Causes We Support
The Alicia and Jason Lee Fund supports community wellbeing, access to opportunity and the arts, and the pursuit of equity and justice across New York City.
At the core of the Fund’s mission is the belief that every person deserves a fair shot. It invests in organizations that deliver essential services—such as food security, housing stability, and healthcare—so that all New Yorkers have the resources they need to live healthy, stable lives. It also supports initiatives that remove barriers to education, employment, and creative expression, and funds cultural programs that celebrate diversity and foster self-expression. And to advance equity under the law, the Fund backs efforts to reform the criminal justice system and expand access to legal representation in New York City and beyond.
Grantees include:
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Defy Ventures provides opportunities for entrepreneurship, leadership, and career development to men and women with criminal histories. Jason has served as a long-time judge for Defy's entrepreneurship contests.
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Poe Man's Dream Foundation is dedicated to giving underserved middle school and high school students the opportunities to succeed by providing them with resources for personal development and tools for success.
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Project Renewal is a non-profit dedicated to fighting homelessness and food insecurity in New York City.
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The Ali Forney Center protects LGBTQ+ and at-risk youths from the harms of homelessness and empowers them with the tools needed to live independently.
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The Equal Justice Initiative provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons.
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The Father's Heart Ministries is a soup kitchen in the East Village serving guests a warm breakfast every Saturday.
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The House of Renewed Hope is a non-profit investigation firm dedicated to the exoneration of wrongfully convicted prisoners.
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The Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone.
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The Kalief Browder Foundation is dedicated to education, equity, and the rights of the falsely accused. It produced Time: The Kalief Browder Story, in collaboration with Netflix, to highlight the travesty of false imprisonment and unlawful prosecution.
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The New York Asian Film Festival is North America's leading festival of the best and boldest in Asian cinema.
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University Settlement is helping New Yorkers in need achieve healthy, stable, and remarkable lives. In 2020, the Fund partnered with University Settlement to provide free self defense classes for their neighbors, many of whom are Asian, on Manhattan's Lower East Side.