Initiative Aims to Provide Access to Naturalization/DACA Financing, Improve Economic Opportunity and Outcomes for Immigrants in Northwest Region - Deadline for LOI extended to February 10, 2014
Click the image above to download the Invite for Letters of Intent
New York, NY - (January 22, 2014) The National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees are pleased to announce the launch of the Northwest Area Immigrant Asset-Building Initiative.
This initiative, made possible through generous support from the Northwest Area Foundation, seeks to foster robust partnerships between credit unions and immigration service providers and connect immigrants to safe and affordable credit union products and services in four target states: Washington, Oregon, Minnesota and Iowa.
The initiative will provide access to affordable financing for immigrant individuals and families in the Northwest area pursuing naturalization, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), permanent residency and potentially, legalization. They will also be encouraged to build assets through a range of safe financial products and services offered by credit unions, enabling immigrant and refugee populations to become banked and participate in the formal economy.
The initiative will commence on May 1, 2014 and track progress of the initiative through June 30, 2015. Interested partners will initially submit a 2-3 page letter of interest and selected partnerships will be invited to submit full proposals for funding to support the implementation of an integrated financial and immigration service strategy as well as tracking of outcomes. Participating credit unions must be members of the Federation or plan to join the Federation in order to participate and must be in one of the four states mentioned above. Additional background on the initiative and details on participation can be found in the Invitation for Letters of Intent.
You can also view a PowerPoint presentation introducing the Initiative by clicking here. A fact sheet providing answer to common questions can be found by clicking here.
Partners interested in the initiative should submit a 2-3 page letter of intent, no later than Monday, February 10, 2014. For inquiries about the initiative, credit unions can contact Jason Chang, Program Associate, at jchang@inclusiv.org. Interested immgirant-service providers can contact Walter Barrientos, Project Manager, at walter@gcir.org.