May 2024

21 nonprofits to receive grants to support successful legal outcomes for immigrants

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) in the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) has announced a second cohort of awardees for its Capacity Strengthening Grants for Immigrant Focused CBOs initiative. 21 community-based organizations (CBOs) will be awarded grants totaling $3.15 million to provide case management services to support successful legal outcomes for immigrants. The pandemic highlighted the importance of providing case management alongside legal representation to ensure access to vital services for immigrant communities who were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, organizations will receive grants of $150,000 to build case management capacity. The Center for Nonprofit Management is the subrecipient that administers the project for the County and will augment grant funding with specialized training and ongoing support to grantees to maximize project impact.

In 2022, OIA announced $1.5 million in grants to a cohort of 10 immigrant-focused CBOs focused on helping immigrants and their families recover from the COVID-19 pandemic through various capacity building projects. Learn about the first cohort here. The second round of grants brings the total CBO capacity building investment to $4.65 million.

The following organizations were awarded:

• The African Communities Public Health Coalition (ACPHC) addresses mental health, social service and legal needs of African immigrant communities in Los Angeles.
• Catholic Charities of Los Angeles– Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project advocates for social justice and provides a legal defense program for immigrants.
• Central American Resource Center of California (CARECEN) empowers Central Americans and all immigrants by defending human and civil rights, working for social and economic justice, and promoting cultural diversity.
• The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA) advances immigrant integration through education, legal services, and civic engagement.
• The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) upholds the civil rights of all Americans, with a focus on discrimination and challenges faced by American Muslims in the Greater Los Angeles area.
• Human Rights First fosters free and equal societies worldwide, emphasizing respect for human rights and the rule of law.
• Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) is a social justice law firm that defends immigrant communities against injustices in the immigration system.
• The International Institute of Los Angeles (IILA) fosters self-sufficiency and promotes cross-cultural understanding by providing services to immigrants, refugees, survivors of human trafficking, and low-income working families.
• Korean Youth + Community Center (KYCC) serves the evolving needs of the Korean American population and the multi-ethnic Koreatown community in the Greater Los Angeles area.
• The Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (LACLJ) secures justice for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, empowering them for a safe and stable future.
• The Los Angeles LGBT Center offers comprehensive services and support to the region’s LGBTQ communities.
• The Los Angeles Mission provides comprehensive services, housing, and case management to unhoused and vulnerable residents of Los Angeles.
• The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) empowers day laborers, migrants, and low-wage workers to challenge injustice and advocate for expanded labor, civil, and political rights.
• Pars Equality Center catalyzes the social, civic, and economic integration of refugees and immigrants from Middle Eastern and other underrepresented communities into American society.
• The Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) offers education and legal assistance to Filipinx and other immigrant workers on worker rights, workplace violations, labor trafficking, and immigrant issues.
• The Pomona Economic Opportunity Center (PEOC), a worker center with a grassroots organizing model, empowers low-wage, immigrant workers in Pomona and Inland Empire.
• Program for Torture Victims (PTV) provides holistic health and wellness programs to immigrant survivors of torture and persecution.
• Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice in and beyond Los Angeles. Its Immigrants’ Rights Project (IRP) provides legal defense of and systemic advocacy on behalf of LA’s immigrant community.
• SALVA offers a range of immigration services in Los Angeles County through cultural sensitivity and holistic support.
• The Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) advances the social and economic well-being of low- and moderate-income Thais and other ethnic communities in the Greater Los Angeles area through a broad and comprehensive community development strategy.
• Worksite Wellness LA (WWLA) educates individuals and families, regardless of immigration status, on healthy living and healthcare benefits through workplace and community programs.

For more information about the initiative, visit https://cnmsocal.org/capacity-strengthening-grants-for-immigrant-focused-cbos-cohort-b/. For more resources and information provided by the Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant Affairs, visit immigrants.lacounty.gov.