CHINESE-AMERICANDIASPORA PHILANTHROPYA Perspective on History, Characteristics & Potential

!e Chinese-American DiasporaAs of the 2008 US Census, there are approximately 3.5 million Chinese Americans, constituting 1.2% of the entire US population. !is is by no means a static number: from just 2000 to 2006, this population increased by 28.5% and is projected to climb steadily over the next decades. More signi"cant than the diaspora’s growth, however, is its evolution from a homogenous minority group into the diverse microcosm it is today.

!e earliest Chinese Americans were largely low-skilled male tradesmen from southern China. !ey were limited to the gold mines, railroads, and laundries of California for nearly a century. Today, "rst generation Chinese Americans (those not born in the US) now come from throughout mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. !ey are found heavily in the varied health care, food services, manufacturing, and professional/scienti"c "elds. As China-US engagement continues to rise, so too will the in#uence of these dynamic Chinese Americans on all sectors of business and civil society in the US.

Philanthropy of the DiasporaOwing to a shared history of discrimination in the US, the contemporary Chinese-American diaspora is rooted in a desire to support their community—particularly those in Asia, where they give most. !eir giving choices are most often driven by at least one of the following two motivating factors:

COUNTRY-SPECIFICFirst-generation immigrants tend to give back to the country with which they most closely identify. Many still have familial or professional ties to their homeland and usually support projects in speci"c villages or hometowns. !is may include ethnic Chinese who settled in di$erent Asian countries before emigrating.

DIRECT IMPACTSome donors value the opportunity for hands-on involvement, whether through research or site visits, with grantee organizations. !ey tend to be interested in projects with a de"ned set of bene"ciaries, immediate impacts, and measurable results.

!e last half of the 20th century, an era of mounting China-US economic signi"cance, has seen Chinese Americans gain prominence across various "elds ranging from the arts to business. !eir rising in#uence and prosperity carry strong implications for the philanthropic community, for whom this new group of savvy donors can create tremendous social changes. In order to fully realize this potential, however, it is important for the community to "rst understand the history, characteristics, and driving forces shaping the philanthropy of the Chinese-American diaspora.

AUTHORSANDREW HOManager of Global Philanthropy, Council on FoundationsDIEN S. YUENChief Philanthropy O"cer, Give2Asia

Introduction

What Do Donors Support?While project selections may depend on donor variables like economic means, education level, or regional background, giving trends point to consistent themes of interest among Chinese Americans who give to Asia.

DISASTER RELIEF & RECOVERYIn response to the 2004 Asian tsunami, Asian-American donors generously contributed more than $200 million to disaster relief e$orts. !e Committee of 100, an elite membership of prominent Chinese Americans within a variety of industries, itself raised over $850,000 following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, demonstrating that disasters can even unify donors with disparate philanthropic interests. Projects that commonly appeal to donors include the rebuilding of infrastructure, psycho-social programs for survivors, and livelihood and job training programs.

EDUCATION & LIVELIHOODDonors are attracted "rst to infrastructure development programs (i.e. schools and facilities), with education development being a secondary interest. Departing from the traditional model of increasing youth access to higher education, today’s donors are adopting a more targeted strategy: entrepreneurship courses, job training, and skills development.

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENTAnti-tra%cking is a signi"cant area of interest to donors engaged in women’s empowerment. Preventing women and girls in poverty from being lured into the sex trade is a priority, and programs with a skills development component typically command the most attention.

ENVIRONMENT & HEALTHCARE!e environment, particularly as it relates to public health, increasingly concerns donors. Because air and water pollution are di%cult to control in Asia, donors look to creative means for e$ecting change: environmental education, green lifestyle advocacy, and community development among rural villages are only some of the projects they fund to mitigate environmental degradation.

ECONOMIC & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT!e Chinese-American community accounts for 70% of direct foreign investment in China. In many cases, these are not strictly business transactions; many Chinese Americans believe the best way to contribute to their old country is through commercial investments that create economic opportunity for local populations.

While most Chinese-American donors prefer to source program and grantee bene"ciaries themselves, an emerging trend within this community is to seek grantmaking intermediaries. !e "eld of philanthropic advising, whereby a “philanthropic concierge” coordinates all aspects of the giving and reporting process, is growing to meet this demand. Currently, Give2Asia, Charities Aid Foundation America, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors are leaders in this space; organizations such as these have become strong forces in the philanthropic community because of their donor-led frameworks. As Chinese Americans become more in#uential and prosperous, the demand for such services will continue to grow. !ose wishing to bene"t most from these opportunities, however, will need to consider the many complexities of this demographic.

Engaging the Diaspora

!e Journal of Asian Business!is report is an executive summary to the article “Chinese-American Diaspora Philanthropy” published in the March 2011 issue of the Journal of Asian Business at the University of Michigan.

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