Bronx Community Foundation awards $250,000 to organizations supporting asylum seekers

New funding for nonprofits assisting asylum seekers with finding a home, legal support, workforce training, and wrap-around services —

(The Bronx, N.Y.) — The Bronx Community Foundation announced today new support for grassroots organizations supporting asylum seekers in the Bronx. The new resources are provided by the Foundation’s Equity and Justice Fund and are designed to provide support for asylum seekers in critical areas of need: legal services, housing support, and job training.

The Bronx Community Foundation has chosen ten organizations that will each receive $25,000 to aid asylum seekers:

  • African International Collaborative Center, Inc (AICC) serves communities of color with a focus on empowering African immigrant women and youth, fostering success, and strengthening African immigrant families and communities. As a continued recipient of funding from The Bronx Community Foundation, AICC’s latest grant supports ESL classes and job training to further its mission of building healthier, more resilient communities.
  • Afrikana is a volunteer-powered, community-based organization dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance, comprehensive case management services, and empowering migrants through Know Your Rights education. Grant funding from the Bronx Community Foundation supports Afrikana’s mobile and outreach teams offering wraparound services and job readiness workshops tailored to the needs of asylum seekers.
  • Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC) is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization established in 1994 to provide culturally and linguistically competent, trauma-informed, multigenerational social services to immigrants and refugees. AFSC grant funding from the Bronx Community Foundation supports ESL classes, outreach programs and essential services for asylum seekers and migrants.
Bronx Community Foundation awards $250,000 to organizations supporting asylum seekers
  • Hondurans Against AIDS is dedicated to strengthening social, economic, cultural, and health services for the communities it serves. While many of its clients are Afro-Central Americans, the organization welcomes individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age, ethnicity, HIV status, or immigration status. Committed to promoting health and social justice with dignity, leadership, and courage, Hondurans Against AIDS provides comprehensive support. Grant funding from the Bronx Community Foundation has helped the organization enhance its wraparound services, offer language assistance, and connect clients to legal resources.
  • Hot Bread Kitchen creates economic opportunities for women, gender-expansive individuals, immigrants, and people of color by providing culinary job skills training, quality job placements, and a comprehensive network of supportive services. Grant funding from the Bronx Community Foundation, supports Hot Bread Kitchen’s Culinary Career Pathways for New New Yorkers program in the Bronx, which offers asylum seekers tailored culinary training and placement within New York City’s food industry, helping them build sustainable careers.
  • Mercy Center creates opportunities for women, men and families to grow and thrive through education, family, civic, social and economic programs. For the second year in a row, the Bronx Community Foundation has provided funding to support comprehensive legal assistance, case management services, and Adult Education & Workforce Development programs for recently arrived migrants as part of Mercy’s Immigration & Asylum Seeker Programs.
  • Muslim Community Network is dedicated to redefining and shaping the Muslim experience in the United States through community education, leadership development and advocacy. The Bronx Community Foundation provided funding  for the organization’s New Roots program, which supports immigrants and refugees through a series of coordinated initiatives that promote stability and integration. The program includes Know Your Rights workshops, Resource Fairs, and ESOL services, all aimed at empowering individuals and fostering community resilience.
  • New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) is a leading policy and advocacy umbrella organization representing over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups across New York. Serving one of the most diverse newcomer populations in the U.S., the NYIC plays a crucial role in advancing immigrant rights. For the second consecutive year, Bronx Community Foundation has funded the NYIC’s Key to the City (KTTC) program, which provides a coordinated hub of wraparound services, including consular, educational, social, health, and legal support, to help immigrant communities thrive.
  • Safe Passage Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that unaccompanied immigrant children arriving in New York receive due process and access to justice. The organization provides free legal representation and social work support to immigrants under the age of 21 who are facing deportation. The Bronx Community Foundation provided grant funding to support high-quality, trauma-informed interpretation services in languages such as Spanish, Fulani, Wolof, Pular, and more, alongside comprehensive legal services to meet the diverse needs of these vulnerable children.
  • Terra Firma is a program embedded within the Bronx Health Collective (BHC) and Montefiore Hospital, designed to address the complex medical, mental health, social, and legal needs of unaccompanied migrant children (UMC) and migrant families (MF) seeking asylum. Grounded in a commitment to immigrant-focused, culturally sensitive care, Terra Firma provides a holistic, co-located model that integrates primary healthcare with comprehensive legal services. In partnership with the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), the program’s medical and mental health professionals work in close collaboration with legal experts to offer seamless, interdisciplinary support, ensuring that families receive the care and legal assistance they need in one cohesive setting.

“New York City has long been a welcoming refuge for asylum seekers from across the globe, and this support from The Bronx Community Foundation helps us provide the holistic services that help families adjust to life in their new home. We thank the Bronx Community Foundation for their ongoing support to Bronx residents and immigrant New Yorkers,” said Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition.

“The Mercy Center’s programs help asylum-seeking families prepare to enter New York City’s workforce and stabilize important needs like schooling, health care, and legal assistance. We are grateful to The Bronx Community Foundation for helping our critical work continue,” said Paula Sarro, Associate Executive Director at Mercy Center.

“Asylum seekers in New York are seeking an opportunity to work and succeed in a safe environment for their families. Our work, powered by The Bronx Community Foundation’s support, allows us to set these newest New Yorkers up for success,” said Dr. Hadiza Osuji, Founder and Executive Director of The African International Collaborative Center.

About The Bronx Community Foundation

The Bronx Community Foundation (BxCF) is the first and only community foundation in The Bronx, solely dedicated to delivering resources to the entire borough. BxCF supports and invests in community power to eradicate inequity and build sustainable futures for all Bronxites.  BxCF’s vision is to build community power and generational wealth across the Bronx to harness the energies of many community partners to identify problems and co-create solutions.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2024
Contact: Matt Sollars, matt@anatgerstein.com, 347-925-0101
Erin Clarke, erin@anatgerstein.com, 347-831-1096

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