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The Trump administration has launched its most far-reaching attack on immigrants to date in the guise of a seemingly innocuous regulatory change: the revised “public charge” rule. When the new rule goes into effect on October 15, barring delays due to litigation, immigrants accessing programs that help them meet basic needs, such as food, housing, and health care, can be denied a green card, and individuals deemed likely to use these programs can be denied admission to the United States.

Following up on GCIR’s 2020 report on secondary trauma among grantees, we are hosting a funder strategy session to focus on the implementation and refinement of grantmaking practices in this domain. 

As Covid-19 vaccination rates increase and infections plummet, our society is reopening and a feeling of normalcy is returning for many of us. But those hit hardest by the pandemic, including immigrants and people of color, are returning to communities devastated by a disproportionately high death toll, rampant job loss, and the compounding traumas of the past four years, including hostile immigration policies, toxic rhetoric, surging hate crimes, and a massive racial reckoning. Not everyone has the privilege of returning to normal, and, even before the pandemic, “normal” was not working for everyone.

In March 2021, GCIR held a strategy session for funders engaged in or interested in secondary trauma grantmaking strategies. With this follow-up session, GCIR is again creating a space for interested stakeholders to come together to explore how they can support their grantees in tending to their emotional well-being and healing. For funders looking for an introduction to the topic, we recommend accessing our full report, summary, and webinar recording. Attendance at the first strategy session is not a prerequisite for attending this one.

As we recognize National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, many of the essential workers who put food on our tables, keep us healthy, and care for our loved ones continue to be at risk of exploitation. Many foreign-born essential workers, particularly those on temporary worker visas or those lacking work authorization, are victims of wage theft or survivors of human trafficking with few options for leaving those abusive circumstances. Perpetrators traffic individuals into agriculture, restaurant, factory, construction, domestic, and other work, industries in which enforcement of labor protections needs vast improvement.