Funding and Financing for Impact
Learn how the innovative use of financial tools—including participatory grantmaking, investments, and more—creates access to opportunity for immigrants, refugees, and the communities they join.
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Fund Partners with United Way Greater Toronto to Support African Refugees and Asylum Seekers
In Toronto, the escalating housing crisis and gaps in federal funding have led to the city’s shelters reaching and even exceeding capacity. As a result, many recent refugees and asylum seekers have had to sleep on the city streets. While the allocation of federal and city funding is being figured out, there is an urgent […]
How Oakland Bloom Empowers Immigrant and Refugee Chefs
“Food is a powerful connector across communities, to lands, as well as to one’s own health, expression, home, lineages, and identity. But the food industry is also built on systemic extraction, appropriation, and exploitation, particularly impacting poor and working-class people of color and immigrants,” says Diana Wu, director of Oakland Bloom, a non-profit in Oakland, […]
A Playbook for Power-Shifting in Philanthropic Investment
by Smitha Das, Joi Edwards, Katheryn Witt Rethinking Who’s at the Table Philanthropy has the power and the resources to help build an economy where all people—no matter their race or class—can thrive. Power, ownership, and choice over where and how capital is used—to build a representative economy—should be shared. If we want investments to […]
Meet Said Hassan, Co-founder of Community Services Agency in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Said Hassan founded Community Services Agency (COMSA) in 2017 to meet the unique needs of refugees and immigrants arriving in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he had settled himself a year earlier. “Our goal is to build a resourceful community that contributes to the well-being of all residents, to recognize that newly resettled refugees face trauma […]
Meet Two of Toronto Community Benefits Network’s New Ambassadors
In June, Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN) kicked off its 2023 Community Benefits Ambassadors program. TCBN, a grantee partner of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, works to ensure that Toronto’s construction projects provide jobs to immigrants, refugees, women, and other groups underrepresented in the sector. The Ambassadors are emerging leaders in the construction industry. This […]
How the Drivers Cooperative Is Helping Immigrant Workers Reclaim Their Power
The Drivers Cooperative, a grantee partner of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, is a New York City-based organization of over 9,000 drivers who came together during the pandemic in pursuit of fundamental change in the rideshare vehicle industry. A driver-owned alternative to Uber and Lyft, the co-op has been able to create a guaranteed $30 […]
Building the Financial Resilience and Sustainability of Our Grantee Partners in Canada
Non-profit organizations in Canada play a crucial role in creating communities and economies that are inclusive of immigrants and refugees. However, a lack of flexible, stable, long-term funding often holds non-profits back from being innovative and providing the level of support that communities need. The available funding, in most cases from the government, is often […]
Fund Announces Lead Investment in Mission Driven Finance Capital Partners
The World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund today announced a $500,000 commitment to Mission Driven Finance (MDF) Capital Partners, a new vehicle to fuel inclusive economic development by equipping businesses and projects doing good with the right capital in the right size at the right time. Mission Driven Finance, co-founded by Lauren Grattan and […]
PeaceGeeks and Immigrant Networks Pilot New Mentorship Platform
With an increasing number of immigrants arriving in Canada, there is a need for accessible tools that can assist newcomers as they navigate the Canadian job market. To address this need, PeaceGeeks, a Vancouver-based non-profit that creates digital tools to support displaced people, and Immigrant Networks, an on-demand peer-matching platform, are joining forces to launch […]
Fund Partners with Village Capital on Accelerator Program to Advance Climate Justice for Migrants and Communities of Color
Seeking 10-12 early-stage startups supporting immigrants, refugees, and communities of color disproportionately impacted by climate change Village Capital, with support from the World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund, today launched an accelerator program for startups creating inclusive solutions for immigrants, refugees, and communities of color disproportionately impacted by climate change in the United […]
New Grants to Au Coeur de l’Enfance, Béati Foundation, and Solidarity Across Borders to Support Immigrants and Refugees in Quebec
The WES Mariam Assefa Fund is excited to announce C$600,000 in grants to organizations working to support immigrants and refugees in Quebec. This new funding is supporting Au Coeur de l’Enfance and Solidarity Across Borders in their efforts to address the barriers that some of the most underserved newcomers face in Quebec. A grant is […]
WES Mariam Assefa Fund Announces New Impact Investments to Unlock Homeownership for Underserved, Black Communities
The World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund today announced two new impact investments totaling US$750,000 in Blackstar Stability and the Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth, both of which leverage homeownership as a tool to help Black and underserved communities build generational assets and bridge the racial wealth gap. Homeownership is key to building […]
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