We believe that immigrants improve and strengthen the quality of life for all residents of the East Bay. Immigrant inclusion is a process of welcoming immigrants and working together to help newcomers and their families thrive. We promote the contributions and skills of immigrant residents to build a stronger community. 

In addition to having an equity focus (defined below), requests for Immigrant Rights and Inclusion funding should identify how the organization’s work:

• Secures and protects the rights and well-being of low-income immigrants

• Builds power in immigrant communities and increases participation in civic life

• Advances a new narrative about immigrant rights and inclusion by spotlighting the stories of immigrant families and communities

• Deepens mutual understanding and collaboration between immigrants and local communities

We approach all our grantmaking with an equity focus. For us, this means that every organization or initiative that we consider for funding must have:

• Programming that identifies and addresses the root causes of inequity

• Expected outcomes that build toward lasting change

• Success indicators that are tracked by race and ethnicity, and the data is used to inform, revise, and strengthen the initiative

• Impacted communities who:

  • Participate in developing, assessing, or refining project goals and outcomes

  • Are provided with meaningful opportunities for leadership development by serving on staff, advisory boards, or the Board of Directors

• Demographic alignment between the impacted community and the organization’s leadership and staff