Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - GCIR

This book describes the growth and population characteristics of immigrants in new settlement states and examines the implications for the integration of immigrants moving into areas that lack a tradition of receiving newcomers. It Pprovides case studies of new immigrant settlements in North Carolina, Atlanta, Minnesota, Virginia, Utah, and Arkansas. The book aims to improve communication between immigrants and the institutions they interact with, and enhance the flow of information between communities facing similar challenges in different regions.

This study reports the results of a comprehensive, 18- month community planning effort in California’s Silicon Valley, where immigrants and their children comprise more than 60 percent of the population. The planning effort engaged multiple stakeholders, including immigrants and established residents, who identified 16 action areas. The detailed research findings, analysis, and policy recommendations cover wages and working conditions, housing, healthcare access, mental health, criminal justice, domestic violence, food, employment training, language access, child care, and legal services.

This study by the Applied Research Center addresses the question, "How can established community-based and philanthropic organizations more effectively work with emerging mutual assistance and immigrant rights organizations to address the concerns of immigrant and refugee families?" It Eexamines models of immigrant and refugee organizations by evaluating data from interviews with over more than 120 key leaders, and explores case studies of six local organizations,; and assesses the effect of the post-September 11 political environment on immigrant and refugee communities.

This report analyzes the information needs of over 120 immigrant advocacy and service organizations around the country, as well as the methods used by these groups to obtain and impart information. The authors compile the most popular listservs and websites and identify key unmet information needs. They recommend greater collaboration among information providers, education initiatives to improve technology use, new information products to address unmet needs, and creation of greatly expanded communications and information networks.

This book, which was one of two follow-up reports to the Ford Foundation’s Changing Relations Project from 1987 to 1991, placed multicultural research teams in a variety of U.S. cities. The research revealed that participation across groups in a shared task helps to reduce competition as well as build bonds of trust.