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Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Chicago, Illinois

Grants

2023 (2 years)
$500,000

Founded in 1988, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (the Coalition) works with dozens of member organizations to promote the rights of immigrants and refugees, and to encourage their full and equal participation in civic, cultural, social, and political life. It is a central coordination hub for its members, ensuring continuity and integration between local, state, and nationwide planning, organizing, and advocacy. This award for general operating support enables the Coalition to assist in coordinating the governmental and nongovernmental response to asylum seekers arriving in Chicago and in need of housing, social services, and legal representation in their immigration claims.

2022 (2 years)
$250,000

Founded in 1988, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (the Coalition) works with dozens of member organizations to promote the rights of immigrants and refugees, and to encourage their full and equal participation in civic, cultural, social, and political life. It is a central coordination hub for its members, ensuring continuity and integration between local, state, and nationwide planning, organizing, and advocacy. This award for general operating support enables the Coalition to pursue its organizing and policy agenda and also to respond to the needs of asylum seekers arriving in Chicago from a variety of nations, including Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Venezuela, among others.

2020 (1 year)
$500,000

Just Democracy Illinois (Just Democracy) is a non-partisan coalition comprising 63 organizations. Collectively, Just Democracy members work to expand voter access, protect voting rights, improve electoral procedures, and break down systemic barriers to voter participation. Just Democracy is led by a steering committee of seven social justice organizations: Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago, CHANGE Illinois, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Chicago Votes Education Fund, Common Cause Education Fund, Illinois PIRG Education Fund, and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR). ICIRR will provide the Just Democracy steering committee and other coalition members with resources to engage and educate the voting public, partner with election administrators, and, protect voters on election day. ICIRR will have final supervision and control over the use of the Foundation’s grant funds.

2018 (1 year)
$250,000

Founded in 1988, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (the Coalition) works with dozens of member organizations to promote the rights of immigrants and refugees, and to encourage their full and equal participation in civic, cultural, social, and political life. It is a central coordination hub for its members, ensuring continuity and integration between local, state, and nationwide planning, organizing, and advocacy. This renewal award for general operating support enables the Coalition to respond to shifts in federal immigration policy, such as limitations to humanitarian protection for child migrants and families of asylum seekers; expanded immigration law enforcement; a significant increase in deportations; and protracted litigation over Illinois jurisdictions that decline to enforce federal immigration law.

2017 (1 year)
$150,000

Founded in 1988, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (the Coalition) works with its 130 member organizations to promote the rights of immigrants and refugees, and to encourage their full and equal participation in civic, cultural, social, and political life. The Coalition serves as the central coordination hub for its members, ensuring continuity and integration between local, state, and nationwide planning, organizing, and advocacy. It educates its member organizations and individual immigrants on state and federal immigration policies; organizes residents to engage in civic actions; and serves as a conduit for reform advocates in recommending policy proposals to state and federal officials. This award for general operating support provides flexibility to the Coalition as it responds to the potential for a significant increase in deportations, a bar to refugee resettlement, and protracted litigation over Illinois jurisdictions that decline to enforce federal immigration law.

2016 (1 year)
$250,000

Founded in 1988, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) works with its 130 partner organizations to promote the rights of immigrants and refugees and to encourage their full and equal participation in civic, cultural, social, and political life. General support for ICIRR ensures that Illinois is prepared to implement federal immigration reform policies, which could offer lawful status to approximately 215,000 of the 500,000 undocumented immigrants in Illinois. ICIRR serves as the central coordination hub for its members, ensuring continuity and integration between local, state, and nationwide planning. It educates immigrants on state and federal immigration policies; collects and disseminates information to members; and serves as a conduit for reform advocates to recommend policy proposals to state and federal officials.

2014 (2 years)
$575,000

This grant to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) will help immigrant service organizations in Illinois to implement a future federal immigration reform law. ICIRR will educate immigrants on any new federal policies, assist immigrants in obtaining the documentation needed to prove eligibility for lawful status, and upgrade its technology so that it can efficiently refer immigrants to legal and social services. ICIRR’s partnerships with state, county, and city officials, ensure it will serve as a core hub of coordination for the myriad activities and services that will follow enactment of a new law.

2012 (2 years)
$500,000

The Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) works to promote the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in civic, cultural, social, and political life of the United States. This general operating support grant to ICIRR will allow it to deepen its work in core areas and launches the Illinois Immigrant Integration Institute, which will develop and implement strategies that promote the full contribution of new Americans in Illinois to the economic and civic vitality of the state. Grant funds will be used for operating expenses such as salaries, rent, travel, subcontracts, and meetings.

2005 (2 years)
$250,000

In support of the Illinois New Americans Immigrant Policy Executive Order project (over two years).