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As I reflect on what brings me to this work, I am reminded that these roots run deep. As a Puerto Rican brought up in the United States, I was raised with an awareness of our nation’s history of colonialism and at times violent intervention in Latin America and beyond. I saw how the U.S. government had fought to ensure that the political and economic arrangements in Latin American countries suited its own interests, while then abdicating responsibility for the resulting destabilization.
I often find myself going back to Davis’ words, especially on days when progress feels so excruciatingly slow and hopelessness begins to set in. Lately this has come in the form of news headlines of another school shooting and continued disappointment with elected officials for not delivering on their promises. Yet Angela Davis’ quote not only reminds me that the fight toward a liberated world takes time, but also that, even on the most difficult days, you must be as bold and far reaching as possible. After all, there is a role for everyone, including those of us in philanthropy, in the long-term fight for equity and justice. Given the considerable influence and power of philanthropy – a $90 billion sector – funders are well-positioned to play a key role in its radical transformation.
Against the backdrop of Women’s History Month and with the current multifaceted attacks on both gender and migrant justice, GCIR invites you to learn how philanthropy can support the economic empowerment of immigrant women.
The California Immigrant Justice Infrastructure Fund seeks to invest in and strengthen a thriving power-building ecosystem that can address the immediate and long-term needs of immigrant, migrant, and refugee communities across California.
If you currently fund in, or considering supporting, rural communities and are interested in the intersection of rural issues with migrant justice, we invite you to join GCIR’s Resourcing Rural Belonging Community of Practice.
The Transnational Strategy Community of Practice (CoP) is a learning space for funders to engage with migrant power-building and organizing efforts that extend beyond international borders.
As a native-born U.S. citizen working in the movement for immigrant justice, I often reflect on what brought me to this work out of the many social justice issues that demand our attention. Navigating the immigration system alongside my wife who immigrated from Albania to pursue her dreams of a better future opened my eyes to the complex and often challenging immigrant experience in America.
In this moment, it is essential that funders committed to the well-being of children and youth respond to these attacks on the rights, safety and stability of children in immigrant households. In this webinar, movement leaders from across the country will share the strategies they are using to combat these threats and create the conditions for all children to thrive, including those who live in immigrant families.
In an election year when immigration is the top issue in the minds of many voters, these policies exacerbate xenophobic, anti-immigrant, and racist sentiments that further dehumanize and criminalize immigrant and refugee communities while also expanding state powers to detain, deport, and terrorize undocumented individuals. To respond to this moment, organizations are leveraging different strategies–from litigation to organizing–to prevent the implementation of these policies and create a more welcoming country for all.
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.
On January 20th – a day meant to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – our nation will swear in a president who has relentlessly fanned the flames of racism, xenophobia, and division. In his first term, the president-elect kept his word on immigration: he said he was going to separate families, and he did, with thousands of children brutally locked in cages and kept from their parents. We also should believe him now, as he has made plain the intent to orchestrate the mass deportation of tens of millions of individuals and their families. It is a dystopian possibility to consider, with raids and roundups at houses of worship, schools, and hospitals – locations previously honored as “sensitive locations” and thus not subject to enforcement actions. However dark this vision, mass deportations are only one of a litany of anti-immigrant and anti-democratic plans the incoming administration has proposed.
A statement by multiple Chicago-based foundations denouncing the Trump administration's proposed changes to the "public charge" rule.
Visibilize, mobilize, and amplify: These three goals represented the driving force behind a recent learning trip to the U.S.-Mexico border, organized for 15 funders by Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) and Grantmakers Concerned with Imigrants and Refugees (GCIR). This delgation traveled to McAllen, Texas, and Reynosa, Mexico in early May to connect with nonprofits providing critical services. Humanitarian relief, legal services, power-building, and advocacy are just some examples of the vital work groups are leading in border communities.
The learning trip left a lasting impact on Lincoln Mondy, a Program Officer at the Andrus Family Fund. He joined Ivy O. Suriyopas, GCIR's Vice President of Programs, and Andrea Villaseñor de la Vega, Director of the Migration and Climate Mobility program at HIP, to share his personal reflections and experiences.
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.
On January 20th – a day meant to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – our nation will swear in a president who has relentlessly fanned the flames of racism, xenophobia, and division. In his first term, the president-elect kept his word on immigration: he said he was going to separate families, and he did, with thousands of children brutally locked in cages and kept from their parents. We also should believe him now, as he has made plain the intent to orchestrate the mass deportation of tens of millions of individuals and their families. It is a dystopian possibility to consider, with raids and roundups at houses of worship, schools, and hospitals – locations previously honored as “sensitive locations” and thus not subject to enforcement actions. However dark this vision, mass deportations are only one of a litany of anti-immigrant and anti-democratic plans the incoming administration has proposed.
Becoming a GCIR member makes it possible for us to continue providing vital services to grantmakers and guide timely and strategic philanthropic responses to address the most pressing issues facing immigrants and refugees.
GCIR's groups provide forums for grantmakers, no matter their size, location, experience, or funding priorities, to gather and learn from one another, collaborate on strategy, and maximize their impact.
The historic 2020 U.S. presidential election is over, and the will of the people has prevailed. A record number of people cast their votes, not just for the next president of the United States but also for the kind of country they wish America to be: vibrant, inclusive, welcoming.