CAAM Receives $500,000 Funding Increase from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced that the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) will receive a $500,000 funding increase starting this fiscal year. The funding, which brings CPB annual support to more than $1,850,000 for FY2021, will help the organization in its mission to fund, produce, distribute and exhibit works in media that convey the depth and breadth of the Asian American community to the broadest audience possible.
 
“We appreciate the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's significant increased investment in our work,” says CAAM Executive Director Stephen Gong. “This funding comes at a critical time for our nation, when the importance of public broadcasting as a trusted source of stories we create and share about who we are as Americans is so vitally important. This support will enhance our ability to bring important and compelling stories to the public from the perspective of Asian American filmmakers.”
 
CAAM is a non-profit organization founded in 1980 to support Asian American filmmakers and to foster national public media programming by and about Asian Americans. Its signature works include CAAMFest, the PBS documentary series Asian Americans as well as many other documentaries broadcast on public television, as well as an annual filmmaker summit and several fellowships for emerging filmmakers. CAAM, headquartered in San Francisco, receives annual funding from CPB, the steward of the federal appropriation for public broadcasting.
 
The $500,000 funding increase is one of five that CPB is making to members of the National Multicultural Alliance (NMCA), which also includes Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), Black Public Media (BPM), Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC) and Vision Maker Media (VMM). Since its founding more than 50 years ago, CPB's mission has been to provide universal access to high-quality programming, especially for the unserved and underserved. CPB uses a strategic framework called the “Three Ds” — Diversity, Dialogue, and Digital — to reflect its commitment to innovation, inclusion and community engagement.
 
“CPB's commitment and funding for diverse filmmakers and storytellers spans decades and has resulted in content that educates, informs and inspires mutual understanding and respect,” said Pat Harrison, CPB president and CEO. “Our increased support for the National Multicultural Alliance will build on that foundation and ensure that public media's content reflects the broadest range of cultural and social perspectives. The NMCA comprises individual organizations that encourage and fund diverse storytellers whose voices and experiences might never be heard without their support.”