WASHINGTON, DC — The FWD.us Education Fund is pleased to announce the launch of the National Dignity for Families Fund to raise substantial new resources to address the humanitarian needs of children and families seeking asylum in the United States. The FWD.us Education Fund is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to upholding the dignity of immigrants, supporting these communities, and public education.
The Fund will support efforts to manage the immediate border challenge humanely and effectively, as well as increase public understanding of the experience of migrant children and families. The overall aim is to restore dignity in the asylum process and work towards an equitable immigration system that reflects our nation’s core values. In the long term, the Fund seeks to scale up infrastructure that provides wraparound support and legal services to asylum seekers.
The National Dignity for Families Fund will deploy resources to frontline non-profit organizations and entities in border regions and destination communities with deep expertise and experience in working with unaccompanied children and families seeking asylum.
“This National Dignity for Families Fund, in partnership with philanthropy and the private sector, seeks to grow and support a sustainable infrastructure that would provide support to those seeking asylum from the time they arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border to their settlement in destination communities,” said FWD.us Education Fund President Todd Schulte.
The Fund will focus on the border states of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico and numerous destination states across the county. The California Dignity for Families Fund, which also launched as a partnership with the State of California, will focus on efforts in the Golden State. The California Fund is housed at the Tides Foundation and led by Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees.
With today’s announcement, the National Dignity for Families Fund is beginning the process of securing funding.
Since the zero tolerance family separation crisis in 2018, the FWD.us Education Fund has worked to support frontline partners focused on fighting the devastating consequences of attacks on families seeking asylum. Throughout the Trump administration, the FWD.us Education Fund has – amongst others – supported humanitarian relief, legal services, and transportation via frontline, grassroots organizations holding this work.
In response to the Biden administration's announcement to end the Remain in Mexico policy, the FWD.us Education Fund has focused efforts on resourcing humane ways to support the process of families seeking asylum upon arrival in the United States. In addition to direct financial support and work from the organization’s staff, we were proud to support our partners at Miles4Migrants, who raised over 5 million miles to reunite families, and raised and directed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth $1 million to key local actors along the border.
The FWD.us Education Fund is underwriting all administrative expenses, and 100% of contributions to the National Dignity for Families Fund will go to support critical non-profits, efforts, and entities doing this work.