Learn about grants for immigrants and refugees by exploring the curated list of top funders below. Related funders may be found in the guide to humanitarian aid grants. Members can also research funding opportunities for nonprofits working with immigrants and refugees by using the search tool for GrantFinder. Become a member.
Key Funders
Global Whole Being Fund
Unbound Philanthropy
Funding Trends for Movement Giving
Different from a migrant or immigrant, the UNHCR defines a refugee as “someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.” What constitutes refugee or asylum seeker status varies between nation-states and expands or contracts based on geopolitical climate and global economic conditions.
Philanthropic giving for immigrants and refugees has been historically low in contrast to the increasing needs of people all over the world facing disaster, war and oppression. According to Foundation Center data, between 2011 and 2015, less than 1% of all money granted by the 1,000 largest U.S. foundations benefitted immigrants and refugees.
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, citing Candid data, notes that movement groups received only $124 million in grants in 2016. From 2014–2016, only “14% of dollars flowed directly to state and local groups and less than a quarter went to national membership networks that are directly accountable to local grassroots and impacted communities.” Based on NCRP’s analysis, funding for the pro-immigrant and pro-refugee movements lagged behind growth in foundation wealth, which more than quadrupled from 2011 to 2019, and the “share of funding for movement advocacy and organizing never exceeded 0.4 percent of total foundation giving.”
Since 2016–2020, cash grant funding from about 3,000 U.S.-based funders, according to Philanthropy News, has totaled about $1.5 billion in support of immigrants’ rights or only 19.2% of overall giving for immigrants’ rights.
On the other hand, funding for refugees and asylum seekers — which largely collapsed during 2016–2020 due in part to Trump administration refugee and immigration policies that caused the closure of hundreds of refugee resettlement groups as quotas dropped dramatically — still represents a small fraction of overall philanthropic giving in this space. However, giving is slowly increasing with the majority of funds related to refugees and asylum seekers since 2016–2021, going to national organizations that focus on global human rights.
Areas of funding related to immigrants and refugees
According to analyses conducted by Candid and the Human Rights Funders Network, global human rights funding in support of migrants and refugees increased from $277.4 million in 2015 to $474 million in 2019.
Grants for immigration and refugees typically address a number of concentrated areas, such as immigration reform; refugee resettlement, jobs and rights; and legal aid, integration, human rights, labor rights and social services for immigrants, child migrants, undocumented people and others. In the U.S., support for DACA recipients is gradually increasing. While some funders give broadly to support immigrants and refugees, most focus on a particular area of concern, such as immigration policy reform in the United States, refugee resettlement, job skills, or emergency aid for refugees from a particular nation or region.
Climate migration
Increasingly, more major funders are starting to invest in the intersection between the changing climate and migration. The Emerson Collective’s Climate Migration Council, which identifies displacement caused by climate disasters as a growing push factor for global refugee crises, has worked to bring climate migration to the forefront of conversations regarding both humanitarian aid and climate change. Related to these overlapping areas and further defining the concept of climate migration, Emerson’s 2023 report identifies ways that philanthropy can increase disaster relief and emergency response to address rapidly evolving needs to preserve human life. Additionally, the Migration Policy Institute, along with several national and global security organizations, identifies climate migration as an increasing risk to security as countries race to deal with the fallout of multiple crises at once.
Gaps in funding for refugees and immigrants
Legal, policy and international organizations are currently working to expand the limited definition of a refugee, which currently denies asylum status based on gender violence. As a result, a large gap exists between government and nongovernmental agencies seeking to fund migration issues. In addition, since refugee status is so narrowly defined, the term “climate refugees,” or individuals fleeing due to persecution, war and violence caused by climate change pressures, does not yet exist in most laws as a protected group. However, a select group of funders is keeping track of developments facing refugee and immigration law in real time.
Funding for refugees tends to fluctuate according to humanitarian crises like wars or disasters; however, there are also several steadfast funders who consistently make grants for immigrants and refugees. More than 1,000 funders are part of the network for Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, a philanthropy-supporting organization that mobilizes resources on pressing issues facing immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
Evolving giving trends for movement giving
The Ford Foundation, a big funder in this field, makes grants for migrants and refugees a part of a broader giving strategy centered on civic engagement; gender, racial and social justice; and creativity and free expression. Meanwhile, Unbound Philanthropy is one of the few foundations focused primarily on immigrants. Funders seeking to support the U.S. immigrant justice movement and improve the lives of immigrants in the U.S. have pooled resources through the Four Freedoms Fund, hosted by intermediary NEO Philanthropy.
