A practical guide to grants for immigrant-serving nonprofits, federal programs, foundation funders, legal services, integration, and how to compete for funding.

2025–2026 STATUS UPDATE: ORR made major program changes in 2025–2026. Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) and Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) eligibility was reduced from 12 months to 4 months in March 2025. Beginning FY 2026, ORR Refugee Support Services (RSS) formula grants are awarded only to states — no longer to non-state nonprofit replacement designees (ACF DCL 25-04). ORR has also been organizationally realigned. Verify at acf.gov/orr.

Immigrant-serving organizations work across an enormous range of needs: legal services, English instruction, workforce integration, refugee resettlement, asylum support, citizenship preparation, advocacy, and community organizing. Funding for this work is more dispersed than for many other fields, but it’s substantial.

This guide covers the major sources of grants for immigrant-serving organizations.

TL;DR: Quick Answers

Who funds immigrant-serving organizations? Federal agencies (ORR/ACF, USCIS, DOJ, DOL), state and local governments, foundations (large and community-based), corporate giving.
Who can apply? Nonprofits, legal services organizations, refugee resettlement agencies, community-based organizations, tribal entities for relevant programs.
What gets funded? Legal services, English instruction (ESL), citizenship and naturalization, integration services, workforce, advocacy, refugee resettlement.
What’s the biggest opportunity? ORR programs for refugee work plus state immigrant integration funding plus major foundation funding.

Federal Funding

Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), part of ACF. Refugee resettlement and integration funding, R&P, Match Grant, social services, ELT funding, Cuban-Haitian Entrant funding, and Unaccompanied Children programs.

USCIS Citizenship and Integration Grant Program. Funds citizenship preparation and naturalization services.

DOJ Office for Victims of Crime for trafficking victim services and immigrant survivors of crime.

DOL for workforce programs serving immigrants and refugees.

ED Adult Education for ESL through state adult-education programs.

State and Local Government

Many states and large cities have immigrant integration offices that fund local services. New York, California, Illinois, Washington, Massachusetts, Colorado, and others have substantial state-level immigrant programming. City and county offices increasingly fund services as well.

Foundation Funders

Major foundation supporters of immigrant work include:

Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, MacArthur Foundation.
Carnegie Corporation of New York (citizenship and civic integration).
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (immigrant health).
Heinz Endowments, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, NEO Philanthropy (rapid response and movement funders).
Unbound Philanthropy.
Four Freedoms Fund, Immigrant Movement Funders.
Community foundations in immigrant-rich regions.
Faith-based foundations active in resettlement and humanitarian work.

Corporate Funders

Tech companies in tech-heavy markets (Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, etc.).
Industries dependent on immigrant labor (agriculture, hospitality, healthcare).
Local employers in immigrant-rich communities.

See corporate giving programs.

What Gets Funded

Legal services and removal defense.
Asylum, refugee, and SIJS work.
Citizenship and naturalization preparation.
English language instruction (ESL).
Workforce integration and credentialing.
Refugee resettlement and integration.
Community organizing and advocacy.
Mental health and trauma services.
Family reunification services.
Anti-trafficking services.

Tips for a Competitive Application

Document community need. ACS, USCIS, IRC, and local data. Be specific about populations served.
Demonstrate cultural and linguistic competency. Funders fund organizations rooted in the communities they serve.
Address sustainability beyond a single funder, see sustainability plan.
Show coalition work. Immigrant work is collaborative; partnerships are critical.
Center community leadership. Funders increasingly require leadership by impacted communities, see equity language.
Plan for reporting with care for participant confidentiality.

How Grantboost Helps

Immigrant-services funding spans federal, state, foundation, and corporate sources. Grantboost continuously surfaces scored, mission-matched opportunities and drafts proposals in your organization’s voice (see training AI on your past proposals).

Try Grantboost free and find the funding that fits your community work.

Grants for Immigrant-Serving Organizations: Federal, Foundation, and Community Funding