Immigrants and Refugees

People leave their homelands for many reasons: fleeing violence, persecution, war, climate change, natural disasters, gender inequity, poverty and more. Philanthropic giving for immigrants and refugees addresses a number of areas, including direct services, such as housing and legal aid; and advocacy, such as movement-building or policy reform. Most donors focus on a particular area, for example, immigration policy reform in the United States, refugee resettlement, job skills, emergency aid, or legal services for LGBTQ migrants in U.S. detention facilities. Nonprofits are engaged in many efforts to address the challenges facing immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and there are many opportunities for donors to support this work. This guide offers advice about how funders can contribute to nonprofits working on immigrant and refugee issues. It highlights leading philanthropic strategies and offers guidance for donors new to this space to get started with giving.

Strategies for Impact

Nonprofits and NGOs are engaged in a range of efforts relating to immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Below, we discuss several areas where donors might focus their funding and spotlight several organizations in each that represent the kind of groups that donors might consider supporting.

Donate for direct services. Donors can contribute to organizations supporting newly arrived immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers with housing, job training, transportation, education, legal aid and more. The International Rescue Committee works in 28 U.S. cities and more than 40 countries to help people impacted by humanitarian crises to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. Longtime faith-based leaders in this field include Catholic Charities USA and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. There are also local organizations in many communities providing direct services to immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, including helping to furnish new apartments and organizing neighbor support for people new to the community.
Support advocacy. Grassroots movements and nonprofit organizations are working to advance immigrants’ rights and change policies at the local, state and national levels. Fwd.us is a bipartisan group working to reform the U.S. immigration and criminal justice systems. The National Immigration Law Center is a nonprofit dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of low-income immigrants through policy analysis, reform, legal action, education and advocacy. The nonprofit Immigrant Legal Resource Center engages in advocacy, communication, education, technical assistance, training and litigation. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network works to improve the lives of day laborers, who are often migrant workers paid low wages. Unidos US does research and policy advocacy on immigration and other issues that affect Latinos in the U.S. United We Dream is a national, youth-led organization dedicated to immigration rights and legal reform in the U.S.
Help change the narrative. Right-wing movements have employed social media and disinformation to advance and amplify harmful anti-immigrant narratives. There are numerous organizations working to change the narrative, offering a vision of rights and justice for all in a thriving, diverse society. Organizations doing narrative change work around immigration include Race Forward and the Center for Cultural Power.

Insights and Advice

In considering which impact strategies to support, donors should take into account their personal interests and outlook to find the best fit. They should also keep an eye out for emerging opportunities to give with maximum impact to improve immigrant and refugee experiences. Here, we offer a few insights and suggestions:

Don’t go it alone. Intermediaries and philanthropy-serving organizations can do a huge amount of the leg work of identifying opportunities in the field, and getting involved with one of these groups is a great way for donors to save time and give more effectively. Notable groups include Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, the Four Freedoms Fund at NEO Philanthropy, Hispanics in Philanthropy and the Human Rights Funders Network.

Center equity, inclusion, and racial justice. Immigration policies in the U.S. have been rife with racist intent since the beginning. At the same time, many refugees and asylum seekers flee their homelands because they are targeted for their marginalized identity. Donors can make a difference by supporting groups that are disproportionately impacted by oppression and violence in their home countries and/or as immigrants or refugees in the United States. The UndocuBlack Network supports former and currently undocumented Black immigrants not just to survive, but thrive. The Border Butterflies Project supports LGBTQ+ asylum seekers on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The San Diego-based Haitian Bridge Alliance advocates for fair and humane immigration policies and provides humanitarian, legal and social services. The Alliance for Immigrant Survivors focuses on protecting and supporting immigrants who have been the victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking and gender-based abuse.
Consider place-based giving. One way for donors to focus their efforts is to give locally. As just a few examples of the many locally focused nonprofits working in this area: In Oakland, California, AYPAL works with Asian and Pacific Islander immigrant and refugee youth on school reform, neighborhood change and arts activism. Trans Queer Pueblo in Phoenix, Arizona, offers health, safety, migration, legal and social support to LGBTQ+ immigrants and refugees. New York-based DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving) helps low-income South Asian and Indo-Caribbean low-wage workers, youth and families secure economic and educational justice. The Long Beach, California-based Filipino Migrant Center supports immigrants facing anti-Asian violence, organizes and educates low-wage workers, and encourages youth leadership and empowerment. Migrant Justice/Justicia Migrante advocates on behalf of migrant dairy farmworkers in Vermont. Angry Tias & Abuelas provides direct services for asylum seekers in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley.

For Donors Getting Started

Donors who are new to this space should take the time to learn about the landscape. A good place to start is by reading IP’s State of American Philanthropy brief on Giving for Immigrants and Refugees. In addition, peruse recent articles that IP has published about what’s happening in this area of philanthropy. Some of the organizations listed above, such as Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, also share articles and other informative resources.

To find local nonprofits working on immigrant and refugee issues that are well respected, Charity Navigator is a great place to search for worthy organizations around the country.

The best way to get started giving for immigrants and refugees is to make some initial gifts, get to know the work of the groups you’re supporting, and connect early with a funding intermediary that can help you learn more about this area and increase your giving in a thoughtful way.

Have suggestions for improving this brief? Please email us at editor@insidephilanthropy.com.