Who's Backing Legal Services Support for Immigrants?

rfranca/shutterstock

We recently began a series on funders of immigrant and refugee causes, starting with funders who provide support for immigrant students. For this next entry, we're looking at donors who are funding legal aid and services for immigrants and refugees. 

Legal assistance is necessary for both documented and undocumented immigrants. While arguably the most pressing legal assistance immigrants need is court representation for detention and custody, deportation and asylum cases, many also need legal help for DACA applications, assistance in gaining permanent residency, applying for U.S. citizenship and obtaining employment authorization. Immigrants may also need assistance with matters not related to immigrations, such as unlawful evictions and family matters, and issues related to labor — including wage theft and substandard working conditions, according to the State Bar of California. 

Often, however, legal services are expensive and remain out of reach for many. While American citizens who cannot afford legal representation receive court-appointed counsel, immigrants facing deportation do not have this right, which makes a big impact on their legal proceedings. 

According to a 2016 report from the American Immigration Council, only 37% of all immigrants and 14% of detained immigrants have legal representation in removal cases. Having legal representation makes a marked difference in the outcomes of custody hearings. The report found that detained immigrants who have legal representation were four times more likely to be released from detention after their hearings than those who lacked representation. Immigrants with legal representation are also far more likely to apply for and obtain relief from deportation (such as asylum) than those without.

Some states offer support for immigrants who need legal representation. California, for example, helps fund nonprofits that offer legal services to low-income immigrants. And lawmakers in New York have proposed an increase in funding for immigrant legal and essential services, totalling $63 million. State lawmakers have also sponsored a bill that would guarantee legal representation for any New Yorker facing deportation.

Philanthropy also has a role to play here, though, especially given concerns about funding fluctuations. While California provided $45 million for nonprofits that offer legal assistance to immigrants in 2023, the governor’s office has recently proposed cuts to the program, citing budget problems. 

With that in mind, here are some of the philanthropic funders who support legal aid and services for immigrants and refugees. 

California Community Foundation

Nearly half of all immigrants in the U.S. live in three states, with California leading the pack at 24% and Texas and Florida following at 11% and 10%, respectively, according to Pew Research Center. As such, it's no surprise that many California-based foundations offer support for immigrants.

The California Community Foundation (CCF), which primarily gives in the Los Angeles region, marks immigration as one of its key areas of giving. CCF has provided funding for the LA Justice Fund, a public-private partnership between CCF, the Weingart Foundation, Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles that works to address the demands of legal representation for immigrants. The fund, which launched in 2017, has awarded $7.4 million to increase access to legal representation and counsel to individuals and families facing deportation and removal proceedings in L.A. County. 

Zellerbach Family Foundation

Founded in 1956 by Jennie B. Zellerbach, the mission of the San Francisco-based Zellerbach Family Foundation is to be "a catalyst for constructive social change by initiating and investing in efforts that strengthen families and communities." Through its Safety and Belonging program, the foundation provides a significant amount of support for immigrants and refugees, including grants to organizations that offer legal aid and services. Grants are focused on Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco Counties.

Zellerbach’s grantees include Immigrant Legal Defense, Immigrant Defense Advocates of Contra Costa, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant's Refugee Rights Program, California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, Tahirih Justice Center, Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, Oasis Legal Services, Immigrant Legal Defense, Legal Services for Children, Centro Legal de la Raza, among others. 

Grove Foundation

The Grove Foundation was founded in 1986 by Andrew Grove, who was the former chair and CEO of the Intel Corporation. The foundation's mission is to ensure that all people have access to resources, respect and a sense of belonging, and the opportunity to live and contribute fully as themselves. Its program areas include civic engagement, immigrants, Black-led power building, the social safety net, and reproductive health, rights and justice. 

As part of its immigration program, Grove funds legal services that support low-income immigrants, emphasizing citizenship, removal defense, DACA and asylum-seekers/refugees. Its grants are primarily focused on San Mateo County, but it also supports some state, regional and national impact litigation, international refugee work, and policy advocacy. 

Grantee partners include Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus, Pro Bono Net, Inc., Immigration Advocates Network, International Refugee Assistance Project, LIBRE, San Mateo Legal Aid and Immigrant Legal Resource Center, among others. 

Heising-Simons Foundation

The Heising-Simons Foundation, which was established in 2007 by Liz Simons and Mark Heising, focuses on a wide range of issues. As part of its human rights program, the foundation focuses on mass incarceration and immigrant detention, and makes grants nationally and in California, Texas, Georgia and North Carolina. 

The foundation also backs organizations that support immigrants and advance immigrant rights. Grantees in the legal assistance space include the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus, American Immigration Council, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and National Immigration Law Center, among others. 

Bigglesworth Family Foundation

The Bigglesworth Family Foundation focuses on two areas — legal services and technology — to make impactful change and increase access to underserved communities. To date, the foundation has awarded almost $7 million in legal service grants, which include grants to support immigrants. 

Grantees include the California Center for Immigrant Justice, Center for Immigrant Protection LGBT Asylum Project, California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, Jubilee Immigration Services and the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, among many others. 

Denver Foundation

The Denver Foundation works to create a Denver that is "racially equitable in its leadership, prosperity and culture." In 2017, the foundation launched the Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund, which was developed following an executive order signed by then-mayor Michael B. Hancock, pledging support for immigrants and refugees. Since 2018, the Denver Foundation has awarded $2.54 million in grants to local nonprofits that provide direct legal representation for immigrants in detention, provide affirmative relief services, and expand the capacity of immigration attorneys in the Denver Metro region. Grantees include Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, Center for Trauma and Resilience, and International Rescue Committee, among many others.

David and Lucile Packard Foundation

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is dedicated to building just societies, protecting and restoring the natural world, and investing in families and communities. Some of its funding to support immigrants includes a $150,000 grant for increased capacity for immigration legal services and case management to the Catholic Charities Diocese of Monterey, a $20,000 grant to Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy, a $75,000 grant to provide case management support for DACA applications to the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz, and a $150,000 grant to support increased capacity for immigration legal services, also to the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz.

—

In addition, a number of other regional funders also provide support for legal services to immigrants, including the Maine Justice Foundation, regional Catholic Charities, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the Oregon Foundation, the Collins Foundation and the Meyer Memorial Trust.

Other funders working in this space include the Weingart Foundation, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Emerson Collective, Firedoll Foundation, James Irvine Foundation and the New York Community Trust, among others.