May 22, 2025
NATIONWIDE – Today, we are announcing that Stop AAPI Hate is leading a new class action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice for unlawfully stripping away over $810 million in public safety grants – critical funding meant for hundreds of nonprofits nationwide that counter hate and violence, build safety, and support victims of crime.
This is a fight for the justice and safety that all our communities deserve.
Stop AAPI Hate was awarded a $2 million DOJ grant in 2024, two years after Congress allocated the funds to address rising anti-AAPI hate and violence in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We spent months designing initiatives to be powered by these funds. We began to develop real-time tracking of anti-AAPI hate acts, prepared to scale our work improving safety on public transit, built programs to help survivors heal, and more.
Then, without warning, the DOJ abruptly terminated our grant – along with funding for hundreds of other community organizations working to stop hate, prevent violence, and support victims. No prior explanation. Just a sudden shutdown that halted critical safety work and left vulnerable communities exposed.
This isn’t a budget cut – it’s a betrayal. It undermines the will of Congress, violates the law, erodes public trust, and harms communities most often targeted with hate and violence, including people of color, immigrants, and other vulnerable groups. The children, parents, friends, and neighbors we serve deserve better.
We are proud to be a part of this lawsuit filed by Democracy Forward on behalf of the many nonprofits impacted. Alongside all plaintiffs in the case – the Children and Youth Justice Center, FORCE Detroit, Health Resources in Action, and the Vera Institute of Justice – we’re taking legal action because the stakes are too high to stay silent. Together, we represent more than 200 organizations committed to justice, safety, and dignity for all.
This moment demands courage and clarity – and we need you with us. Stand with us. Speak out. Share our story.
We’re not backing down. And with your support, we never will.