Funder collaboratives and networks, among the biggest sources of movement funding, are not only expanding alliances and increasing grantmaking but also working to invigorate immigrant and refugee justice work through intersectional and racial equity lenses. As social movements articulate the ways in which immigrant and refugee justice intersects with other social and climate justice issues, more progressive funders are following suit and increasingly support movement-building and grassroots organizations.
Despite the diversification of movement funding, this area of grantmaking is still vastly underfunded in light of multiplying geopolitical, climate and economic pressures. However, in a recent report, “Philanthropic Strategies to Support Refugees and Asylum Seekers,” Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees identifies ways that funders can dramatically improve investment in this space.
Foundations for Immigrants & Refugees
ADVANCEMENT PROJECT
The Advancement Project runs a national organization and a separate chapter for its work in the state of California. Nationally, the project supports grassroots organizations involved in voting rights, criminal justice, immigrant justice, and education, with a strong focus on racial equity. The California organization maintains initiatives for education equity, equity in community investments and political voice.
AGUA FUND
This funder’s work in this space tends to overlap with disaster and humanitarian relief.
AEGON TRANSAMERICA FOUNDATION
Aegon’s grantmaking for refugees centers on housing, transitional services and human services tied to jobs.
AIRBNB COMMUNITY FUND
The AirBnB Community Fund is the philanthropic extension of the Airbnb company and focuses its grantmaking on community development efforts and the needs of refugees, asylum seekers, relief workers and disaster evacuees.
ALCHEMY FOUNDATION
Alchemy tends to focus its rights grantmaking on large international groups fighting for the human rights of vulnerable populations around the world. Grants for refugees tend to focus on refugee rights.
ANGELICA FOUNDATION
The Angelica Foundation funds work that supports the rights of migrant workers and immigrants across the United States and Latin America, with a focus on freedom of the press.
ASTRAEA LESBIAN FOUNDATION FOR JUSTICE
Astraea directs some grants to organizations that address immigration and refugee issues across most of its programs on a small scale. It also conducts LGBTQ migrant justice work.
AUTODESK FOUNDATION
The Autodesk Foundation awards disaster response and humanitarian relief grants, in-kind donations, and employee volunteers to help recovery efforts.
BEDARI FOUNDATION
This funder invests in refugees’ mental health.
JACOB AND HILDA BLAUSTEIN FOUNDATION
The Blaustein Foundation’s grants for refugees overlaps with its International Human Rights program, which protects “the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S. and other countries,” as well as international women’s rights, especially reproductive rights and justice.
MORTON K. AND JANE BLAUSTEIN FOUNDATION
The Blaustein Foundation gives grants for immigrant justice work to protect the rights of immigrants as well as refugees and asylum seekers in the United States.
BROMLEY TRUST
Bromley funds work that addresses the human rights of detained refugees.
BROOKLYN ORG
Previously the Brooklyn Community Foundation, this local funder conducts major giving for immigrants’ rights and refugees in one of the most diverse areas of the U.S.
DR. BRONNER’S FAMILY FOUNDATION
Dr. Bronner’s Family Foundation supports human rights, and immigrants and refugees, human rights, agriculture, animals and wildlife, and public health around the world.
CARTER CENTER
The Carter Center does not have a dedicated program for immigrants and refugees, but it does support displaced peoples through some of its other initiatives.
CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF VENICE
The Catholic Charities Foundation of Venice, Florida, among other interests, supports immigration and refugee services in Florida.
CELANESE FOUNDATION
The Celanese Foundation awards grants to organizations locally in Texas and around the country.
CENTER FOR ARAB AMERICAN PHILANTHROPY
The Center for Arab American Philanthropy makes grants to support the Arab American community nationwide. Its grantmaking supports racial justice, community development, disaster relief, and women and girls, and it also serves to raise the profile of the Arab community.
