APF Announces Pandemic Relief Grant Recipients

We are proud to announce the recipients of the APF Pandemic Relief Fund grants. These unprecedented times have called for all of us to adapt, and we believe that our dedication to community empowerment means supporting front-line organizations taking innovative approaches to solving the pressing problems we now face.   

The grantees exemplify the amazing ways in which our communities have come together in moments of crisis, all of them providing crucial services to vulnerable populations in need.

APF is proud to partner with organizations which demonstrate that our community is an important part of the social fabric of the United States.

Meet the Grant Recipients

Gaming Revolution for Inspiring Development

Gaming Revolution for Inspiring Development (GRID) is a social impact gaming studio which creates low-cost mobile games to educate, engage and empower people around the world. They have taken an innovative approach to fighting COVID-19 at a grassroots level by creating “CoronaCombat”, a game designed to be both fun and educational, disseminating the best advice of public health experts in a form that is more easily digestible, especially for the younger generation. APF’s grant will go towards the development of an Urdu version of the game, to be disseminated throughout Pakistan. 

Niswa Association

The Niswa Association has spent the last thirty years assisting the minority women in its Harbor City, California community with domestic violence situations. It offers linguistically and culturally competent counseling, intervention, shelters, and health education. In this time of crisis, Niswa has stepped up even further to provide their clients with essential goods and mental health support. APF’s grant will help them sustain their operations in this difficult time, while offering them some additional capacity to provide essentials to their clients in crisis.

Poligon Education Fund

Poligon Education Fund educates and empowers the American Muslim community to engage with our representatives in Congress through training, education, and advocacy. The APF grant will support Poligon's creation of educational resources on coronavirus for American Muslims and allies. The resources will empower community members to actively participate in the policy making process, and to be better able to respond and manage future crises.

Ansaar of Worcester

Ansaar of Worcester was founded in 2017, to support underserved residents in their local Massachusetts community regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity. It is on the ground, providing food, hygiene products, and other resources to help the most marginalized people who are shouldering a disproportionate amount of the burden during this global crisis. APF's grant will go towards purchasing additional essential resources for Ansaar to distribute.

Long Island Jobs With Justice

Since March 20th, 2020, Long Island Jobs with Justice has been financially assisting immigrant families who are not eligible to receive federal and state emergency relief, through stimulus funds or unemployment. To date, it has supported 228 families and 9 local food pantries across Long Island through community fundraised support. Many of those requesting assistance have been completely without work and unable to feed their families. The APF grant will support Long Island Jobs with Justice to continue providing emergency relief to community members in need.

Utah Civic Muslim League

The Utah Muslim Civic League (UMCL) educates and empowers citizens to be civically engaged in political and non-political action. During the pandemic, UMCL faced a unique challenge in maintaining momentum on its civic engagement work on minority voter registration for the 2020 presidential elections. APF's grant to UMCL will expand civic engagement outreach to the vibrant Pakistani-Christian community in Utah to build bridges with an underrepresented minority and to express a vested interest in their wellbeing during the public health crisis.

Fajr Memorial Foundation

The Fajr Memorial Foundation’s (FMF) mission is to prevent accidental drownings through education and awareness across the New York City area. During the pandemic, it has shifted its focus to grocery assistance in order to better serve its community's most immediate needs. As of May 17th, its efforts have supported over 200 families, with over 1,000 individuals receiving aid. The APF grant will provide for expanded grocery assistance to the communities FMF serves .

For questions about APF Pandemic Relief Fund grants, please contact covidresponse@americanpakistan.org