The Slants Foundation

I am applying for the Elevate Prize to get a catalytic and strategic investment to help change the culture through the power of artistic expression. As a longtime musician, I know firsthand the structural and systemic barriers faced by artists, especially those from communities that are traditionally marginalized. However, I also know how music, art, and film can transcend division by connecting people through their stories.

The Elevate Prize would allow The Slants Foundation to scale up our work to reach more communities by providing free resources for artists of Color and developing environments of support for them. In addition, it would allow us to have the budget to create new opportunities for artist-activists who are often ignored by the status quo. For example, the prize funding would enable us to launch the world's first music business and artistic development conference specifically for artists of Color, with equity prioritized throughout the design of the program and spaces created to build new coalitions among different communities. 

Finally, the mentoring provided through the Elevate Prize would provide sustainable growth by creating a sense of community with other organizations and learning that would be shared with the board and our partner organizations.

I am an author, musician, and activist who believes that people who are driven by love will overcome hardships and hurdles in ways that people who are only driven by profit never can. 

In 2006, I founded the world's first and only all-Asian American dance rock band, The Slants, and infused community-based activism into our work. From leading anti-racism workshops to partnering with the Obama White House to combat bullying, we worked with over 100 advocacy organizations to advance equity. In 2017, I won a landmark case at the US Supreme Court, unanimously, to help expand civil liberties and artistic expression for minority communities. This led the way to starting The Slants Foundation, a nonprofit designed to provide resources and mentoring for artists who incorporate activism into their work. 

I believe that expression is a human right. I believe that justice is process, not an afterthought. These values help drive my vision for creating a world that transforms systems so that all individuals may find their artistic voice and transform our culture. It is my hope that some of our unconventional approaches to the work can challenge existing foundations and organizations to create more equitable processes for the community. 

The Slants Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to changing culture using arts and activism. We work to amplify underrepresented voices, especially those within the Asian American community and those addressing controversial and timely issues through a social justice lens. Though focus our focus is on the 19 million Asian Americans in our country, we also work in coalition with other ethnic communities with untapped potential as well. Not only does this include direct financial support by way of artistic grants paired with mentoring, but it also means connecting artists with their own local nonprofit organizations so that they are able to build a community of support. 

Our organization is completely driven by a vision of how we can change the culture in unconventional ways. For example, we use trust-based funding and coaching methodologies for our grant recipients to shift power back to artists as well as to create more sustainable and scalable practices for them. And, when anti-Asian racism was on the rise through the COVID-19 crisis and support for the arts was at an all-time low, we launched a series of grants to fund artistic works that addressed anti-Asian sentiment using empathy, conversation, and connection. 

Our work is challenging other organizations on how artists can be supported. For example, while many nonprofits provide funding for the arts, many of their processes are burdensome for applicants traditionally marginalized by the system - for example, they require knowledge and experience with grants, they often require existing relationships and networks, and funding is usually prioritized for "fine arts." We've decided to simplify processes by providing an easy, transparent process and coach all applicants (whether accepted or not) on how to strengthen their applications and we remove the burden of requiring reports and unrealistic deliverables.  

Additionally, we connect artists with local organizations so that they can have a sustainable community of support (and accountability) while using their works to advance causes important to them. 

Rather than duplicating the work of established foundations, we ask: how can we meet artists where they are while creating social change? It’s really allowed us to launch all kinds of innovation in the nonprofit and art world. For example, when we saw a sharp increase in anti-Asian discrimination at the outset of the pandemic in addition to falling support for artists, we launched a new mini-grants program to helped counter hate with artistic works.

The impact of our work is two-fold. First, we help Asian Americans find find their artistic voice in a way that is scalable and sustainable, while supporting larger activism causes. We provide these artists with regular coaching and community so that they are empowered to create their best work. This means offering regular workshops and sessions, offering educational resources, and funding to support their efforts.

Secondly, we amplify artistic works that help change the culture. From creating greater representation for stories that are often invisible to shifting narratives around a community that is often marginalized by dominant culture, these artistic projects are building connections, flipping stereotypes, and countering hate. We regularly host public events, often partnering with other organizations with a call to action so that audiences can engage further. For example, during the 2020 election, we helped families in swing states register to vote for the first time.