2020 grantmaking cycle from Hmong organizations in the US.
HIGN will award a $2500 grant to a project/program that makes a compelling case for one of the following funding criteria:
· Preserving Hmong art and culture
· Ending gender inequality
· Mental health issues
· Addressing issues faced by Hmong men/boys
Project/program must:
1. Serve the Hmong community/population in the US
2. Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (or is currently fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3))
3. Have an annual operating budget of $250,000 or less or have limited access to other funding sources.
Deadline to apply: Monday, January 20, 2020
*We will announce our selected grantee at the end of February. Thank you!
HIGN will award a $2500 grant to a project/program that makes a compelling case for one of the following funding criteria:
· Preserving Hmong art and culture
· Ending gender inequality
· Mental health issues
· Addressing issues faced by Hmong men/boys
Project/program must:
1. Serve the Hmong community/population in the US
2. Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (or is currently fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3))
3. Have an annual operating budget of $250,000 or less or have limited access to other funding sources.
Deadline to apply: Monday, January 20, 2020
*We will announce our selected grantee at the end of February. Thank you!
Hmong Impact Giving Network Received $5,000 to Build Awareness and Start Giving Circles in Hmong Communities in the US
Seattle, WA – July, 2019
Giving circles have gained momentum in America in the last decade because they offer a way to meaningfully engage people in giving by pooling their financial resources and in engaging their communities to solve social issues. According to a recent report from the Lilly School of Philanthropy, the number of giving circles have tripled to 1,500 between 2007 and 2017, and giving circles have given as much as $1.29 billion in that time to various social causes.
For the 350,000 Hmong who now live in the US, most having arrived from Southeast Asia in the past 40 years, collective giving within extended families and clans is an established practice in Hmong culture but giving circles can also help bridge the gap between that giving and more formalized philanthropy. This microgrant of $5,000 from a group of giving circle networks and leaders and part of a sustained effort supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lodestar Foundation, Bank of America, and 17 other funders will be used by the Hmong Impact Giving Network (HIGN) to build awareness in Hmong communities and start new Hmong giving circles in the US to tackle their own community issues.
“We are thrilled to receive this funding and start educating our community about giving circles. We believe that this will be a game changer on how we support each other to address the challenges and opportunities within our own community because we are from the community. We also believe that philanthropy should be inclusive and not just reserved for those who are very wealthy by engaging everyone as Hmong philanthropists, regardless of clanship, family ties, socio-economic or educational status to be part of the solutions for our current issues.” said Cynthia Yongvang, co-founder and chair of the Hmong Impact Giving Network.
As part of this grant, HIGN will hold educational workshops about philanthropy and giving circles in several states including MN, WI, CA, NC, AK, OR and WA. The workshops would also include a panel discussion with local key leaders in philanthropy, nonprofit and business to share their perspective about the state of the Hmong community in the US and their respective work to help improve their community.
For the 350,000 Hmong who now live in the US, most having arrived from Southeast Asia in the past 40 years, collective giving within extended families and clans is an established practice in Hmong culture but giving circles can also help bridge the gap between that giving and more formalized philanthropy. This microgrant of $5,000 from a group of giving circle networks and leaders and part of a sustained effort supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lodestar Foundation, Bank of America, and 17 other funders will be used by the Hmong Impact Giving Network (HIGN) to build awareness in Hmong communities and start new Hmong giving circles in the US to tackle their own community issues.
“We are thrilled to receive this funding and start educating our community about giving circles. We believe that this will be a game changer on how we support each other to address the challenges and opportunities within our own community because we are from the community. We also believe that philanthropy should be inclusive and not just reserved for those who are very wealthy by engaging everyone as Hmong philanthropists, regardless of clanship, family ties, socio-economic or educational status to be part of the solutions for our current issues.” said Cynthia Yongvang, co-founder and chair of the Hmong Impact Giving Network.
As part of this grant, HIGN will hold educational workshops about philanthropy and giving circles in several states including MN, WI, CA, NC, AK, OR and WA. The workshops would also include a panel discussion with local key leaders in philanthropy, nonprofit and business to share their perspective about the state of the Hmong community in the US and their respective work to help improve their community.