Best Grants for Immigration Nonprofits in Louisiana

Rural, community-based 501(c)(3) organizations using grassroots organizing strategies in Louisiana and other Southeastern states can seek general or project support through the Hubert E. Sapp Regular Grant Cycle. Focused on social, economic, and environmental justice, Southern Partners Fund particularly welcomes groups working with immigrant communities and related rights issues in rural areas.

Rural grassroots community groups in Louisiana working on social, economic, environmental, or immigrant justice can receive support for organizing, capacity building, and voter engagement. Southern Partners Fund’s Discretionary Fund offers up to US $3,500 per year for community organizing projects, technical assistance, and travel related to civic and community engagement across its 12-state Southern region.

Doctoral-level researchers conducting U.S.-focused studies on race, ethnicity, and immigration can receive up to US $200,000 for rigorous social science research, including data collection and analysis. Russell Sage Foundation provides Louisiana immigration and immigrant-rights scholars with funding for projects on policy, legal status, integration, social movements, and related racial and ethnic justice issues.

State agencies, local governments, and tribal governments in Louisiana can seek funding to support law enforcement and homeland security activities, including immigration-related enforcement and prosecution. Grants from Bureau of Justice Assistance help eligible U.S. jurisdictions investigate and prosecute crimes involving noncitizens, support court operations, detention, and transportation, and enhance efforts against gangs, cartels, and other violent crime.

Researchers with doctorates studying immigration, immigrant integration, or related immigrant services can seek up to US $200,000 for social science research, including work relevant to Louisiana. Grants from Russell Sage Foundation help immigration-focused academics examine race, legal status, policy, and outcomes that may inform and strengthen immigration and refugee nonprofits’ programs.

Catholic Extension's Enhancing Pastoral and Social Ministry Grants aim to empower the church to broaden its outreach and foster societal transformation through targeted pastoral and social initiatives. This program supports specific elements of the church's ministerial efforts, including funding for catechetical resources, marriage and family ministries, and social outreach for vulnerable populations. By investing in these areas, Catholic Extension seeks to enhance the church's role in communities, especially following disasters.

The PCC Rapid Response Grants provide support for cultural initiatives that aim to shape narratives during critical cultural moments. These grants prioritize projects that engage communities of color, immigrants, refugees, and other marginalized groups, focusing on intersectionality, gender justice, and social equity. Eligible projects include pop culture campaigns, research, and public spectacles that respond to urgent political and cultural events, aiming to reach mass audiences and disrupt harmful narratives.

The J.M.K. Innovation Prize, awarded by The J.M. Kaplan Fund, supports early-stage social innovators tackling critical issues in environment, heritage conservation, and social justice. With up to $175,000 in funding and tailored support over three years, it empowers organizations to pilot transformative solutions. The Prize fosters collaboration among awardees, providing resources and mentorship to enhance their impact. Open to both non-profit and mission-driven for-profit entities, it addresses the funding gap for innovative, high-potential projects.

New immigrants studying at Berkshire Community College and needing tuition support can receive scholarships for higher education and college preparation. With a mission to strengthen communities, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation provides U.S. immigrant students with funding that recognizes academic success, leadership potential, and concern for the needs and rights of others, which may benefit those served by Louisiana immigration nonprofits.

Louisiana 501(c)(3) nonprofits, religious organizations, and public schools providing food distribution or related support services can receive ongoing donations of unsold Panera baked goods for people in need. Panera Bread Foundation’s Day-End Dough-Nation program may benefit immigrant and refugee service organizations offering meals, shelters, outreach, or other community programs across the U.S.

North Korean-born students and immediate family members pursuing accredited college or university programs in the U.S., including Louisiana, can receive up to US $10,000 for tuition and related educational costs. With a mission to support immigrant and refugee communities, Communities Foundation of Texas offers the Lindsay Lloyd North Korea Freedom Scholarship, which may be renewed annually through reapplication.

Doctoral-level social science researchers studying behavioral science and decision making can apply for Russell Sage Foundation core research grants of up to US $200,000, including work based in Louisiana. With a mission to advance rigorous social science, the foundation supports projects on immigration, immigrant integration, criminal justice, employment, housing, and related institutional contexts in the U.S.

Social science researchers with doctorates studying race, ethnicity, and immigration in the U.S. can apply for Russell Sage Foundation’s core research grants, with awards up to US $200,000. Louisiana immigration-focused scholars and partners may benefit if their work examines how race, ethnicity, nativity, or legal status shape social, economic, or political outcomes.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations supporting immigrant contributions in the arts, sciences, culture, and society in Louisiana can apply for Vilcek Foundation grants of US $5,000 - US $20,000. With a mission to recognize immigrant contributions, Vilcek Foundation provides U.S.-based nonprofits with support for creative, innovative programs and projects, including immigrant services and cultural institutions.

