Elevating Migrant Leadership: Building Inclusive Futures Funding Opportunity

Overview

_NOTE: This initiative will not be offered in 2025._

Elevating Migrant Leadership: Building Inclusive Futures

The Elevating Migrant Leadership initiative was designed to support immigrant and refugee-led organizations in the U.S. that are seeking to develop civic leadership and advocacy skills so they can more effectively influence the development of programs and policies that affect them and their communities.

Background

Elevating Migrant Leadership: Building Inclusive Futures is a grantmaking initiative of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund that seeks to shift power to where it belongs: to immigrants, refugees, and migrants who best understand the needs of their communities.

How? By supporting organizations in the United States that are amplifying the voices of immigrants and refugees in their communities and advancing their leadership to shape more effective programs and policies.

Elevating Migrant Leadership launched as an open call funding opportunity in January 2024, and we were humbled to receive 364 applications from 43 states across the country. After a thorough review process with our advisory committee and WES staff, we are now proud to announce the 10 awardees who will be the recipients of a collective $1 million in flexible funding. All organizations are led by immigrants and refugees and show a strong commitment to advancing civic leadership and advocacy in their communities.

The Opportunity

Ten selected awardees will receive $100,000 grants and become grantee partners of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. As part of the Fund’s partner community, each awardee will have access to peer-learning, capacity building, and other programming.

Funding is awarded to organizations with programs, current or developing, that focus on 2 out of 3 of the following areas:

* Narrative Building: Immigrants, refugees, and other migrants learn the best ways to build or shift prevailing narratives so that they are inclusive of their voices and perspectives.
* Experiential Learning: Immigrants, refugees, and other migrants increase their leadership capacity through applied learning experiences that help them build strategic development and decision-making skills.
* Mentorship: Immigrants, refugees, and other migrants forge relationships with mentors who can provide guidance and introduction to networks.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* Applicants must be organizations that:
* Have a mission and vision explicitly focused on serving immigrants and refugees
* Directly serve immigrants, refugees, and other migrants who hold intersectional identities from the following racial/ethnic groups: Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander, Black/African/African American, Latino/Latin American, Middle Eastern, and Indigenous
* Have an operating budget that is equal to or less than $3 million in their most recent tax filing
* Are registered as a 501(c)(3) in the United States, or have a fiscal sponsor with this legal standing, and conduct their operations in the United States
* Do not have active grant awards with the WES Mariam Assefa Fund as of the specified time
* Supplemental awards, such as our Capacity Strengthening Grants for current partners, are not included in this requirement.