About the Funders


The Founding Sponsors of the New Americans Campaign

Six national foundations have joined in an unprecedented collaboration to support the nonpartisan New Americans Campaign to help modernize naturalization assistance in the United States and help more legal permanent immigrants become U.S. citizens.

The consortium has so far committed more than $20 million to the project. Founding sponsors of the New Americans Campaign are: The Carnegie Corporation of New York; the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund; Grove Foundation; Open Society Foundations and The JPB Foundation.

“As individual grant makers with our own distinctive institutional histories of funding in this area, we decided that we had to not only strategize together but also work in close concert in order to gain traction and impact in the area of citizenship.”
- Geri Mannion, Program Director, U.S. Democracy and Special Opportunities Fund at Carnegie Corporation of New York

“You need to be a citizen to be fully engaged in your community. But more than just increase the numbers of New Americans, our goal is to fundamentally change how the system of naturalization assistance works, through more innovation and more collaboration among the non-profits, businesses and other organizations that help legally qualified residents make it through the journey of citizenship.”
- Damian Thorman, Program Director of New Initiatives at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

“The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund is committed to finding ways to ensure that immigrants can contribute their full talents and voices to the cause of keeping our communities and our country moving forward. We are delighted to be working with The New Americans Campaign to help more legal permanent immigrants become U.S. citizens. It’s time to remove the barriers that keep so many immigrants from participating fully in the American experience.”
- Cathy Cha, Senior Program Officer for Immigrant Rights at Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund

“We are involved with the New Americans Campaign to help foster new ideas that will improve the naturalization process around the country. This vital service has been delivered the same way for years – at too high a cost and too slowly. Together we are now driving innovation that will make our partners more efficient and deliver streamlined services to our newest citizens.”
- Leslie Dorosin, Immigrant Program Director at The Grove Foundation

“When more people share in the privileges and civic responsibilities of our country, we all benefit from their contributions. Citizenship helps immigrants become more educated, economically secure, and politically engaged: necessary elements of any population in an open society.”

- Raquiba LaBrie, Director of the Equality and Opportunity Fund at the Open Society Foundations

If you are a funder and would like to learn more about the New Americans Campaign, please contact info@NewAmericansCampaign.org.

Our Impact

The New Americans Campaign is transforming the way aspiring citizens navigate the path to becoming new Americans.

Our innovative and collaborative approach has already yielded incredible results:

  • Over 52,000 citizenship applications completed since July 2011
  • Saved aspiring citizens and their families over $43 million in legal and application fees
  • Almost 1,000 naturalization events have been held by Campaign partners since July 2011

Who We’re Helping

People come to America from all over the world with dreams of achieving a better life for themselves and their families and calling this great nation home. Eight million people who live, work, and pay taxes in this country are eligible for citizenship, yet only about eight percent of them naturalize each year. Find out more about these individuals and the barriers they face.Read More

News & Events

  • Wins for Citizenship 05/15/13

    As a unprecedented national network of funders and nonprofit partners working to achieve collective impact on naturalization, the New Americans Campaign is transforming the way aspiring citizens navigate the path to becoming new Americans. Since launching in 2011, we’ve accomplished some great gains. Just a few of these include: Helping complete over 52,000 naturalization applications [...]

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  • New Americans Campaign comes together for Citizenship Drive in Los Angeles 05/08/13

      Early this past Saturday, nearly 150 immigrants and their families from all over the world trekked to southern Los Angeles County and eagerly waited in line for their chance to take the crucial next step to becoming an American citizen. The huge Inglewood church quickly filled with the sounds of many languages, from Spanish [...]

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  • Even a Think Tank VP and Professor is Overwhelmed by Naturalization Process 04/25/13

    A first-hand look into the complicated and messy bureaucracy of the current naturalization system left Darrell West shocked. The Vice President of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution spent 5 years stuck in a cycle of inefficiency, confusion and surprises. He admits, “For many immigrants, it is virtually impossible for them to afford the fees, [...]

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  • A Different Side of the Immigration Debate: The New Americans Campaign 04/10/13

    At the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, we are proud to be part of a national effort – the New Americans Campaign- that is paving a better road to citizenship through streamlining and modernizing access to naturalization services.  The New Americans Campaign, funded by 6 major foundation partners, has assembled a diverse coalition of legal-service providers, [...]

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  • Over 1,000 Individuals Turn Out for Citizenship Assistance Workshop in San Jose 04/05/13

    The  New Americans Campaign-Silicon Valley and its local campaign partners, hosted a successful citizenship workshop on February 28, 2013 where over 1,000 people turned out for assistance. Find out more about this great event here.

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