Doctoral students at U.S. institutions researching U.S.-focused social science topics can receive up to US $15,000 for dissertation data collection, analysis, and writing, including projects on immigration and immigrant integration. Louisiana immigration-focused scholars can access funding through Russell Sage Foundation for work on inequality, race and ethnicity, the future of work, and related issues.

Researchers studying community-led development and immigrant or refugee issues in Latin America, the Caribbean, or the U.S., including those connected to Louisiana-focused organizations, can receive US $20,000 fellowships to conduct rigorous field-based research. The Social Science Research Council and Inter-American Foundation support projects on migration drivers, integration, social inclusion, violence, and related community development challenges.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations supporting immigration and refugee rights in Louisiana can access funding through the B.W. Bastian Foundation, with typical awards ranging from US $100 - US $15,000. Grants may support general operations, specific projects, advocacy, programs, or capacity building for groups that explicitly affirm equality, including for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Early-career social science faculty researching U.S. economic mobility, inequality, or related social conditions can receive US $35,000 - US $50,000 in one-year project support from the Russell Sage Foundation. Scholars whose work examines immigration, immigrant integration, or immigrant communities in Louisiana or elsewhere may be especially relevant for immigration-focused nonprofits and partners.

Current or former clients of US Committee on Refugees and Immigrants Albany pursuing higher education or trade certificates may be eligible for this scholarship, though it is limited to residents of the Greater Capital Region. With a mission to empower generous people, Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region offers this support for immigrant and refugee students’ postsecondary goals.

The H. C. Gemmer Family Christian Foundation, established in 1956, focuses on peace, justice, and racial harmony. With a mission to support ecumenical efforts, the foundation has expanded its assets significantly since the passing of H. Robert Gemmer in 1992. The foundation prioritizes funding initiatives that promote peace education, human rights, and social justice, while providing grants to organizations that demonstrate financial stability and effective community impact.

Louisiana immigrant services and education nonprofits can access funding through the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region’s William and Susanna Botts Scholarship for Immigrants, which awards US $1,000 scholarships. Foreign-born graduating seniors with financial need are eligible, and scholarships may be renewed annually with reapplication.

BIPOC-led and BIPOC-allied community-based organizations and Tribal nations working on immigrant services and food security in Louisiana can seek funding for equitable good food procurement projects. Grants from Growing Justice Fund help U.S. initiatives build infrastructure, advance policy and organizing, and support traditional food pathways that connect community-serving institutions with historically marginalized producers, including immigrants. Awards US $10,000 - US $25,000.

The Institutional Challenge Grant aims to foster collaborative research by requiring institutions to adapt their policies and enhance capacities for meaningful partnerships. It encourages applications from diverse leadership teams in youth-serving areas, focusing on addressing inequalities in youth outcomes. The grant outlines four key goals: strengthening partnerships, pursuing a joint research agenda, facilitating institutional change, and enhancing collaborative capacities for producing actionable research evidence.

First-generation immigrant students and children of first-generation immigrants from Torrington pursuing accredited college or university studies can receive $750 through the Patrick Dillon Scholarship. Focused on higher education, Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation supports immigrant communities; Louisiana immigrant-serving nonprofits may share this opportunity with eligible students who have relocated from their area.

Immigration and refugee-serving nonprofits in Louisiana can access funding to provide home studies and post-release support for unaccompanied children through the US Dept. of Health & Human Services. Grants from HHS help organizations ensure safe sponsor placements, deliver ongoing case management, and connect children with community, legal, and health resources, with awards from US $1,000,000 - US $50,000,000.

Proteus Fund

Proteus Fund partners with foundations, individual donors, activists, and other allies to work strategically towards racial, gender, queer, and disability justice and an inclusive, fully-representative democracy. We curate an ecosystem of mutually reinforcing, aligned donor collaboratives and fiscally sponsored projects that deploy a creative array of strategies and tactics to further this vision.

RISE Together Fund: Small Grants

Call For Application

RISE Together Fund (RTF), an initiative of Proteus Fund, is announcing an open call for inquiries for our 2026 Small Grants Fund for U.S. public charity organizations or fiscally sponsored projects of such organizations, that support Black, African, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian (BAMEMSA) communities.

As part of RTF’s commitment to prioritizing the needs and sustainability of the fields we collectively support, RTF will provide organizations with general operating grants to allow for organizational flexibility when possible. 