CHANEL FOUNDATION
Chanel’s grantmaking for immigrants and refugees is modest and focused on women and children.
CITI FOUNDATION
Citi’s grants for refugees tend to focus on youth, but this is not a hard and fast rule.
CLARA LIONEL FOUNDATION
The Clara Lionel Foundation supports climate resilience, disaster relief, racial justice, global health, immigrants and refugees, and other issues of interest to the founder in the U.S., the Caribbean and other countries around the world, particularly in Africa.
CLARK-FOX FAMILY FOUNDATION
This funder’s grants for refugees focus on the St. Louis metropolitan region.
CLOWES FUND
The Clowes Fund supports social services, arts, education, workforce development and immigrants and refugees in Indiana and other areas of interest to the family.
COMIC RELIEF
Comic Relief grantmaking focuses on helping refugees and displaced populations access safe shelter and basic necessities, among other interests.
EVAN CORNISH FOUNDATION
The foundation’s Refugee & Asylum Seekers program supports projects that advocate for refugees and asylum seekers, improve the quality of life for vulnerable refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, and promote community cohesion.
DANPAUL FOUNDATION
This foundation’s refugee enrichment program works to help refugees transition and manages programs for immigrant children.
DREAM BLUE FOUNDATION
The foundation has so far limited its grants for immigrants and refugees to projects that support Syrian refugees.
EBAY FOUNDATION
Much of eBay’s development giving addresses refugees, such as the foundation’s grants to Capacity, which empowers refugee and migrant entrepreneurs.
ELMA RELIEF FOUNDATION
The ELMA Relief Foundation’s grantmaking for refugees overlaps with its humanitarian relief giving, investing in organizations that address the displacement of people in the immediate aftermath of a disaster or disease outbreak.
EMERSON COLLECTIVE
The collective’s immigration and refugee funding supports work centered on DACA holders, legal counsel, civil violations of detention centers, community advocacy, and immigrant and refugee rights.
EVERY MOTHER COUNTS
Grants for refugees come in the form of emergency grants, which can address building temporary, portable birthing shelters; basic needs for a safe birth; midwifery; c-section equipment; and safe family planning efforts, among several other areas of giving related to providing access to safe and respectful maternal care.
FIREDOLL FOUNDATION
This foundation’s grants for immigrants and refugees overlap with its human rights work. It supports organizations that provide alternatives to detention and advocate for immigration, especially those that offer legal aid for those facing deportation.
FLORA FAMILY FOUNDATION
This funder has a wide array of interests with an intersecting focus on women and girls.
FLUOR FOUNDATION
Fluor’s grants for refugees focuses on disaster relief for those in crisis.
FORD FOUNDATION
Ford’s grantmaking for immigrants tends to be broad, in contrast to other areas of its funding; however, related work tends to focus on structural inequalities that affect immigrants and their demonization.
FOUNDATION FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE
FMEP’s grantmaking for refugees supports those addressing the needs of victims of the current and ongoing conflict in the Middle East, especially Palestinian refugees.
FRANKEL FAMILY FOUNDATION
Frankel’s Refugees and Displaced Persons grantmaking focuses on “expanding educational opportunities for refugees and internally displaced people living in protracted exile.”
FUND FOR GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS
The Fund for Global Human Rights supports migrants’ rights by reducing violence toward migrants during their journeys, promoting migrant children’s rights, and advocating for migrant policies that respect migrants’ rights.
GATES FOUNDATION
While the Gates Foundation does not have a separate program to benefit refugees, much of its funding indirectly assists refugees. However, funding for refugee-related issues is awarded through programs other than Emergency Relief and often given to projects that support women and children.
WALLACE ALEXANDER GERBODE FOUNDATION
Since 2016, the rights of immigrants and refugees in the U.S. have become an area of increasing concern for the Gerbode Foundation.
GERE FOUNDATION
The Gere Foundation supports human rights, global development, global health and humanitarian aid with a strong focus on Tibet.
GLOBAL FUND FOR CHILDREN
The Global Fund for Children supports organizations that empower, educate and advocate for youth immigrants and refugees.
WOMEN FIRST (GILDERSLEEVE INTERNATIONAL FUND)
Women First conducts its grants for refugees through a gender lens all over the world.
