February 22, 2021 IN: Press Room
SEARAC Receives Generous Funding from State Farm to Support Southeast Asian American Convening, Leadership Development, and Financial Literacy
Washington, DC – SEARAC is pleased to announce that we have received a generous grant of $80,000 from State Farm to support our work in developing leadership and advocacy skills and financial literacy capacity for Southeast Asian Americans (SEAAs) and SEAA-serving organizations. SEARAC’s 20-year Leadership & Advocacy Training (LAT) program focuses on building the leadership capacity of SEAAs to address the resource and service gaps faced in low-income SEAA communities. This new funding from State Farm will allow SEARAC to reach another cohort of SEAA advocates with this vital programming, along with our third biennial “Moving Mountains” Equity Summit, while also supporting the critical needs of SEAA communities hit hard during the pandemic.
“We are so grateful for the long-time support of our Leadership and Advocacy trainings and Building Financial Futures programming, as well as newer investments in our biennial Moving Mountains Equity Summit from State Farm,” said Quyen Dinh, SEARAC Executive Director. “For the past 20 years, State Farm’s support has allowed us to train over 1,000 leaders from across 41 states. Today, the challenges we are facing in the time of COVID-19 are urgent, and this investment into another generation of SEAA leaders means that our communities will be better equipped to convene, organize, and strategize, as well as advocate for their needs in the halls of Congress and in statehouses around the country.”
Last year, SEARAC successfully completed its first-ever Digital Advocacy Training (DAT), a virtual webinar series in lieu of an in-person LAT convening. This weeklong virtual training series provided community members valuable knowledge and skills-building opportunities within the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging — and disproportionately impacting our communities — this year’s DAT will be similarly virtual along with our third biennial equity summit. The financial support from State Farm for this programming will support our technology, outreach, and community engagement needs.
“For nearly a century, State Farm has fostered a rich history of community involvement – giving back to the neighborhoods where employees and customers live and work. Right now, our communities are facing big challenges and organizations like SEARAC are working hard to address the gap in resources and services faced in low-income SEAA communities,” said Ed Woods, Director of Corporate Responsibility at State Farm.
SEARAC thanks State Farm for their continued generous support of our organization and Southeast Asian American leadership development, advocacy, and financial literacy. To learn more about SEARAC’s leadership and advocacy training programming, visit searac-lat.squarespace.com. Information about our 2021 Digital Advocacy Training will be released soon!
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About SEARAC:
SEARAC is a national civil rights organization that empowers Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese American communities to create a socially just and equitable society. As representatives of the largest refugee community ever resettled in the United States, SEARAC stands together with other refugee communities, communities of color, and social justice movements in pursuit of social equity. Find out more at www.searac.org
About State Farm:
The mission of State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its 19,200 agents and 59,000 employees serve approximately 84 million policies and accounts – over 81 million auto, fire, life, health and commercial policies and over 2 million financial services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 36 on the 2020 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit www.statefarm.com
