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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Building a Trust-Based Philanthropy Over the Last Two Years
By Monica Munn, Managing Director of Philanthropy at World Education Services (WES) Two years ago, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund made its first grants to organizations working to build more inclusive economies for immigrants and refugees. We were excited to begin our journey as a philanthropic funder and were energized by our new grantee partners, […]
Building Power with Migrant Workers in Ontario: Meet Syed Hussan
“The work of organizing as working-class, racialized migrants is very personal,” says Syed Hussan, executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC) in Ontario, a grantee partner of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. An immigrant himself, Hussan began working as an organizer with MWAC in 2008. “This is collective work—it is not just about […]
How Our Partners are Working to Ensure Equitable COVID-19 Vaccine Access for Immigrants and Refugees
Immigrants and refugees have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, with many working on the front lines of the pandemic. In the U.S., 12 million immigrants and refugees work in occupations such as health care and transportation, or in roles that have been some of the hardest hit economically, such as food and domestic services. Similarly, […]
8 Key Tips and Takeaways for Organizations Engaging with Employers to Support Immigrant Talent
On June 15, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund hosted a panel of three experts to discuss how workforce development organizations can successfully partner with employers to create programs that meet employers’ evolving talent needs and provide opportunities for immigrant and refugee workers. Marina Nuri, the Fund’s senior program manager, moderated a conversation with Judy Doidge […]
New Toolkit to Help Employers Successfully Integrate Immigrants into the Workplace
On June 17, the Welcoming Center launched a new toolkit to help employers recruit, retain, and promote immigrant and refugee workers. The Engaging Immigrant Talent toolkit shares with employers proven actions they can take to tap into the potential of immigrant talent and make their workplaces more inclusive. The resource is designed to meet employers […]
Meet Nada El Masry, Co-Founder of RADIUS Refugee Livelihood Labs
In 2018, Nada El Masry co-founded the Refugee Livelihood Lab (RLL) as a way of building social, economic, and political capital for racialized refugee and migrant communities in Vancouver. RLL, a grantee partner of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, is a social innovation lab housed within RADIUS at the Beedie School of Business at Simon […]
The Fund’s Nomzana Augustin Interviewed by Economic Opportunity Funders
In this piece, Nomzana Augustin, the Fund’s Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships Manager, shares her experience and perspective, and highlights the importance of collaboration to create an economy that works for all. This interview originally appeared on Economic Opportunity Funders’ website on June 1, 2021 and is cross posted here with permission. The WES Mariam Assefa […]
How Andrea Plaza is Working Toward Immigrant Justice in New Mexico
Growing up in the Carolinas, Andrea Plaza and her family were one of the few Latinx families living within a 100-mile radius. “I think my family had two lives,” Andrea recalls. “The kind we lived at home and the kind we lived outside the home. That certainly presented some questions for me in terms of […]
Meet Rosemarie Powell, Executive Director of Toronto Community Benefits Network
Rosemarie Powell, who leads the Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN), has been at the forefront of pivotal community development and organizing throughout her 32 years in Canada. Rosemarie first arrived in Montreal from Jamaica at age 16 with her siblings to reunite with her mother. Ever since, she has worked to provide immigrants, youth, and racialized communities […]
Our 2021 Funding Priorities
The WES Mariam Assefa Fund’s principle of “learning by doing” as a funder is a constant. Every day, we learn from our 35-plus grantee and investee partners about which solutions hold promise, where we can do more, and what it takes to create lasting change to build a more equitable future for immigrants and refugees. […]
Actions for Funders: Strengthening the Advancement of Workers in Low-Wage Jobs
In 2019, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund partnered with the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation to explore how catalytic financing tools could drive more capital toward addressing the needs of immigrant and refugee workers. The impact of the pandemic made this work even more pressing. The Fund and the Beeck Center are now […]
Fund Joins Toronto’s Workforce Funder Collaborative
In 2020, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund joined Toronto’s Workforce Funder Collaborative (TWFC) alongside six other philanthropic funders: The Counselling Foundation of Canada, JPMorgan Chase, Metcalf Foundation, Ontario Trillium Foundation, United Way Greater Toronto, and TD Bank Group. This newly formed collaborative, the first of its kind in Canada, enables funders to combine philanthropic resources […]
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