GLOBAL RESILIENCE FUND FOR GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN
Immigrant and refugee women represent another population of interest for the Global Resilience Fund, which has thus far focused on providing information and health resources to marginalized and displaced groups during the COVID-19 crisis.
GOOGLE.ORG
Google gives grants for refugees through its giving for disaster and humanitarian relief.
GROVE FOUNDATION
Grove’s broad giving for immigrants and refugees overlaps significantly with its human rights work.
EVELYN AND WALTER HAAS, JR. FUND
The fund’s Immigrant Rights grantmaking program centers on “eliminating barriers to immigration” for undocumented immigrants and achieving a “fair and efficient immigration system” in the U.S. The foundation works to build a more robust immigrant rights movement in California and nationally.
HEISING-SIMONS FOUNDATION
This foundation conducts grants for immigrants, specifically those who are undocumented, through its human rights giving.
HORIZONS FOUNDATION
The Horizons Foundation is a premiere LGBTQ funder in the Bay Area that shares an expansive interest in issues affecting the LGBTQ community. In recent years, it has expanded its support for LGBTQ refugees and asylees.
IKEA FOUNDATION
IKEA is a big funder in the refugee giving space. Its philanthropy is focused on the intersection of refugee families, economic development and climate change.
JAMES IRVINE FOUNDATION
Based in California, this funder invests in refugees and immigrants, among other interests.
J.M. KAPLAN FUND
The Kaplan Fund supports immigration work to “strengthen social, civic and economic opportunities for immigrant youth and families, and build power in immigrant communities to shift policy.”
KATALY FOUNDATION
The Kataly Foundation supports racial equity and indigenous rights, environmental justice, public health and economic development as these issues relate to communities of color, displaced persons, LGBTQ, women and other historically oppressed groups that encounter systemic racism.
MAX AND ANNA LEVINSON FOUNDATION
Many of the foundation’s grants for immigrants and refugees appear to center on children and border crisis response.
LIBERTY HILL FOUNDATION
The Liberty Hill Foundation does not specifically name immigrants and refugee causes as a priority area, but the foundation regularly supports organizations that support the rights and concerns of these populations across all of the foundation’s focus areas.
M.A.C. AIDS FUND
The fund’s grants for immigrants focus on the global LGBTQ community.
MARY’S PENCE
This foundation’s grants for refugees and immigrants focus on women around the world.
BARBARA MCDOWELL AND GERALD S. HARTMAN FOUNDATION
The foundation broadly funds causes related to immigrants and refugees.
MEYER MEMORIAL TRUST
This Oregon funder gives place-based grants for immigrants and refugees in its state.
MICROSOFT PHILANTHROPIES
Through its Humanitarian Action program, the foundation focuses on partnering with “nonprofit organizations to provide digital skills resources and training to help displaced people gain access to economic opportunity — and to help the crisis-affected communities they now call home.”
MILAGRO FOUNDATION
The Milagro Foundation works in the arts, education and health, prioritizing vulnerable children and youth around the world and the Bay Area. While Milagro doesn’t have a program dedicated to immigrant and refugees, it conducts related work across its health and education giving that intersects with social justice issues.
MOTHER CABRINI HEALTH FOUNDATION
This New York-state funder supports programs that address the health of immigrants.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LATINO ARTS AND CULTURES
NALAC supports Latino artists and arts organizations, prioritizing programs and projects with a social justice focus. Artistic projects frequently focus on border narratives.
NEO PHILANTHROPY
NEO Philanthropy is a grantmaking intermediary working the area of social justice. Current funding programs concern immigrant justice and civic participation in underrepresented communities across the U.S.
NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST
Grantmaking has focused on legal assistance, advocacy, organizing and leadership development programs and is sourced from several grantmaking programs and subprograms.
NOVO FOUNDATION
The NoVo Foundation gives grants for immigrants and refugees that focus on “driving systemic social change in communities around the world” and combating the “breakdown of the fundamental pillars of democracy” by supporting “independently functioning branches of government, rule of law, and a free press.”
OPEN PHILANTHROPY PROJECT
Grants support the development of U.S. policy to “allow more people to be able to move internationally, particularly from lower-income to higher-income countries.”
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS
OSF funds immigrants and refugees across several programs and initiatives.
