New American Campaign partners and affiliates receive USCIS grants

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced its 12^th annual citizenship and assimilation grants on September 30. We are pleased to announce that 13 of our New Americans Campaign partners and affiliates received grants this year. In total, 39 organizations in 18 states that will share the award of nearly $10 million. The funding runs through 2022 and gives each of our campaign partners and affiliates $250,000 to support local efforts to help prepare lawful permanent residents (LPRs) apply for citizenship.

The funding is appropriated from Congress and has been awarded on a competitive basis every year since 2009. The naturalization process can be complex, and applicants depend on our partners’ trustworthy and experienced assistance. This year the threat of naturalization and asylum application fee hikes, and the debilitating coronavirus pandemic shutdown of USCIS offices made the work of our New Americans Campaign partners every bit as necessary and even more challenging. The campaign rallied and many partners learned how to assist people remotely, both individually and through virtual citizenship workshops. The annual grants help partners continue this low-cost, and often free, assistance.

Thank you and congratulations to our partners and affiliates who, despite all challenges and obstacles, persistently help aspiring, eligible immigrants become U.S. citizens.

Citizenship Instruction and Naturalization Application Services

• Boat People SOS – Houston, TX
• Catholic Charities of Dallas – Dallas, TX
• Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston – Houston, TX
• Catholic Charities of Orange County – Santa Ana, CA
• Catholic Migration Services – Brooklyn, NY
• Hispanic Unity of Florida – Hollywood, FL
• International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit – Detroit, MI
• International Rescue Committee Phoenix – Phoenix, AZ
• International Rescue Committee Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA
• Korean Community Center of the East Bay – San Leandro, CA
• Refugee Women’s Alliance – Seattle, WA
• YWCA of Tulsa – Tulsa, OK

Refugee and Asylee Assimilation Program

• Chaldean Community Foundation – Sterling Heights, MI