Multiple global crises have led to a vast number of people seeking refuge around the world. According to the latest Global Trends report from the U.N. Refugee Agency, at the end of 2023, approximately 117.3 million people “were forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order.” That number is estimated to have exceeded 120 million by the end of April 2024.
The report estimates that the global refugee population — displaced people forced to leave their own country — reached 43.4 million by the end of 2023. Just a few of the causes leading to displacement include conflicts in Sudan, Palestine, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Syria and Armenia. Climate change is also prompting a surge in migration, with the number of people displaced only set to skyrocket as the century goes on.
At Inside Philanthropy, we’ve recently looked at funders supporting causes related to immigrants and refugees, including support for students, legal assistance, policy advocacy and children and families — not to mention, in light of recent racist disinformation from a certain presidential candidate, funding to support Haitian immigrants and refugees in Ohio.
Given the scope of the global refugee crisis (for perspective, 43.4 million is higher than the total current population of Canada), plenty of philanthropic funders throughout the world are active in this space. The following is a nonexhaustive list of some important funders to know, specifically those based in the U.S., that are working to support refugees today.
Open Society Foundations
A major international funder, George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF) has long supported organizations around the world working to advance justice, democratic governance and human rights. Now, under the leadership of Soros’ son Alex, and with new president Binaifer Nowrojee also at the helm, OSF awards grants to organizations that work on a range of issues affecting the safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers, migrants and refugees.
For example, OSF partnered with the Bernard van Leer Foundation for initial funding of Sesame Workshop and International Rescue Committee’s pilot project to develop educational programs to address the needs of Syrian refugee children living in Jordan, an effort that scored $100 million in 2018 as the winner of the MacArthur Foundation’s inaugural 100&Change competition. It then expanded into Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, reaching up to 9 million children.
OSF has also supported local and international organizations supporting refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, including those that provide legal aid, rights protection, advocacy, access to services and assistance with integrating into their new communities. During the pandemic, OSF awarded emergency funding for Syrian and Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon.
In 2016, OSF supported the creation of the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative, which helps promote a Canadian model of community-based refugee sponsorship programs and has provided education, training and support for government officials and civil society organizations interested in developing similar programs.
Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation
The Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation is part of the Blaustein Philanthropic Group, made up of several family foundations rooted in Jewish traditions and concern for social justice and opportunity. The foundation’s grantmaking spans across the U.S. and internationally, but many of its programs are focused on communities in the Baltimore area. Through its International Human Rights program, the foundation seeks to protect the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S. and abroad, and it also makes some grants in this space through its Strengthening Israeli Democracy program.
Grantees include the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, which is based in Tel Aviv, the International Refugee Assistance Project, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, Asylum Access, and Global Refuge.
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Foundation for Middle East Peace
Based in Washington, D.C., the Foundation for Middle East Peace is dedicated to ensuring a “just, secure, peaceful future for Palestinians and Israelis.” The foundation supports a number of humanitarian and civil rights groups and awards grants to organizations that support victims of the region’s conflict, including refugees.
This year’s grantees include Americans for Peace Now, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Al-Shabaka: the Palestinian Policy Network, Center for International Policy, Gaza Mental Health Foundation, Human Rights Defenders Fund, Jewish Voice for Peace, New Israel Fund, Middle East Children’s Alliance and Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation supports refugees and asylum seekers through a number of its programs, including its Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice program, Creativity and Free Expression, and others. Past and present grantees include the Norwegian Refugee Council, Women’s Refugee Commision, International Refugee Assistance Project, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Overseas Press Club of America and Danish Refugee Council. Ford has also awarded grants for the production of several documentary films that explore the experiences of refugees.
MacArthur Foundation
Although refugees are not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the MacArthur Foundation, the Chicago-based funder has nevertheless supported migration and refugee issues over the years. In addition to that big 100&Change grant to the Season Workshop and International Rescue Committee, MacArthur has also supported the International Refugee Rights Initiative, Women’s Refugee Commission, Asylum Access, Refugee Services of Texas, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the American Refugee Committee, among others.
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Other U.S.-based funders working to support refugees include Unbound Philanthropy, the Schultz Family Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, New York Community Trust, Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation, Stonewall Community Foundation and Horizons Foundation.
