HIAS Receives New York Bar Foundation Grant

The New York Bar Foundation recently presented a grant of $9,159 to HIAS. The grant will be used to support their Justice for All: Empowering Refugees and Asylees through assimilation, self-advocacy, and permanence program.

“At HIAS, we understand that a person’s immigration journey does not end when their asylum case is granted, or when they arrive in the U.S. as refugees,” said Sarah Burrows, Director, Pro Bono & Partnerships at HIAS. “Our goal is to provide our clients with the opportunity to live safely and with dignity in their new communities, and the support of the New York Bar Foundation will allow us to do so by helping us expand our work assisting asylees and refugees who are ready to apply for their green cards, and for U.S. citizenship. HIAS is extremely grateful for the opportunity to support our clients in these vital next steps of their immigration cases.” 

Foundation grants assist non-profit organizations with essentials-of-life issues such as child support, consumer debt, housing, access to health care and education, and family matters such as domestic violence and family stability. Added this year was a focus on COVID-19 related issues, and racial justice impacted programming needs.

“The New York Bar Foundation has allocated nearly $700,000 in grants to 107 programs across New York significantly increasing the total number of grants over the past several years,” said Lucia Whisenand, chair of the Grant Review Committee. “The issues we touch on are extensive and impact people in life changing ways.”

By raising awareness of the need for access to civil legal services and allocating resources to help meet these needs, the Foundation will help make access to justice a reality for New Yorkers and, thereby, enhance the understanding of and respect for the rule of law. 

“Through our grant-making program we help improve access to justice by providing seed grants to innovative legal projects piloting new ways to help those in need,” adds June Castellano, Vice-chair of the Grant Review Committee. “When you give to the Foundation you help make a difference across New York State.”

At a time when the help of legal services organization is in great demand, the Foundation has established a COVID-19 Emergency Legal Relief Fund. Donations to the fund will assist New Yorkers across New York State in need of legal services due to the impacts of COVID-19 through their grant program. Donations can be made at www.tnybf.org and selecting the COVID-19 Legal Relief Fund in the drop-down window.

The New York Bar Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, is the charitable arm of the New York State Bar Association. Established in 1950, the Foundation is dedicated to aiding charitable and educational projects to meet the law-related needs of the public and the legal profession.   

To learn more about the Foundation visit www.tnybf.org or email Deborah Auspelmyer dauspelmyer@tnybf.org

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