WES Mariam Assefa Fund Announces $1 Million in Funding Towards Elevating Migrant Leadership 

NEW YORK—(October 23, 2024)  Today, the World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund announced that it is awarding a total of $1 million to 10 organizations that seek to increase civic engagement and leadership among immigrant and refugee community members. The awards, of $100,000 each, are part of an initiative called Elevating Migrant Leadership: Building Inclusive Futures.  

Awardees are located in eight states across the nation. They include Alianza Americas, Havenly, Immigrant Alliance for Justice & Equity, Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance, Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective, Lubunga Pan African House for Community Services, Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA), Refugee & Immigrant Voices in Action (RIVA), The Welcoming Center, and We Are All America. These organizations, all of which are led by immigrants and refugees, were selected from a nationwide pool of 364 applicants with budgets of under $3 million.  

“The number and quality of applications we received from small, immigrant- and refugee-led organizations across the country was astonishing,” said Léa Tienou-Gustafson, Senior Director of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. “This outpouring underscores the ongoing need—especially at this moment in our nation’s history—for funders to step up and support immigrant and refugee leaders who are working to create inclusive communities.”  

Research has continually shown that organizations led by immigrants and people of color are chronically underfunded. Indeed, one 2018 study found that roughly 7 percent of foundation giving is dedicated to such organizations. The WES Mariam Assefa Fund seeks to help close this gap and to cultivate a new generation of community leaders who have newcomer backgrounds.  

“The voices of immigrants and refugees should be strongest when it comes to decisions that affect their communities,” said Esther Benjamin, CEO of WES. “The Elevating Migrant Leadership initiative seeks to deepen the bench of influential immigrant and refugee leaders who are trained to influence the development and implementation of effective programs and policies.” 

Awardees, who were selected by WES staff and an advisory panel of immigrant and refugee leaders from around the country, will use the funding to bolster support for local leaders through experiential learning, mentorship, and network development. As one element of effective advocacy and engagement, several grantee partners will also focus on efforts to build powerful narratives based on personal stories. “This initiative marks an exciting and important step forward in elevating migrant leaders. By supporting these organizations, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund is amplifying diverse voices and strengthening communities to drive meaningful, lasting change,” said Daniel Valdez, advisory committee member and Chief External Affairs Officer at Welcoming America. 

As it works with new leaders and organizations that have limited budgets, the Fund is particularly focused on providing grantees with funding that is flexible enough to support a range of needs, including overhead and administrative costs. “We took a participatory grantmaking approach to this initiative by engaging immigrant and refugee leaders in helping us develop the goal and focus areas, design the application criteria, and make final awardee selections,” said Karla Gregorio, Senior Manager of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. “This approach reflects the Fund’s intention to center the voices and perspectives of the immigrant and refugee communities we serve.”  

Awardees will join a community of practice that facilitates peer learning and provides insight into national trends and opportunities to amplify migrant voices as part of the national dialogue. Each awardee will also become part of the Fund’s partner community, which provides access to capacity strengthening and other programming.  

“Amplifying the voices of those with lived experiences is key to shaping an inclusive and equitable future where immigrant and refugee leaders play a pivotal role,” said Fatima Saidi, director of We Are All America, an awardee organization in Chicago, Illinois, that works with immigrant and refugee leaders from 20 states. “This grant and our partnership with the WES Mariam Assefa Fund will enable us to expand our training programs, workshops, and resources, and to ensure that more immigrants and refugees can benefit from our leadership pipeline model.” 

The 10 selected organizations are:  

• Alianza Americas in Chicago, Illinois, will run a leadership program, Instituto de Liderazgo, which provides training and opportunities for Latin American and Caribbean immigrants leading community-based organizations to become more civically engaged at different levels of society.  

• Havenly in New Haven, Connecticut, will cultivate a community of refugee and immigrant women leaders by bolstering its six-month training program and English language and civic education resources, and organizing opportunities at their café and community center.  
• Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity in Jackson, Mississippi, will grow its Nuestro Mississippi program, bringing together community leaders, artists, business owners, and organizational membership to engage in arts and civic initiatives that disrupt the dominant narratives about immigrants.  

• Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance in Indianapolis, Indiana, will empower newcomers through community building and support services through a mentorship program created by and for youth who are undocumented or have families who are undocumented. 

• Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective in Riverside, California, will run a fellowship program for low-income, first-generation undocumented youth to build skills and explore professions in the local social justice field.   

• Lubunga Pan African House for Community Services in Macon, Georgia will provide capacity building and empowerment through formal and nonformal education, advocacy, and cultural orientation to Congolese migrants and refugee-led organizations. 

• Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) in San Diego, California will support organizing and leadership development efforts to achieve policy wins and improve access to justice of Black, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian immigrant and refugee communities.  

• Refugee & Immigrant Voices in Action (RIVA) in Des Moines, Iowa advances the lives of immigrants and refugees through collaborative action, advocacy, leadership, and storytelling to empower immigrants, refugees, and migrants to lead the way in advocating for themselves and their communities. 

• The Welcoming Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will bolster their Immigrant Leadership Institute through a new initiative focused on civic participation, advocacy, organizing, and connections with decision-makers to strengthen civic identity and influence government programs, policies, and institutions. 

• We Are All America in Chicago, Illinois will enhance skills in advocacy and community organizing for leaders from 20 states, leading a national movement driven by refugees and immigrants, advocating for more welcoming policies and practices at both federal and state levels through mobilizing public support, countering nativist forces, and establishing organizing infrastructures. 

For more information on each awardee, visit this webpage. 

Contact: Silan Akgul, Senior Communications Manager, World Education Services. T: 631-565-5244 E: [email protected] 

About WES and the Mariam Assefa Fund 

Founded in 1974, World Education Services Inc. (WES) is a 501(c)3 non-profit social enterprise dedicated to helping international students, immigrants, and refugees achieve their educational and workplace goals in the United States and Canada. Over 50 years, WES has provided credential evaluations to over three million individuals from around the globe. Launched in 2019, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund supports catalytic efforts to build more inclusive economies for immigrant and refugee workers in the U.S. and Canada and ensure that they have the skills, knowledge, and supports to succeed.