WES Mariam Assefa Fund and the Tarsadia Foundation Announce the Opportunity Challenge: $1 Million to Uplift Immigrant Communities
NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund and the Tarsadia Foundation today announced a joint $1 million grantmaking initiative to support the success of immigrants, refugees, and their communities nationwide.
The Opportunity Challenge: $1 Million to Uplift Immigrant Communities seeks to identify, test, and advance sorely needed, holistic solutions that empower immigrant communities, while also addressing some of the impediments that many immigrants in low-wage jobs face, such as affordable childcare, stable housing, food security, and reliable transportation.
The challenge will open on March 23, 2020, and grant submissions will be accepted through May 26, 2020. A selection committee comprised of experts and community leaders will identify a shortlist of applicants. Seven organizations will ultimately be awarded up to $200,000 for a two-year period. Successful proposals will focus on two categories: new ideas, which pilot-test innovative approaches, and established programs, which build on solutions that have proved success.
“We’re thrilled to join the Tarsadia Foundation in surfacing impactful, community-led solutions that address factors contributing to economic insecurity among immigrants and refugees,” said Monica Munn, Senior Director of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. “We know that achieving economic mobility is not solely a function of someone’s education, skills, or networks. Many factors outside the workplace pose significant roadblocks for immigrants and refugees in low-paying jobs. We believe the Opportunity Challenge will unleash creative thinking about what is a chronic challenge for so many people.”
The need for a range of solutions to eradicate these roadblocks is urgent. Immigrants now constitute 17% of the country’s workforce, and contribute substantially to the nation’s economy. However, a range of factors, including lack of affordable childcare, reliable transportation, stable housing, and other critical enablers of success are often unavailable to immigrants. Lack of access to affordable, dependable childcare is linked to workplace absences, disrupted work schedules, and inability to maintain employment. Research shows that lack of access to reliable transportation, and stable housing are similarly limiting...