New York has long offered opportunity and asylum for those seeking a better life. In turn, immigrants have contributed immeasurably to our region. Through our local grantmaking, The Trust is proud to “lift our lamp beside the golden door”—words immortalized on the Statue of Liberty. You can help ensure the door stays open by contributing to efforts that uphold New York’s cherished tradition of welcoming and celebrating our immigrant neighbors.
We also invite you to participate in our timely effort to support immigrants on Long Island. By donating to The Trust’s new Emergency Response Fund for Long Island Immigrants, you can help Long Islanders currently living in fear and uncertainty by contributing to our grants to expand legal assistance, education, and emergency services.
Social Services
Havens Relief Fund Society engages a network of volunteer community leaders and professionals, known as “almoners,” to make one-time emergency grants to at-risk individuals and families in New York City. Its grants help address a personal financial crisis, improve quality of life, or increase educational or employment opportunities, and have helped recent arrivals with everything from purchasing Metrocards to covering medical care.
Interfaith Center of New York is a secular nonprofit with a mission to overcome prejudice, violence, and misunderstanding by activating the power of the city’s grassroots religious and civic leaders and their communities. It has a long history of supporting people in immigrant communities and meeting the humanitarian needs of new migrants across the city.
Internationals Network for Public Schools works to ensure that recent immigrant students who are multilingual learners have access to a quality education that prepares them for college, careers, and beyond. It designs new schools and programs, shares practices, coaches educators, sustains a network of innovative public schools, and influences policy.
LONG ISLAND: CARECEN empowers immigrants through legal services, community education, and advocacy. It strives to make Long Island a place that welcomes and values immigrants and their contributions, and helps new Americans become full participants in social and economic life.
WESTCHESTER: Community Resource Center provides educational programs, case management, and referral services and advocates for immigrants and low-income families in need. Its vision is to help Westchester become a community that embraces diversity and provides opportunities for all.
Advocacy and Legal Services
Immigrant Defense Project fights to end the mass criminalization, detention, and deportation of immigrants through a multipronged strategy including advocacy, litigation, legal advice and training, community defense, grassroots alliances, and strategic communications.
Immigrant Children Advocates Relief Effort (ICARE) is a coalition of legal advocates dedicated to expanding access to representation for immigrant children facing deportation in New York City. It supports and defends unaccompanied immigrant children by coordinating legal services, building the knowledge and capacity of legal service providers, and advocating for access to counsel.
Make the Road New York builds the power of immigrant and working-class communities to achieve dignity and justice. Through its services, it tackles discrimination, abuse, and poverty; provides education to develop community members’ abilities to lead; organizes communities; and promotes policy innovation to rewrite unjust rules and make democracy accountable to all.
New York Immigration Coalition is an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York. It spearheads innovative policies, promotes and protects the rights of immigrant communities, improves newcomers’ access to services, and expands civic participation.
This list is not exhaustive. There are many incredible nonprofits helping make our region a better place for all; we seek to highlight a few that may not already be on your radar. Please reach out to our philanthropic advising department at advising@thenytrust.org if you are a donor seeking customized recommendations based on your charitable goals.
