- Press Release
New Round of Grants will Support Cities’ Efforts to Welcome Immigrants
WASHINGTON & DECATUR, GA, May 1, 2024 — The American Immigration Council and Welcoming America, two national nonprofits, are thrilled to announce that four communities were selected to receive Implementation Technical Assistance and Grant awards as part of Round V of the Gateways for Growth Challenge (G4G). The four communities include:
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Baltimore County, Maryland
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Fort Wayne, Indiana
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Santa Fe County, New Mexico
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South Bend, Indiana
As part of the Round V G4G challenge, each of these communities led a year-long strategic planning process and brought together leaders across multiple sectors – including government, business, non-profit, faith, and education – to create welcoming plans. They have demonstrated a commitment to developing concrete strategies that ensure all residents, including immigrants and refugees, have access to the tools and support they need to succeed. Each community will receive up to $27,000 toward implementing their welcoming plans that prioritize strengthening equity through initiatives such as increasing language access initiatives, access to workforce opportunities, and social cohesion.
To ensure successful implementation, the American Immigration Council and Welcoming America will continue to coach communities for the next six months providing technical assistance, cohort-wide calls, and resource referrals.
“After a robust strategic planning process, we’re thrilled to continue working alongside these communities as they transition to implementing the recommendations included in their welcoming plans,” said Rich André, director of state and local initiatives at the American Immigration Council. “These communities have demonstrated their commitment to investing in the well-being of all community residents, including immigrants and refugees, and we look forward to continuing to support their work.”
“We’re excited to be part of community efforts that are taking their welcoming values to the next level,” said Molly Hilligoss, network director of Welcoming America. “By implementing welcoming plans, these communities are prioritizing inclusion for all residents, including immigrants.”
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About Gateways for Growth
The Gateways for Growth Challenge (G4G) is a competitive opportunity for localities to receive research support and technical assistance from the American Immigration Council and Welcoming America to improve immigrant inclusion in their communities. Learn more: https://gatewaysforgrowth.org/
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For more information, contact:
Elyssa Pachico at the American Immigration Council, [email protected] or 503 850 8407
Daniel Valdez, [email protected], or 470-236-0129
About the American Immigration Council
The American Immigration Council works to strengthen America by shaping how America thinks about and acts towards immigrants and immigration and by working toward a more fair and just immigration system that opens its doors to those in need of protection and unleashes the energy and skills that immigrants bring. The Council brings together problem solvers and employs four coordinated approaches to advance change—litigation, research, legislative and administrative advocacy, and communications. In January 2022, the Council and New American Economy merged to combine a broad suite of advocacy tools to better expand and protect the rights of immigrants, more fully ensure immigrants’ ability to succeed economically, and help make the communities they settle in more welcoming. Follow the latest Council news and information on ImmigrationImpact.com and X @immcouncil.