SNF announces $1 million for nonprofits aiding asylum seekers arriving in New York City

Two people and a child hug in front of a few other people who watch and smile

In line with its longstanding commitment to aiding refugees and asylum seekers around the world, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) is making grants totaling $1 million to three New York organizations on the front lines of providing essential services to migrant asylum seekers arriving in New York City.

Grants to the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Catholic Charities of New York, and Women in Need (Win) come as these organizations respond to an influx of asylum seekers in New York City and sharply increased demand for their services. Amidst the largest refugee crisis ever recorded in the Americas, centering on Venezuela, more than 17,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York since April, predominantly from Texas. In announcing a state of emergency, the mayor asserted that one in five people in the city’s shelter system is an asylum seeker.

SNF sought to quickly reach small grassroots organizations already working to respond to many different facets of the crisis. This approach led to the partnership with NYIC, which is regranting the bulk of the funding it receives to coalition members at work on the ground providing a variety of direct services, as well as with Catholic Charities and Win, which have also been leaders in the relief effort. All three organizations have partnered with SNF in the past.

New York Immigration Coalition, a state-wide, member-led coalition of immigrant and refugee organizations comprising more than 200 organizations, will regrant funds to nonprofits offering asylum-seekers essential services like assistance with case management, school enrollment, workforce training, and navigating health care needs. NYIC itself will create materials to aid asylum seekers with information and distribute welcome packages.
Catholic Charities, a leading provider of human services that reaches more than 150,000 New York households each year, has already served thousands of new arrivals and will expand its capacity by hiring a new staff member to recruit, train, and manage volunteers; to engage pro-bono lawyers and coordinate efforts to provide legal aid; and to help provide wide-ranging services to new arrivals.
Win, the largest provider of family shelter in New York City, has welcomed hundreds of families to its shelters and will procure the pantry items, baby formula, and cold weather clothing these children and adults need.

Aiding refugees and asylum-seekers has been an important part of SNF’s grantmaking over the years. In Greece, the Foundation has sought to help a wide range of organizations on the ground respond effectively to the needs of people on the move, before, during, and since the height of the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015. SNF also recently made a suite of grants to aid people displaced from Ukraine by the ongoing Russian invasion.