Funding and Financing for Impact
Learn how the innovative use of financial tools—including participatory grantmaking, investments, and more—creates access to opportunity for immigrants, refugees, and the communities they join.
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Three Actions Philanthropic Funders Can Take to Advance Equity for Immigrant and Refugee Workers
Last week, Philanthropy New York published a piece by WES Mariam Assefa Fund Senior Director Monica Munn. The post shares insights and recommended actions funders can take to help ensure an economy that is more inclusive of immigrants and refugees. Since the onset of COVID-19, immigrant women like Leonor Albarran, a janitor in Santa Monica, […]
Announcing the Semi-Finalists of the Opportunity Challenge: $1 Million to Uplift Immigrant Communities
Today, we are thrilled to announce the 20 semi-finalists of the Opportunity Challenge: $1 Million to Uplift Immigrant Communities. Each one of these organizations is leading crucial initiatives that support the success of immigrants and refugees and strive toward building an economy that works for all. While much of the country was going into lockdown, the Opportunity Challenge launched in March as a joint grantmaking initiative […]
Equitable Recovery for Immigrants and Refugees: Key Takeaways from WES’ Twitter Chat
Immigrants and refugees play vital roles on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 and will continue playing essential roles to keep the U.S. moving forward. The need to address longstanding barriers to economic mobility faced by many immigrants and refugees today is therefore clear. As we look to rebuild the economy, we must ensure that the needs of immigrant and refugee workers are addressed and […]
Early Insights and Ideas from the Opportunity Challenge
At the end of May, the application portal closed for the Opportunity Challenge: $1 Million to Uplift Immigrant Communities. This was the first open grant challenge for both the WES Mariam Assefa Fund and the Tarsadia Foundation. The Opportunity Challenge was jointly launched in response to the resounding need to surface and expand impactful community-led […]
Fund Awards $1.35 Million in Grants to Support Career Pathways for Immigrants and Refugees Amid Pandemic
The WES Mariam Assefa Fund, the philanthropic arm of World Education Services (WES), today announced the award of $1.35 million in grants to enable immigrant and refugee workers to advance in the workforce of today and tomorrow and build strong careers that support their families and themselves. The three grant recipients are Building Skills Partnership […]
Our Commitment to the Fight for Racial Justice
Earlier this week, World Education Services (WES) CEO Esther Benjamin expressed our organization’s solidarity with Black lives and protests following the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police. As the philanthropic arm of WES, we want to share our thoughts and commitments as a funder in the fight for racial justice. The WES Mariam Assefa Fund stands alongside our partners, many […]
JFF Report: Investing in Immigrant Talent
“Immigrant workers have always been essential,” Erica Cuevas and Laura Roberts of grantee partner JFF write in an opinion piece for RealClear Policy. COVID-19 has introduced the term “essential worker,” and of the almost 49 million essential workers on the front lines of the pandemic, nearly 6 million are immigrants. “It’s hard to deny that immigrant workers […]
New Research Tool Highlights Funding Needs for Immigrants and Refugees
Earlier this month, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) released a new research tool, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor? The State of Local Funding for U.S. Immigrants and Refugees.” NCRP’s research shows that while immigrants and refugees represent 14 percent of the U.S. population, local philanthropic dollars invested in immigrant communities were just shy of 1 percent of total philanthropic investment dollars in 2017 and 2018. COVID-19 has further deepened and exposed the inequities confronting immigrants in the […]
Grantee Partner Spotlight: Meet the Community Finance Fellows at Mission Driven Finance
Despite sheltering-in-place during the COVID-19 pandemic, grantee partner Mission Driven Finance welcomed five leaders to its inaugural Community Finance Fellowship and kicked off the yearlong initiative (albeit virtually). The Community Finance Fellows are: Louise Jordan, a San Diego native who has a legal background and moved back from Virginia to join the team Andrew Moncada, […]
WES Mariam Assefa Fund Expands Work to Support Immigrant Communities in Canada
Today, we are proud to announce the launch of the World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund in Canada. The Fund is WES’ philanthropic arm; it began its work in the United States in 2019 to complement and extend the social impact of WES’ longstanding programs and services for international students, immigrants, and refugees. The […]
Grantee Partner Spotlight: Upwardly Global
The WES Mariam Assefa Fund sees the COVID-19 crisis as a time to ensure our grantee partners flexibility so they can continue their work of building an inclusive, resilient economy for immigrants and refugees. The United States would not be able to respond to the pandemic without the skills and talent of the immigrant workforce. Our partners are doing valuable work across the country to support these workers, and we […]
Webinar Recap: Learn More About the Opportunity Challenge
Last week, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund co-hosted a webinar with the Tarsadia Foundation to provide an overview of its joint grantmaking initiative, the Opportunity Challenge: $1 Million to Uplift Immigrant Communities, and to answer questions from prospective applicants. A full recording of the event is available here. A few highlights that came up during the discussion: We discussed the benefits that all applicants will receive by applying for the Opportunity Challenge, whether or […]
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