(WASHINGTON, DC) – Mayor Bowser today announced that her Administration is making a total of $900,000 available through the Fiscal Year 2019 Immigrant Justice Legal Services (IJLS) Grant Program to fund programs that provide targeted services and resources to the DC immigrant population and their family members. The FY19 IJLS Grant Program will award grants of up to $150,000 to community-based organizations with a current and valid 501(c)(3) status, as well as private organizations, associations, and law firms that plan to mobilize pro bono legal services in order to provide immigration legal services. The FY19 grant funding priority areas include public safety and civic engagement.
“The IJLS Grant Program has helped bring our DC values to life and has made us a safer, stronger DC,” said Mayor Bowser. “By working with community-based organizations, we are able to provide hundreds of immigrants in DC with the knowledge and resources they need to understand their rights, navigate a challenging political climate, and thrive in our community.”
More information regarding eligibility criteria, acceptable grant purposes, pre-bidders’ conferences, and the deadline for submission will be included in the Request for Applications (RFA), which will be released on June 19, 2018. The RFA will be posted on moca.dc.gov.
Mayor Bowser’s IJLS program is the first of its kind in Washington, DC. While similar programs exist in other parts of the nation, DC’s program has a broader focus than most. Among other services, the IJLS program funds “know your rights” legal briefings, trainings and mentorship for pro bono attorneys, and legal assistance to help people navigate affirmative filings and asylum applications.
In addition to launching the IJLS Grant Program, in November 2017, Mayor Bowser also announced the New American Workforce Partnership, a partnership between DC Government and the non-profit group, National Immigration Forum, to make citizenship services more readily available for DC Government employees, their families, and hundreds of others who live or work in Washington, DC. The partnership will help thousands of District residents go through the naturalization process and become American citizens. The next session is on Friday, June 8 at 12 pm at 1100 4th Street, SW.