For Immediate Release:
November 30, 2007

Contact:
Yasmin Shah, Saffron Circle Grants Committee
617-426-7080 x317
grants@saffroncircle.org

Show Me the Money!
Saffron Circle Announces a Second Year of Grant Giving

Boston, November 20, 2007 – Saffron Circle, www.saffroncircle.org, a giving circle of multi-generational and multi-ethnic Asians in greater Boston, is pleased to announce the release of applications for its second year of grant giving. Launched in May 2006, the Saffron Circle is committed to supporting local organizations that address the needs of the Asian community in greater Boston. In its first year, Saffron Circle raised $15,000 from individuals and corporate sponsors to support organizations in greater Boston that serve the Asian community. Saffron Circle is the first Asian giving circle in the Boston area and only the third Asian giving circle in the United States.

In its very first year of grant making, Saffron Circle funded seven organizations with diverse and exciting projects:

• Asian Community Development Corporation: creating an innovative interpretation program that uses integrated telephone and web service to connect limited-English proficiency individuals to multilingual guides;
• Odaiko New England: teaching youth about focus, discipline, respect and teamwork through the booming thunderous voice of the Japanese taiko drums;
• Angkor Dance Troupe: passing on the beautiful traditions of the Cambodian performing arts as a way to reach out to inner-city youth in Lowell;
• Asian American Resource Workshop: developing an Asian American activist training institute;
• Asian Center of Merrimack Valley: enabling Asian families in the Merrimack Valley to become active members of the community;
• Massachusetts Asian AIDS Prevention Project: supporting further research on AIDS prevention and awareness in the Asian community; and
• Matahari - Eye of the Day: supporting the development of models of advocacy on the explosive issue of human trafficking.

Through the grant application and review process, Saffron Circle hopes both to raise awareness of community needs and to learn how it may better support organizations that address these needs. Grants will range in size from $1,000 to $5,000 and will target both emerging and established organizations serving Asians in the greater Boston area. Proposals are due on January 31, 2008, and grants will be made in May 2008, during Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Funding guidelines and more information about the Saffron Circle can be found at www.saffroncircle.org.

Saffron Circle is a group of multi-generational Asians committed to creating positive social change in the greater Boston Asian community. Members of Saffron Circle represent many different Asian cultures, areas of expertise, and interests who have come together to support social change by pooling resources, sharing talents, and learning about issues and giving opportunities. Each member has the opportunity to participate in grantmaking and in developing the giving circle. Saffron Circle currently has over 20 members and is a donor-advised fund at the Boston Foundation.

Please see www.saffroncircle.org for more information.