How Our Partners are Working to Ensure Equitable COVID-19 Vaccine Access for Immigrants and Refugees
Wednesday August 11, 2021
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 …
8 Key Tips and Takeaways for Organizations Engaging with Employers to Support Immigrant Talent
Tuesday June 29, 2021
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 …
New Toolkit to Help Employers Successfully Integrate Immigrants into the Workplace
Tuesday June 29, 2021
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 …
Meet Nada El Masry, Co-Founder of RADIUS Refugee Livelihood Labs
Sunday June 20, 2021
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 …
The Fund’s Nomzana Augustin Interviewed by Economic Opportunity Funders
Tuesday June 8, 2021
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, …
How Andrea Plaza is Working Toward Immigrant Justice in New Mexico
Monday May 10, 2021
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 …
Meet Rosemarie Powell, Executive Director of Toronto Community Benefits Network
Wednesday April 14, 2021
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. …
Our 2021 Funding Priorities
Thursday March 11, 2021
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 …
Actions for Funders: Strengthening the Advancement of Workers in Low-Wage Jobs
Thursday February 25, 2021
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 …
Fund Joins Toronto’s Workforce Funder Collaborative
Thursday February 11, 2021
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 …
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