Orchid Giving Circle at Texas Women’s Foundation (TXWF) held an in-person Grantee Celebration on February 11th at Toyota headquarters. The group’s leaders and members distributed a record $281,500 to 20 nonprofit organizations that serve the North Texas Asian community. Over the past eight years, the giving circle has granted $1,360,000 to 35 nonprofits and impacted the lives of thousands with their gifts.
As the first giving circle at Texas Women’s Foundation, the Orchid Giving Circle is a group of Asian women who collaborate, pool their resources and leverage their networks to generate community grants that support social change and services benefitting the North Texas Asian community. Orchid members represent a wide range of Asian cultures, ages, ethnicities and professions with the goal of increasing awareness of the local Asian population, community needs and knowledge about philanthropy.
The leadership includes Mylinh Luong, Chair; Kim Cummings, Vice Chair; Anna Hung, Secretary/Communications and Social Media Chair; Monica Chen, Grants Committee Chair; Lilian Jersa, Treasurer; and Priya Venkat, Membership Chair; Cynthia Yung, Past Chair.
Orchid Giving Circle Chair Mylinh Luong said, “I am proud of the research that our members did to see that we fund those organizations that are helping to lift up the Asian and Asian American community in North Texas. These funds will make a difference. The leadership team and I thank our members and our donors for investing in our community.”
The program included grant distributions to 20 deserving nonprofit organizations for specifically helping Asians and Asian-Americans:
· Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIA): Scholarships
· Best Buddies – School Friendship Program
· Bryan’s House – Pilot program partnering with Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation
· CHETNA – Culture-specific services for South Asian victims of domestic violence
· Children’s Advocacy Center of North Texas, Inc.: Asian translation services
· Communities in Schools of North Texas – Support for the Chin student population
· Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center – Translation Services for Asian families
· Dallas Chinese Community Center – Life skills and youth leadership programs
· HHM Health – Healthcare services for uninsured and underinsured Burmese women and children
· Heart House – Head, Heart and Hands Program
· IGNITE – Support political power for North Texas AAPI young women
· LiftFund – Empowering Asian Women Business Accelerator program
· Literacy Achieves: Literacy and Life Skills Program for immigrant and refugee families
· Methodist Richardson Medical Center Foundation – Asian Breast Health Outreach
· Mosaic Family Services – Salary for case manager handling multicultural victims
· The Richardson Adult Literacy Center – English as a Second Language instruction
· ScholarShot, Inc. – Support for low-income students to prepare them for vocations and college
· Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation Inc.: Peace in the Home program
· Trinity Habitat for Humanity – Home construction for Southeast Asian family
· Wellness Center for Older Adults – Preventative Health Care Program
Miki Woodard, president and CEO of Texas Women’s Foundation, said, “The needs are big, and so are the hearts and gifts of the donors of Orchid Giving Circle at Texas Women’s Foundation. I applaud these sisters of mine and congratulate them on their accomplishments that are making a difference in the North Texas Asian community.”
Orchid Giving Circle at Texas Women’s Foundation was launched in 2015. The group has provided grants in education, housing, healthcare, arts and culture, social services and more to the North Texas Asian community. In addition, Orchid Giving Circle has an interest in organizations and programs that are led by Asian women. Orchid Giving Circle at Texas Women’s Foundation is a member of the Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), a national, member-supported philanthropic advocacy organization dedicated to advancing philanthropy in Asian American/Pacific Islander communities.
Orchid Giving Circle founders include Arang Cistulli, Kim Cummings, Sejal Desai, Loh-Sze Leung, Caren K. Lock, Mylinh Luong, Lynette Payne, Gowri Sharma, Thear Suzuki, Charmaine Tang, Anne Woods, Cynthia Yung, Trea Yip and Radhika Zaveri.
About Texas Women’s Foundation:
Texas Women’s Foundation is Transforming Texas for Women and Girls, empowering them to build stronger, more equitable communities. One of the world’s largest women’s foundations, the Foundation raises funding from a broad base of donors, including individuals, foundations and corporations. These resources support more than $7.1 million in investments that advance economic security and leadership for Texas women and girls through groundbreaking research, advocacy, grants and programs. Since inception in 1985, the Foundation has invested $74 million in women and girls, including $60 million since 2011. The Foundation’s statewide research on issues affecting women and girls provides decision-makers and lawmakers with critical data to inform policies, practices and programs in the state. Its advocacy, grantmaking and innovative programs support solutions that help Texas women and girls thrive. In addition, Texas Women’s Foundation is an acknowledged leader and advocate in the gender lens investing movement and has deployed 100 percent of its assets – endowments, operating investments and donor-advised funds – in a gendered impact portfolio that yields strong financial returns and social benefits to women and girls.
