Asian Giving Circle

Asian Giving Circle (AGC), an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust , is proud to announce the formation of its new Advisory Board and committees, marking an important milestone in the implementation of AGC's 2026-2029 Strategic Plan. We are deeply grateful to our 21 volunteer leaders for their commitment to shaping AGC’s future and advancing our vision of thriving AAPI communities in the Chicago region.

Learn more here at https://www.cct.org/asian-giving-circle/blog/ -subnav

Project: VISION is hiring! We're looking to grow our team with passionate individuals who want to make a difference in the lives of youth and families. Please help us spread the word!

We are currently hiring for the following positions:

🔹 Youth and Families Support Services Manager
🔹 Development Manager
🔹 Operations Coordinator

All the full job descriptions are posted on our website: https://projectvisionchicago.org/career-opportunities/
Send your cover letter and resume to [email protected] to apply!

As we head into the last weekend of 2026, it has been amazing to see all the events happening around Chicagoland this month. We were so excited to cheer on and support our friends, grantee partners, and community allies as they uplifted our community.

To kick off the month, Asian Giving Circle and The Chicago Community Trust were honored to receive the Visionary of the Year award at Chinese Mutual Aid Association - Chicago Office 's 45th Anniversary Gala, Voice & Vision: Building for Our Future. For nearly 25 years, AGC has supported the Chicagoland region through community-based philanthropic funding. AGC's founders saw a gap in how much philanthropic funding was reaching our communities, so they took it upon themselves to build a collective giving model that would mobilize individual donors to amplify collective impact. This recognition truly belongs to the community: to everyone who chooses to give, to show up, and to believe in something bigger than themselves.

We were honored that so many of our circle were able to join us, from the past (original founders), to the present, and the next generation. We are excited to write this next chapter of AGC as we build our future together.

Thank you for letting us be part of this work and this community. The future is ours to build, so let's get to it.

Honoring Juju Lien and Her Legacy of Community Devotion - The Chicago Community Trust In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, The Chicago Community Trust is proud to honor Juju Lien, a visionary leader whose…

At the Asian Giving Circle’s Annual Meeting, we had the opportunity to connect with one another, celebrate our 2025 grantees, and reflect on how far we’ve come. ⁣⁣
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𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐆𝐂’𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔–𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟗 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧. ⁣⁣
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This next chapter is grounded in a bold vision: 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐀𝐏𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐠𝐨.⁣⁣
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By 2029, AGC aims to: ⁣⁣
✅𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲 𝟏.𝟓𝐱 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 $𝟐𝟓𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐀𝐏𝐈-𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 ⁣⁣
✅𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝟒𝟎𝟎 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 ⁣⁣
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More importantly, this work is about ensuring that smaller, grassroots AAPI organizations have the support they need to thrive. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who joined us and to the broader AGC community who has helped shape this journey. The energy in the room was a reminder of what’s possible when we come together. 𝐈𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮!⁣⁣
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👉 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞⁣⁣
https://www.cct.org/asian-giving-circle/agc-news-updates/ -subnav

👉 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭/𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝/𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐬⁣⁣
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVBxJcl_3zCHe4oLDywrE3u3u1EYJIHFTMdWNryhJJ1xGCZw/viewform

👉 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩⁣
⁣⁣https://trust360.my.salesforce-sites.com/pmtx/dn8n__SiteDonation?id=a3E0h000000XiOJ

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CC: The Chicago Community Trust

🌟 45th Anniversary: Voice & Vision Gala – Building Our Future 🌟

We’re thrilled to honor Asian Giving Circle and The Chicago Community Trust with the 2026 Visionary of the Year Award for their decades of incredible support to CMAA and our community programs. 💛

✨ Celebrate leadership. ✨ Connect with changemakers. ✨ Be part of the future we’re building together.

🎟️ Join us for an unforgettable evening. Reserve your spot today!

📅 Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 Location: Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk, 301 E. North Water Street, Chicago, IL 60611
🔗 https://givebutter.com/2026-cmaa-gala

Please join the Asian Giving Circle (AGC) as we host our 2026 Annual Meeting! Thursday, April 16, 2026 , 5:00 - 7:00 PM @ The Chicago Community Trust

Join AGC members, friends, and partners as we take a look back at the past year, chart our path forward for 2026 and beyond, and hear your feedback and input.

This meeting marks an exciting milestone. We've been in a year-long strategic planning process, and we'll be unveiling our new growth priorities: from member, fundraising, and grantmaking expansion, to strengthening the volunteer-led infrastructure that keeps this work going.

Whether you're a long-time member, or curious about getting involved for the first time, we'd love for you to be part of shaping what comes next. Come discover how you can get involved - or go even deeper - in the work we're doing together.

Light refreshments and assorted beverages will be available.

We look forward to being in community with you!

Register by scanning the QR code or registering at this link https://www.eventcreate.com/e/agc-annual-meeting-2026

Sharing this heartbreaking news. Michael Caga-anan Aguhar was a friend and supporter of Asian Giving Circle, and we will miss his leadership and advocacy in our community. Please keep his colleagues at Crossroads Fund and his family in your hearts. His friends and family have setup a fundraising page to support his partner Irina and toddler Zoya in these times. https://crossroadsfund.org/michael-caga-anan-aguhar/

We write today with heavy hearts to share the sad news of the passing of our beloved friend and colleague, Michael Caga-anan Aguhar. Michael died unexpectedly on Friday, February 20th, after a sudden medical emergency. We are holding close to all who loved him, especially his partner, Irina, and their toddler, Zoya, whom Michael loved beyond measure.

We are supporting Michael’s partner, Irina, as funeral arrangements are made and as we plan a celebration of Michael’s life later this spring. We will share more details as they become available.

We have joined family and friends to establish a fundraising page to support Irina and Zoya as they navigate this profound loss and the long road of healing.

🖤 With love from all of us at Crossroads Fund,

Read the complete message and how to support at: crossroadsfund.org/michael-caga-anan-aguhar/ or link in bio

🐴 Happy Lunar New Year!

Last week, Asian Giving Circle (AGC) members had the joy of welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse alongside a gathering of philanthropic and nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and community members at our 4th annual Lunar New Year social — in collaboration with our friends at Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy - AAPIP Chicago /PAAAC and Association of Fundraising Professionals Chicago Chapter AFP Chicago API Affinity Group. Thank you to the planning and logistics team that brought everything together, and a special thank you to the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and their team for being such wonderful hosts. 🙏

The Year of the Horse brings strength, courage, and balance. At the social, we also reflected on themes from our 2025 Inaugural Nonprofit & Philanthropic Leadership Series, where leaders across our community reminded us how we can all lead right now:

🤝 Seek human connection and collaboration
🌱 Make hope a discipline through small, everyday acts
🚀 Think with a growth mindset about the things you haven't done yet

So as you step into this Lunar New Year — what is the thing you haven't done YET?

Here are a few ways to answer that call:

✅Get connected with AAPIP Chicago /PAAAC
✅If you're a fundraising professional (or aspiring to be one), connect with AFP Chicago API Affinity Group
✅Join AGC at the AGC Annual Meeting on April 16 at The Chicago Community Trust — learn about our strategic plan, growth priorities, and how to get more deeply involved