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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Participatory Grantmaking Pilot Selects 6 Organizations in Peel Region of Ontario
Afghan Women’s Organization, Family Services of Peel, Laadliyan, MIAG Centre for Diverse Women and Families, Peel District School Board, and Sikhs Serving Canada Association will receive grants The Tamarack Institute and the WES Mariam Assefa Fund are excited to announce that six organizations have been selected for funding by a People’s Panel through the Building Equitable […]
Community Credit Lab Receives First Recoverable Grant from the Fund to Pilot New Financial Lending Programs
The WES Mariam Assefa Fund is excited to announce its partnership with Community Credit Lab (CCL). With a $100,000 recoverable grant from the Fund, CCL will pilot and test new financial lending programs with input and direction from local lending partners and communities that know the needs of their communities best. A recoverable grant is […]
Newcomers from the Peel Region are Tackling Systemic Challenges Through Participatory Grantmaking
Originally published on the Future of Good website, this post was written by Neha Chollangi. The WES Mariam Assefa Fund is partnering with Future of Good on a series of digital stories to highlight the Fund’s first ever participatory grantmaking project. Developed in the Peel region of Ontario, the project is facilitated by the Tamarack […]
WES Mariam Assefa Fund Partners with Echoing Green to Invest $1.5M in Social Innovators of Color Addressing Racial Equity and Immigrant Justice
The World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund today announced a new $1.5 million partnership with Echoing Green to launch a fellowship that supports immigrants and refugees of color in the United States and Canada. Through Echoing Green’s fellowship program, the Racial Equity and Immigrant Justice initiative will support up to 19 leaders, including six […]
Meet the First Graduates of the Migrant Systems Change Leadership Program
At the end of last year, 22 inaugural graduates completed the Migrant Systems Change Leadership program, created for inspiring individuals with lived immigrant and refugee experience who are passionate about working with and supporting their communities. This first-of-its-kind program was launched in 2021 by the RADIUS Refugee Livelihood Lab at Simon Fraser University, a grantee […]
How Workers Action Centre is Advocating for Frontline Workers in Ontario
“The COVID-19 pandemic is getting worse, not better, for marginalized workers,” said Deena Ladd, executive director of Workers Action Centre (WAC) in Ontario, at a recent emergency town hall. WAC, a grantee partner of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, is addressing many of the challenges immigrant workers face on the front lines of COVID-19 and […]
Our Reflections on 2021 – and What We’re Looking Forward to in 2022
Happy New Year! As we kick off 2022, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund team is reflecting on the remarkable organizations, leaders, and efforts that inspired us last year amid many challenges, and looking ahead to what we’re excited about in the new year. In 2021, our community of grantee and investee partners grew exponentially – […]
New Impact Investments to Build Wealth for Workers and Entrepreneurs from Immigrant and BIPOC Communities
The World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund today announced two new impact investments totaling US$900,000 aimed at supporting economic mobility and expanding shared ownership models among workers and entrepreneurs from historically excluded communities. These impact investments, in Apis & Heritage Capital Partners and ETF@JFFLabs, align with the Fund’s mission of building a more inclusive economy […]
Announcing $1.8 Million Commitment to Advance Inclusive Employer Practices for Immigrant and Refugee Job Seekers and Workers
Support will focus on health care and agricultural sectors, employer collaboration, and worker organizing and power-building The WES Mariam Assefa Fund today announced the award of US$1.8 million in grants to 12 U.S. and Canadian organizations working to improve the economic mobility of immigrants and refugees. Each of these new grantee partners, selected through an […]
Community Members Are Leading This Participatory Grantmaking Project – Here’s How It Works
This piece was originally published on Future of Good, written by Neha Chollangi. The WES Mariam Assefa Fund is partnering with Future of Good on a series of digital stories to highlight its first-ever participatory grantmaking project in Peel region, Ontario facilitated by the Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement. Back in 1970 when Najma Iqbal […]
Philanthropy Across WES: How WES’ Fund Ambassadors are Making an Impact
In February 2021, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund kicked off its second annual Fund Ambassadors program, which is a corporate philanthropy and professional development initiative. The program engages staff from across WES to learn about philanthropy and identify mission-aligned organizations to receive donations. Now, at the end of 2021, the Fund Ambassadors have officially awarded […]
Meet Luis Sandoval, Executive Director of Building Skills Partnership
Growing up in both Mexicali, a border town in Mexico, and Salinas, California, Luis Sandoval couldn’t help but take notice of the barriers that prevented him and other immigrants from accessing career and educational opportunities. Inspired by his personal experience of growing up in a family of workers in property and cleaning services, construction, and […]
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