Washington, D.C. – Nov. 2, 2026 – The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) is thrilled to announce that our endowment has reached $5 million, completing the Futures Fund, a campaign launched in 2024 to grow the fund. AAJA raised $3 million from 422 individual donors and foundations, completing the campaign two years ahead of its 2028 target.
The Futures Fund is the second endowment campaign in AAJA’s 45-year history. The first campaign, launched in 2004, helped establish a $2 million endowment, which was made possible by 344 donors and foundations. Over the past two years, 47 of the original donors generously supported the organization’s latest campaign.
Income from the endowment will provide a more reliable, long-term source of support for AAJA’s core work, helping the organization weather shifts in public sentiment, philanthropic priorities and the journalism industry. This funding stream will support student and early-career training, leadership development, mentorship and advocacy for fair and accurate coverage of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
“We are so grateful to the hundreds of generous supporters who helped ensure that AAJA will stay strong for future generations,” said Nicole Dungca, AAJA’s president, who launched the Futures Fund in 2024 and completes her term at the end of this year. “I have felt the power of AAJA since first joining as a young Filipino American reporter looking for community in the industry, and reaching this goal means that the journalists who come after us will have that same support.”
In addition to the support of each individual donor and foundation, AAJA closed the Futures Fund with a $1 million gift from the Estate of the Late Richard Lee, a founding board member of the Midwest/Detroit chapter and prominent photographer at the Detroit Free Press for over three decades.
During his tenure at the Free Press, Lee captured historical events spanning the 1987 opening of Detroit’s People Mover, President Bill Clinton’s 1996 visits during his re-election campaign and the blackout of 2003 affecting Northeastern and Midwest states. Lee was committed to photographing and supporting his community, and his legacy will continue on through his generosity.
“The Estate of the Late Richard Lee and the Futures Fund’s other donors embody exactly what this campaign was about: AAJA should outlast us all. Journalists are under attack, and so are the communities our members come from and cover. By providing support that AAJA members can count on no matter what, an endowment protects the organization from changes in the industry. AAJA will be there for the students walking into their first chapter meetings in 2031, 2041 and long after,” said Naomi Tacuyan Underwood, AAJA’s executive director.
The milestone comes as AAJA looks toward its 50th anniversary in 2031. With multiple generations paying it forward to the organization, our supporters have passed the torch to keep it illuminated through the times we will need the strength of our community the most.
To learn more about the Futures Fund, visit aaja.org/the-futures-fund.
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ABOUT THE ASIAN AMERICAN JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION
The Asian American Journalists Association is a professional membership association founded in 1981. Since its founding, AAJA has been at the forefront of change in the journalism industry, advocating for accurate, comprehensive and fair coverage of AAPI communities. We champion the development of AAPI representation and leadership in journalism through trainings, opportunities and resources for our members as well as through nurturing and maintaining a network and community of AAPI journalists globally. Learn more at www.aaja.org or follow us on Instagram @aajaofficial.
