Immigration is a dominant theme in this year’s presidential election — a top concern among voters and the source of fear mongering and legislative battles, including this week’s fight over the Senate’s border security bill. But given its central role in political debates, nonprofits that advocate for and serve immigrants get surprisingly little support from philanthropy.
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This is despite a dangerously hostile political landscape for immigrants in the United States. Increases in xenophobia and mis- and disinformation targeting immigrants, asylum restrictions for people seeking safety, state measures criminalizing migrants, and more threaten the rights, opportunities, and day-to-day well-being of immigrants and their families.
Meanwhile, minimal philanthropic funding goes to immigrants and their allies to fight anti-immigration sentiment. A handful of devoted foundations prop up critical programs, but that isn’t nearly enough as attacks escalate and needs increase. The successes, however, of several local pro-immigrant groups show what’s possible if grant makers would take a closer look at their work and provide the sustained support they need.
While foundations have quadrupled their overall giving to all causes since 2010, grants to groups that advocate for immigrants and refugees dropped by 11 percent since 2012, according to a report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. Funding to these groups rose briefly in 2017 and 2018 in response to the Trump administration’s draconian policies targeting immigrants and separating families. But those funds primarily came from one-time grants that have long since evaporated.
The lack of philanthropic support means the groups that would normally push back against lawmakers do not have the power they need to slow the efforts of anti-immigrant forces. That makes it easier for them to push for further exclusions, such as making it harder to get asylum and criminalizing immigrant communities in Texas, Florida, and Louisiana. Most recently, Texas began effectively blocking federal agents from accessing the border through its use of razor wire and fencing. This is deadly for migrant children and their families.
Even in the face of such anti-democratic actions, political leaders who once championed immigrant rights have grown quiet, even accepting, of harmful new policies.
Signs of Progress
As extremist ideas make their way into public discourse and political campaigns, it’s easy to think the immigrant justice movement has stalled and all Americans want to restrict immigration. But in reality, most people understand that immigration benefits the country.
As a longtime grant maker on immigrant rights, I’ve seen firsthand the victories the immigrant justice movement has achieved over the past two decades. This is no time to fold. Instead, sustained philanthropic investment is needed to build on these successes.
In November, my organization, Four Freedoms Fund, met with dozens of advocates and grant makers from across the country to reflect on the progress we’ve seen and make the most strategic use of our dollars for 2024 and beyond. In the past year alone, the immigrant-led organizations we support have secured new access to driver’s licenses, health care, and educational opportunities for millions of immigrants, and have fought anti-migrant narratives taking hold in cities across the country.
To see what’s possible, look to Arizona. The state was once considered a lost cause— a place where Sheriff Joe Arpaio launched cruel crackdowns on immigrants ,and where blatantly racist legislation such as 2010’s “show me your papers” law, also known as SB1070, punished undocumented immigrants and citizens alike.
But early and continued investment in an immigrant justice coalition, One Arizona, transformed the state from “ground zero” of anti-immigrant sentiment to a robust hub for civic engagement, particularly among Latinx voters. Formed in the wake of the passage of SB1070, One Arizona helped create pathways for immigrants and their U.S.-born family members to fully engage in civic and community life, including securing in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants and increasing Latinx voter turnout.
Grassroots advocates can achieve similar results for immigrants in other states but are severely underfunded. In Florida, for instance, immigrants make up about one-fifth of the population, but immigrant justice groups received only $1.50 in support per capita from 2017 to 2020. New York, which receives the most foundation dollars of any state, would still need eight times more money if grant making were proportional to population.
Increased local investments in immigration justice can have ripple effects across the nation’s multi-racial democracy.
As is clear in Arizona and elsewhere, increased investments in local groups that fight for immigrant justice can have ripple effects, including expanding leadership diversity in the broader nonprofit world.
The immigrant justice leaders we supported early in their careers in the 2000s, for example, are now some of the foremost voices on climate action, labor justice, racial justice, and larger battles to uphold democratic institutions. Of this group, 62 percent identify as first- or second-generation immigrants and 79 percent identify as Black, Indigenous or a person of color.
It’s no accident that many of the immigrant justice movement’s powerhouse leaders were galvanized by “show me your papers” laws and defending their families and communities from anti-immigrant attacks. The collaborative, intersectional work of local movement leaders may not always make headlines, but it is one of the best ways to get results, combat extremism, and put power back in the hands of all people. But none of this can happen without philanthropic support.
Grant makers don’t have to be experts in immigration policy or community organizing to support this movement. Local service organizations, national foundations, and individual advocates can include immigrant leaders in their work in multiple ways. Grant maker collaboratives such as Four Freedoms Fund, AAPI Civic Engagement Fund, Rise Together Fund, and the Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice can help partners join forces with like-minded nonprofits and identify opportunities to support the work that fits their mission and goals.
Anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies that promote extremism pose an existential threat to our multiracial democracy. The best way to respond? Ensure everyone, including immigrants and their families, can become full members of America’s civic and political life.