JOHN R. OISHEI FOUNDATION
The John R. Oishei Foundation supports nonprofits in Western New York in the areas of education, self-sufficiency, stable neighborhoods, healthcare, racial justice, immigration and arts and culture.
OSPREY FOUNDATION
The Osprey Foundation supports immigrants and refugees via its social justice and empowerment initiative.
PINK HOUSE FOUNDATION
Pink House’s social justice grantmaking broadly extends to organizations working with immigrants and refugees in the U.S.
PITNEY BOWES
The corporate responsibility program has supported several organizations that work with immigrants and refugees in recent years.
PRIDE FOUNDATION
The Pride Foundation is the only LGBTQ+ community foundation in the Northwest U.S. and across the U.S. It is an expansive organization deeply dedicated to the LGBTQ+ populations across grants and initiatives, both organization-wide and at the individual state level. Topics of interest include elders, immigrants and refugees, youth, immigrants and refugees, among others.
PROSPECT HILL FOUNDATION
The Prospect Hill Foundation supports immigrants’ and refugees’ causes through its youth funding program, which was launched in 2020 in response to “the rise of xenophobia; unfettered displays of racism and white supremacy.
RAINBOW WORLD FUND
The fund make grants for LGBTQ refugees all over the world across several programs.
SIGRID RAUSING TRUST
SRT’s Xenophobia and Intolerance program makes grants to support European, Middle Eastern and sub-Saharan African organizations “defending the rights of populations who, due to their ethnic identity or their refugee status, are discriminated against, subject to hate speech and demonization or denied access to justice.”
DOROTHEA HAUS ROSS FOUNDATION
This foundation’s grants for refugees focus entirely on displaced and refugee children.
RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION
The Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration program supports “multidisciplinary perspectives on questions stemming from the significant changes in the racial, ethnic and immigrant-origin composition of the U.S. population.”
STONEWALL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Stonewall is one of the country’s largest organizations to support LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers.
TRANSGENDER LAW CENTER
The Transgender Law Center supports the trans community through legal work and multiple programs in the U.S. It is primarily concerned with supporting incarcerated trans people, Black trans women, trans youth, trans people with HIV and BIPOC trans migrants.
THRESHOLD FOUNDATION
Threshold’s Immigrant Justice program focuses on the rights of migrating people in specific border regions. Areas of interest include legal challenges to anti-immigrant policies and ending the practice of family detentions and violence toward migrants.
TINKER FOUNDATION
While the foundation doesn’t have a distinct program dedicated to immigration, it funds issues related to migration in Latin America across some of its programs.
TRIPADVISOR CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
The foundation names refugee humanitarian needs, information, education, empowerment and resettlement opportunities as priorities, and in addition to grants, has provided “in-kind support for key projects.”
UBS OPTIMUS FOUNDATION
Although the foundation does not reveal its grantee list in full, UNFCU's humanitarian efforts prioritize man-made, humanitarian and natural disasters alike. It funds work focused on refugees through its humanitarian giving.
UPS FOUNDATION
UPS gives to organizations supporting refugees across its grantmaking.
VODAFONE AMERICAS FOUNDATION
This foundation invests in refugee children’s education.
WELLSPRING PHILANTHROPIC FUND
The Wellspring Philanthropic Fund is a global grantmaker that supports a wide variety of causes, including racial equity, economic justice, support for women, children, the LGBTQ community, people living in poverty, refugees and those with disabilities.
WERNER-KOHNSTAMM FAMILY FUND
The fund supports organizations and projects that address immigrants’ rights, advocacy and movement-building.
WESTERN UNION FOUNDATION
The foundation supports global education projects that benefit refugee and displaced youth. As well, some giving here focuses on work opportunity.
WILF FAMILY FOUNDATIONS
Wilf grantmaking for humanitarian aid and refugees mostly overlaps with its Jewish giving and is conducted through Jewish federations and international organizations.
WOMEN FIRST INTERNATIONAL FUND
The organization’s human rights funding significantly overlaps with its grantmaking for refugees and LGBTQ rights.
THE CHAN ZUCKERBERG INITIATIVE
The Immigration Reform program works to support the 11 million immigrants without status, who call [the U.S.] home.”
