The Asian American Law Fund of New York, Inc. (“AALFNY” or the “Fund”) was established by the Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) in 1993 to support non-profit, charitable and education purposes within Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Though it has an independent Board, the Fund (formerly known as The AABANY Foundation, Inc.) remains affiliated with AABANY and continues to work in close coordination with AABANY on fundraising and pro bono programs. Contributions to the Fund are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law.
The express purposes of the Fund, as set forth in its charter, include the following:
- To promote public good through programs designed to eliminate prejudice and discrimination and to defend human and civil rights;
- To disseminate information and provide assistance to community groups, including without limitation, Asian American victims of crime;
- To educate the public on the issues of Asian Americans through public discussion groups, forums, panels, lectures, or other similar programs;
- To develop and encourage cooperation with governmental agencies and other community associations to eliminate prejudice and discrimination;
- To sponsor programs to promote understanding among ethnic groups in New York;
- To plan and implement programs to encourage community understanding of legal processes and governmental agencies; and
- To conduct any and all lawful activities which may be necessary, useful, or desirable for the furtherance, accomplishment, or attainment of the foregoing purposes.
We sponsor scholarship and internship programs and initiate other projects from time to time. Some of our past projects included the Asian Crime Victims Project, fundraising for disaster relief victims and funding the translation of access to education guides for Asian parents. The Asian Crime Victims Project assisted victims of hate crimes and helped educate the public, including members of the Asian community, as to how to respond to occurrences of hate crimes and ways to combat the perpetration of hate crimes, Our scholarship and internship programs have benefited more than 30 law students interested in community service, some of who have continued to work in the public interest sector. We have also assisted in matching more than 100 law students with judicial internships and with AABANY developed a mentoring and leadership program for first year law students.