Creating Welcoming Workplaces: Let’s embrace workforce diversity like our future depends on it
Monday September 21, 2020
By Monica Munn and Jina Krause-Vilmar The impacts of COVID-19, including the downturn in our economy, have collided along persistent and predictable racial and socioeconomic fault lines in the United States. Poor communities, immigrants, and people of color are among those most affected. […]
How OCASI is Working to Ensure Immigrants and Refugees in Canada Are Not Left Behind
Monday September 14, 2020
Newcomers to Canada—especially those with precarious immigration status, many of whom already lived in a state of economic uncertainty—have been hard-hit by the economic impacts of COVID-19. Indeed, according to a recent study by the Labour Market Information Council, a non-profit research institute, “the […]
Ensuring an Inclusive Economy Post-Pandemic: How Might We Finance This?
Tuesday September 8, 2020
WES Mariam Assefa Fund Speaks with Cristina Alaniz, Student Analyst at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation Immigrants and refugees have been uniquely impacted by COVID-19. Both groups have disproportionately filled roles on the front lines of the pandemic and remain […]
Three Actions Philanthropic Funders Can Take to Advance Equity for Immigrant and Refugee Workers
Wednesday August 5, 2020
Last week, Philanthropy New York published a piece by WES Mariam Assefa Fund Senior Director Monica Munn. The post shares insights and recommended actions funders can take to help ensure an economy that is more inclusive of immigrants and refugees. Since the onset […]
Announcing the Semi-Finalists of the Opportunity Challenge: $1 Million to Uplift Immigrant Communities
Tuesday July 28, 2020
Today, we are thrilled to announce the 20 semi-finalists of the Opportunity Challenge: $1 Million to Uplift Immigrant Communities. Each one of these organizations is leading crucial initiatives that support the success of immigrants and refugees and strive toward building an economy that works for all. While much of the country […]
Equitable Recovery for Immigrants and Refugees: Key Takeaways from WES’ Twitter Chat
Thursday July 2, 2020
Immigrants and refugees play vital roles on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 and will continue playing essential roles to keep the U.S. moving forward. The need to address longstanding barriers to economic mobility faced by many immigrants and refugees today is therefore clear. As we look to rebuild the economy, we […]
Early Insights and Ideas from the Opportunity Challenge
Thursday June 25, 2020
At the end of May, the application portal closed for the Opportunity Challenge: $1 Million to Uplift Immigrant Communities. This was the first open grant challenge for both the WES Mariam Assefa Fund and the Tarsadia Foundation. The Opportunity Challenge was jointly launched […]
Fund Awards $1.35 Million in Grants to Support Career Pathways for Immigrants and Refugees Amid Pandemic
Thursday June 18, 2020
The WES Mariam Assefa Fund, the philanthropic arm of World Education Services (WES), today announced the award of $1.35 million in grants to enable immigrant and refugee workers to advance in the workforce of today and tomorrow and build strong careers that support […]
Our Commitment to the Fight for Racial Justice
Friday June 5, 2020
Earlier this week, World Education Services (WES) CEO Esther Benjamin expressed our organization’s solidarity with Black lives and protests following the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police. As the philanthropic arm of WES, we want to share our thoughts and commitments as a funder […]
JFF Report: Investing in Immigrant Talent
Friday May 29, 2020
“Immigrant workers have always been essential,” Erica Cuevas and Laura Roberts of grantee partner JFF write in an opinion piece for RealClear Policy. COVID-19 has introduced the term “essential worker,” and of the almost 49 million essential workers on the front lines of the pandemic, […]
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