About RTF's Small Grants Fund

BAMEMSA movements have a strong history of organizing and collaboration, and are well poised with the knowledge, learning and experience to build an inclusive, multiracial democratic future and respond to the current unconstitutional threats facing the country. Through this fund, RTF aims to resource community power building organizations that use a multiplicity of approaches to create change rooted in the strength and leadership of BAMEMSA movements.

RTF supports groups that build community power, strengthen movement bases, defend civil and human rights including freedom of protest, speech, religion, and association, end the criminalization and surveillance of our communities, and respond to the rise in xenophobia, Islamophobia, and hate. RTF values groups that are intersectional in their approach and have or are developing sustainable long-term strategies to support BAMEMSA communities and movements.

Priority Issue Areas

• Protecting and advancing the rights of immigrant and refugee BAMEMSA communities by responding to harmful policies and practices, and strengthening community-led advocacy at the local, state, or federal level.

• Mobilizing BAMEMSA communities for nonpartisan civic engagement and election protection by increasing nonpartisan voter participation, combating voter suppression, and building sustained civic infrastructure ahead of, during, and between elections.

• Advocating for U.S. policy changes that end violence in Gaza and the West Bank by elevating Palestinian voices, influencing public discourse, and engaging in advocacy that shifts U.S. political, diplomatic, or funding decisions.

• Challenging harmful national security frameworks and their impacts on BAMEMSA communities by documenting, exposing, and organizing against surveillance, Islamophobia, and policies rooted in the War on Terror, particularly in the context of 9/11’s 25-year legacy.

• Responding to emerging opportunities and threats affecting BAMESMA communities such as influencing policy developments, addressing civic issues in the U.S., or developing narratives to change public discourse. This includes work addressing weaponizing issues around bodily autonomy and LGBTQ+ identity to fracture movements and communities.

Priority Strategies

RTF values organizations that take an intersectional approach and are intentionally building long-term community power. We prioritize support for groups that strengthen movement ecosystems, deepen their base, and defend the rights of BAMEMSA communities through the following strategies:

• Convening, Collaboration, and Movement Coordination: Bringing together organizations, leaders, and coalitions to align shared goals, coordinate strategies to advance shared visions, and reduce fragmentation across the field. This includes facilitating strategic convenings, developing platforms for collaboration, building cross-issue or cross-regional partnerships, developing shared agendas or issue campaigns, and strengthening trust and alignment among movement actors.
• Community Power-Building, Base Building, Civic Engagement, and Organizing: Expanding and activating a grassroots base within BAMEMSA communities to drive collective action and policy change. This includes community leadership development, public education campaigns, community organizing, nonpartisan voter engagement and election protection, and ongoing nonpartisan civic participation efforts that build sustained community power.
• Legal and Policy Advocacy Infrastructure: Advancing legal strategies and policy advocacy that expand and protect the rights of BAMEMSA communities. This includes impact litigation, legal advocacy, know-your-rights efforts, policy development, and advocacy at a local, state, or federal level.
• Communications and Narrative Strategy: Shaping public discourse and advancing narratives that reflect the experiences, dignity, and demands of BAMEMSA communities. This includes developing messaging strategies, producing and amplifying media, countering harmful or divisive narratives (including those targeting immigrants, religious minorities, LGBTQ+ communities, and reproductive rights), and increasing the voice share of BAMEMSA community members.
• Bolstering Movement Infrastructure: Strengthening the internal capacity and long-term sustainability of organizations and the broader movement ecosystem. This includes organizations supporting leadership development and pipelines, data and technology infrastructure, security and safety, and other core functions that enable groups to operate effectively and respond to evolving challenges.

Limited funding may be available for requests above $25,000.

Mission & Vision

Rochester Area Community Foundation, in partnership with generous philanthropists and community partners, works to improve the quality of life for people who live and work in the eight-county region through its leadership and strategic grantmaking.

Our Mission:

We are cultivating a thriving Greater Rochester region — powered by philanthropy, grounded in community, and sustained across generations.

Our Vision:

We envision a Greater Rochester region transformed by enduring philanthropy, where every person, neighborhood, and future generation can thrive.

Sidney and Carol Aroesty Family Scholarship

Purpose of Scholarship

To provide financial assistance to East High School graduating seniors planning to pursue a degree in any science discipline at a two- or four-year college, university, or technical school.

Number and Size of Awards

One award of $12,000; divided into equal annual installments paid over four consecutive years of undergraduate study. Award is paid in the Fall and divided equally between the Fall and Spring semesters.