Best Grants for Immigration Nonprofits in Nevada

Nevada school districts and public charter schools serving immigrant children and youth can seek funding to develop high-quality educational access and equity programs in Nevada. The State of Nevada Department of Education offers competitive awards up to US $400,000 to help recently immigrated students acclimate to U.S. schools, learn English, and meet state academic standards.

Academic researchers with doctorates 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 Nevada immigration and immigrant-rights scholars with funding for investigator time, survey or field experiments, and qualitative research on immigrant and minority outcomes.

State agencies, local governments, and tribal governments in Nevada can apply for Bureau of Justice Assistance funding to support immigration-related law enforcement activities, including apprehension, detention, transportation, and prosecution of criminal offenders. Grants from Bureau of Justice Assistance help Nevada public safety entities engaged in domestic security and immigration enforcement efforts, including participation in Homeland Security Task Force activities.

Academic researchers with doctorates conducting social science studies on immigration, immigrant integration, and related race and citizenship issues in the U.S., including Nevada, can apply for Russell Sage Foundation core research grants up to US $200,000. Grants from Russell Sage Foundation help advance rigorous, peer-reviewed research that informs policy and outcomes for immigrants and native-born groups.

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.

With a mission to support higher education, Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region provides Nevada immigrant and refugee students with scholarship opportunities. Current or former USCRI Albany clients pursuing 2- or 4-year degrees or technical and trade certificates may be eligible through its universal application process, which covers more than 30 scholarship funds.

New immigrant students pursuing degrees at Berkshire Community College can receive tuition support through the New World Fund Scholarship, honoring academic success, leadership, and concern for others. With a mission to strengthen communities, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation supports higher education and immigrant services; Nevada immigration nonprofits may share this focus when advising or supporting eligible students.

Nevada 501(c)(3) nonprofits, religious organizations, and public schools that distribute food to people in need can receive ongoing baked-goods donations through the Day-End Dough-Nation program. Panera Bread Foundation partners with charities nationwide, including immigrant and refugee service organizations, shelters, and community meal programs that can reliably pick up and distribute unsold bread and baked goods weekly.

Individuals born in North Korea, their immediate family members, or North Korean-born refugees pursuing accredited higher education in the U.S., including Nevada, can receive up to US $10,000 for tuition and related study 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.

Researchers with doctorates studying behavioral science and decision making in economic, social, political, or psychological contexts can apply for up to US $200,000 to support high-quality social science research. With a mission to advance rigorous scholarship, Russell Sage Foundation provides U.S. scholars, including those examining immigration and immigrant decision-making in Nevada, with competitive core research grants following a required LOI process.

Researchers with doctorates studying race, ethnicity, or immigration in the U.S. can apply for Russell Sage Foundation’s core research grants, with awards up to US $200,000 for social science projects. Nevada immigration and refugee rights scholars based at eligible institutions may secure support for innovative, well-designed, and fully developed research studies.

With a mission to recognize immigrant contributions, Vilcek Foundation provides Nevada immigrant-serving and arts nonprofits with US $5,000 - US $20,000 to support innovative programs in the arts, sciences, culture, and society. U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organizations, including those in Nevada, that highlight immigrant contributions may be especially competitive in the 2025 cycle.

The IAF Research Fellowship Program, administered by the Social Science Research Council, aims to support rigorous research on community-led development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The fellowship provides a $20,000 stipend for twelve months, fostering innovative solutions to pressing issues such as economic opportunity, migration, and social inclusion. Researchers are encouraged to explore how community-led models can create lasting impacts and respond to global trends, enhancing local resilience and development.

BIPOC-led or allied 501(c)(3) nonprofits in Nevada working on immigration and refugee rights, social justice, or related advocacy can seek US $100 - US $15,000 for general operating, projects, programs, advocacy, or capacity building. B.W. Bastian Foundation prioritizes organizations that explicitly affirm equality for all Americans, including the LGBTQ+ community, and mainly funds the Intermountain West and national efforts.

Nevada immigration and refugee rights researchers enrolled as U.S.-based doctoral students can access funding through the Russell Sage Foundation’s Dissertation Research Grants, which provide up to US $15,000 for one year. Projects must address RSF priority areas such as immigration, race, or inequality and focus on improving social and living conditions in the U.S.

Early-career social science faculty researching U.S. economic mobility and systemic inequality can apply for funding from the Russell Sage Foundation, including scholars in Nevada. Focused on economic mobility, the foundation invites projects on immigration, labor markets, safety net access, and related structural barriers, offering US $35,000 - US $50,000 for one-year studies that advance its mission.

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.

Nevada immigrant-serving nonprofits and schools can access funding through the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region for foreign-born high school seniors pursuing higher education. The William and Susanna Botts Scholarship for Immigrants awards at least two annual $1,000 scholarships to high-achieving or highly motivated immigrant or refugee students with financial need; students must reapply for renewals.

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.

BIPOC-led and BIPOC-allied community-based organizations and Tribal nations in Nevada working on immigrant services, food security, and related basic needs can seek Growing Justice Fund support. Grants from Growing Justice Fund help strengthen equitable good food procurement infrastructure, policy and organizing, and traditional food pathways, with awards ranging from US $10,000 - US $25,000.

First-generation immigrant students from Torrington pursuing higher education can receive $750 toward tuition and related costs. Focused on immigrant services and college access, Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation invites eligible students to apply; Nevada immigration nonprofits may share this opportunity with clients preparing for accredited U.S. colleges or universities.

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.

Nonprofit and public agencies providing child welfare, foster care, or immigration support services in Nevada can seek funding to deliver home studies and post-release services for unaccompanied children. Grants from the US Dept. of Health & Human Services: Administration for Children & Families range from US $1,000,000 - US $50,000,000 to ensure safe placements and ongoing support nationwide.

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.

Patrick Caroselli Scholarship

To provide financial assistance for college to high school seniors in Monroe County whose parents immigrated to the United States and attained citizenship.

Number and Size of Awards

Number of recipients and award amounts vary; award amount may be split between two or more recipients. Award paid in one lump sum in the Fall and divided equally between the Fall and Spring semesters. Average award $5,000; not to exceed the cost of tuition.

Allowed Use of Award

Awards must be used for costs related to enrollment in a higher education program, prioritizing tuition fees.