“Live your lives boldly and keep the door open for others.”

March 25, 2020

Dearest Friends,

Along with you, our family is shocked and heartbroken over the rising global pandemic that has upended the lives of millions of people worldwide. We are witnessing the growing, unimaginable toll this virus has wrought, but alongside it, the incredible courage of front-line health workers and those who work daily to provide essential services. We know that this is the time to deepen our care for each other and our communities. 

In response to the unfolding events, The Edwin M. Lee Community Fund has decided to accelerate our grants this year and increase our funding capacity. We want to support community efforts protecting those most vulnerable and are targeting general operating funds so that organizations can apply funds to their respective priorities. In March 2020, we offered 10K grants to the following organizations: 

  1. Chinese Hospital
  2. Give2SF
  3. Project Homeless Connect
  4. API Council
  5. CAA

We are watching the situation closely and will likely plan to grant additional funds this year. Thank you so much for your incredible support and for doing your part to stay safe and help protect each other.

To stay updated about developments with the Edwin M. Lee Community Fund, please be sure to sign up to our newsletter or visit edlee.org

With love,

Anita, Tania & Brianna Lee

Mayor Lee &
the City He Loved

Edwin M. Lee was the 43rd Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco and the first Asian-American mayor in San Francisco’s history. Appointed in 2010 and elected and re-elected in 2011 and 2015 respectively, Mayor Lee’s term was a time of unprecedented prosperity in San Francisco and Mayor Lee sought to bring that prosperity and opportunity to all San Franciscans. He focused on balancing the budget, creating jobs, boosting San Francisco’s economy, building housing, housing the homeless, creating a cleaner and safer city and addressing affordability challenges.

Mayor Lee began his city government career as an investigator for the City’s first whistle-blower program in 1989 and also led the Human Rights Commission, the City Purchasing Office, and the Department of Public Works before he was appointed City Administrator in 2005. Mayor Lee was a community organizer and civil rights advocate and from 1979 to 1989, he was a Managing Attorney for the San Francisco Asian Law Caucus. He was born in Seattle, Washington, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bowdoin College in 1974 and from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley in 1978.

Our Mission

The Edwin M. Lee Community Fund seeks to continue the work of the late Mayor Edwin M. Lee who fought for a more just, inclusive, and compassionate society. (You can read more about Ed’s legacy here.) In the spirit of these values, the Edwin M. Lee Community fund seeks to support organizations that hold similar values, especially with initiatives that include but are not limited to:

  • Protect immigrants and increase pathways to citizenship
  • Reduce homelessness with a focus on increasing affordable housing
  • Protect the environment and reduce the harmful effects of climate change
  • Support equal pay and leadership opportunities for women
  • Improve access to quality education for all students
  • Advance causes for social justice and human rights

Support

Our family is grateful for the outpouring of support for this fund. As our family is rooted in the San Francisco Bay Area, grants from the fund will primarily support organizations in San Francisco and the Greater Bay Area while some grants may be given to organizations across the US and internationally.

You can read more details about our family’s plans for the fund here.