Saffron Circle in 2nd year of grant giving
By ADAM SMITH
BOSTON — When the nonprofit Matahari–Eye of the Day received $3,000 last year to help run educational forums about violence against women, labor exploitation, and immigrants’ rights, the small grant meant more than helping the group’s operations, said director Carol Gomez.
“It’s somewhat a sense of recognition from the Asian Pacific Islander giving community that they consider the issues that we’re working on valuable enough and worthwhile as an investment,” said Gomez. “It shows their trust in us.”
The money came from a Boston-based giving group called Saffron Circle, which last year donated $15,000 to seven Asian American organizations in Massachusetts.
Saffron Circle, which is now reviewing proposals for its second round of funding, formed in mid-2006 to donate small grants to small and emerging Asian nonprofits.
"We realized that traditional sources of revenue are failing [Asian] organizations,” said Yasmin Shah, a cofounder of the group. Shah points to a 2007 report showing a disproportionate rate of giving to Asian American organizations, such as Matahari, which advocates for victims of human-rights violations and domestic abuse. The report by the national group Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy shows that during 2002, 2003 and 2004, donations for Asian community organizations declined nationally, while total donations to all community organizations increased to record levels.
So, Shah, along with other founding members such as Kaberi Banerjee Murthy, now a resident of Chicago, formed Saffron Circle. The group’s funding comes from membership fees: It costs a minimum of $500 to join for two years. That money goes to the donation fund, which is held by the Boston Foundation. Saffron Circle’s members decide how the money is donated. Money is usually given out in increments of $1,000 to $5,000.
“We wanted to make a positive social impact, by Asians, for Asians," said Shah, who works for Grants Managements Associates a consulting company for philanthropists.
Saffron Circle is the first so-called Asian giving circle in the Boston area and the third in the United States, according to Shah, who notes that the group is modeled after one Murthy created earlier in Chicago.
Shah and other members say the group not only helps fund nonprofits providing social services and job- and language-skills training, but also allows its members (currently about 34) more intimate involvement with the operations of nonprofits. To select grant recipients, members often go on site visits and talk directly with leaders of the organizations that are applying for funding.
The non-traditional form of giving is desirable for many Asian Americans, according to Shah.
"I think that a lot of Asians do give to their communities in a lot of nontraditional ways, whether that's volunteering or sending donations back to their families in home countries, or, in my father's case, he gives to his medical school in India. So, I think that there are a lot of dollars and a lot of resources that aren't necessarily counted," said Shah.
Meeting other like-minded individuals of other Asian backgrounds is also an advantage to the organization, according to Shah.
"There are definitely professional networking opportunities for a lot of us who are involved in nonprofit or philanthropy work. But there's also plenty of personal networking going on as well," said Shah.
But she and other members know that Saffron Circle is limited in its ability to help nonprofits because its funds are still small.
The group is seeking to boost membership and explore other ways to increase the amount it can donate.
"Sponsorship — we'd love to go in that direction of corporate sponsorship," said Jennifer Chin, another member of Saffron Circle. Chin said she looks forward to the day when the group can give out $10,000 grants.
For now, the every bit counts, according to Gomez.
“It’s a practical, more intimate way to get to know smaller budget organizations that may not be in a place to get support from places like the Boston Foundation because they’re just emerging,” said Gomez.
“It’s a wonderful way to build communities among budding philanthropists,” she added, noting that the group helps raise awareness about the needs of Asian American communities, while at the same time cultivating a sense of self responsibility.
“I was kind of proud to see that the Asian Pacific Islander community was coming together, considering creative ways of … being supportive of their own community,” said Gomez of when she first heard of the group. “It was inspiring.”
For information, visit saffroncircle.org
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