East West Bank, in Pasadena, California, has announced grants totaling $6 million in support of the movement for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) inclusion, equality, and justice.

As part of its pledge to the AAPI Giving Challenge—a five-year commitment created by the Asian American Foundation (TAAF) to direct resources to AAPI organizations and causes—the bank awarded grants to Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation, Stop AAPI Hate, the Asian Pacific American Leadership Fund, and Gold House to support a range of activities including arts and cultural events, tracking of hate crimes and incidents, leadership development, and community investment. In 2021, the bank pledged $25 million to the challenge.

“East West Bank has been a pioneer in supporting arts and culture as a way to bridge the East and West,” said Gold House founder Bing Chen. “From financing movies to supporting AAPI artists and cultural institutions, East West Bank has advanced Asian American representation to help reshape public opinion.”

“East West Bank was one of the first corporations to accept TAAF’s giving challenge,” said TAAF CEO Norman Chen. “As a business that was founded to serve Asian Americans, East West has consistently demonstrated that investing in underserved communities is both good for business and for strengthening the fabric of our society.”

(Photo credit: GettyImages/William87)