As we approach 2025, we at GCIR know that working together will be our greatest asset as we face impending challenges for immigrants and the immigrant justice movement. As we continue to mobilize funders into action, philanthropy must utilize its enormous power and privilege to stand with immigrant and refugee communities, one of the primary targets of the incoming administration.
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2024 was a challenging year in the fight for immigrant and refugee justice. GCIR, movement leaders, and our partners in philanthropy have been preparing for an incoming presidential administration that poses an unprecedented threat to our immigrant communities. In the face of these challenges, GCIR doubled-down this year on developing programming, resources, and partnerships that reflect our dedication to moving money and power to migrant communities and resourcing a robust migrant justice infrastructure.
My name is Brittany Shaheen (she/her/hers), and I have served at the Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP) since February of 2021, beginning as a Program Generalist and working my way to my current position as a Program Officer. CAAP, a national institution of ACCESS and the only Arab American Community Foundation in the country, empowers the Arab American community by strengthening strategic giving in the community while shaping perceptions, highlighting heritage, and demonstrating collective impact. When I heard about the GCIR 2024 conference, I immediately knew I wanted to attend. I was honored to be the recipient of the Emerging Leader Scholarship, and I learned so much as a result.
Written By: Sophy Yem, Senior Program Officer, Philanthropy, Surdna Foundation...
As our nation braces for an incoming presidential administration that poses an unprecedented threat to our nation and to our immigrant communities, GCIR remains steadfast in our commitment to advancing justice and belonging for all. Though this moment portends a volatile and difficult road ahead for the immigrant and refugee communities that have been relentlessly denigrated throughout this election cycle, we know that the philanthropic sector holds significant resources and positional power that must be leveraged now in defense and protection of communities under attack.
GCIR's Vice President of Programs Ivy O. Suriyopas interviews Maureen Meyer, the Vice President of Programs at the Washington Office on Latin America, for an expansive conversation about the root causes of migration, the U.S. government’s role in driving instability in the region, and how history can inform philanthropy’s work moving forward.U.S. Intervention and Modern Migration in the Americas timline, the root causes of migration, the U.S. government’s role in driving instability in the region, and how history can inform philanthropy’s work moving forward.
In her latest President's Message, Marissa Tirona encourages philanthropy to move beyond short-term thinking and a laser-focus on national elections to resource a diversity of strategies with long-term impact in addition to supporting electoral and civic engagement work.
In the wake of last night’s presidential debate, with its divergent and often troubling messages about the future of our country, it is essential that we double down on our commitment to honoring the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their country of origin.
Drawing on reflections from a recent GCIR webinar about the value of learning in grantmakin, GCIR's Programs Learning Manager Anduriña Espinoza-Wasil explains that learning for evaluation purposes is not a one-time event at the end of a grant period, but a powerful process that is ongoing. There is an important relationship between learning and strategy, the ways learning processes can hold us accountable to the communities we serve, and how funders can start learning now.
The U.S. has a long history of exploitative labor practices that target the most vulnerable in our society — including children. And now we’re seeing a troubling new trend. Over the last two years alone, more than a dozen states have either introduced or enacted policies to undo child labor protections. The latest example comes out of Florida, where a pair of newly-enacted laws go beyond loosening labor protections for teenagers — they also perpetuate systems designed to exploit vulnerable populations for cheap labor, driven by greed and racial capitalism.