Immigration Legal Services: A Time for Bold Action

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) holds a commitment to the inherent value of every human being and a vision of the United States that offers hope and opportunity for all. In this affirmative vision, immigration legal services are a vital component of a larger ecosystem of long-term strategies to protect immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, and advance equity and inclusion. Recognizing the intensifying legal service needs of immigrant communities and legal service providers, GCIR and the California Immigrant Integration Initiative (CIII) launched a study to understand the capacity of immigration legal services in California and generate recommendations for strategic philanthropic investment.

The original report, "Immigration Legal Services in California: A Time for Bold Action" was commissioned in 2019 with support from San Francisco Foundation, Zellerbach Family Foundation, California Community Foundation, The Grove Foundation, James and Gretchen Sandler Philanthropic Fund, van Löben Sels/Rembe Rock Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Y & H Soda Foundation, and Marin Community Foundation. 

The 2022 Update Report, a supplement to the 2019-20 findings and recommendations, was commissioned with support from the The Grove Foundation and Zellerbach Family Foundation, with additonal input and contributions to the Update from: Rosie Arroyo (California Community Foundation), Sara Campos (Grove Foundation), Kevin Douglas (GCIR), Jesus Martinez (Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative), and Navin Moul (Zellerbach Family Foundation).  The findings and recommendations are applicab