What to Know: OIRA’s $4M 2026 Investment Portfolio 

In 2025, immigrant communities and leaders advocated successfully for a vital and timely investment of $4 million for the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA), which was supported by the Seattle City Council, Mayor Bruce Harrell and Mayor Katie Wilson, all in recognition of the mounting challenges facing immigrants and refugees in Seattle. Through stakeholder meetings, Mayor Wilson’s transition team recommendations, and a comprehensive review of available federal, state and local data, OIRA developed an investment strategy that: 

• Doubles the resources annually for legal representation, the number one need identified by community partners; 

• Addresses the gaps in funding created by the enormous federal funding cuts and strengthens naturalization and ESOL programs, which are proven to increase economic mobility and a sense of belonging for immigrants and refugees; 

• Offers funding and capacity-building opportunities to small grassroots organizations that are on the front lines of assisting immigrant and refugees in Seattle; 

• Expands support for workers, small businesses, service providers and families with children in Seattle schools through Know Your Rights education, family safety planning, and resources for basic needs; and 

• Assists City service navigation with language access and community engagement. 

A more detailed description of these investments is provided below. 

Legal Defense Network  

OIRA sought proposals from nonprofit organizations to provide legal representation to low-income immigrants in Seattle who are in detention, facing removal, or in danger of loss because of their immigration status. OIRA’s Legal Defense Network program has been in existence since 2017 and in 2025 alone, the LDN program served 358 eligible low-income immigrants in removal proceedings by providing full, direct representation. The added investment of $1.3 million will double the number of people with a Seattle tie who will receive legal representation to remain rooted in our communities.  

Investment: $1,300,000.00 

Organizations funded: 

• Catholic Community Services 

• Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) 

• Lutheran Community Services Northwest 

• Legal Counsel for Youth and Children 

• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and Colectiva Legal del Pueblo, in partnership 

• Seattle Clemency Project 

Rapid Response Community Small Grants  

OIRA launched an RFP process to distribute $280,000 in small grants to community-based organizations addressing urgent and critical needs resulting from volatile immigration policy changes. Applicants could request up to $10,000 for programs that offer basic needs aid for income-eligible residents, community education workshops and immigration know-your-rights trainings, and family safety planning sessions for mixed status households. Funded services must be completed by the end of 2026. 

As of June 16, OIRA has committed all but $20,000 in funding to 26 organizations in one-time contracts, with a majority of those being first-time OIRA grantees. And for many of these organizations, this small grant is their first-ever City of Seattle contract. As such, OIRA is offering resources, education, and tools to build the capacities of smaller nonprofits and to help empower communities across Seattle.    

Investment: $280,000 

Examples of Organizations Funded: 

1. African Sports Federation & Academic Program (ASFAP) 

2. API Chaya 

3. Bridge Washington Immigrants and Refugees Advocacy Network (BridgeWA) 

4. Cambodian Americans Advocating for Peace (CAAP) 

5. El Centro de la Raza 

6. Ethiopian Community in Seattle (ECS) 

7. Horn of Africa Services (HOAS) 

8. Infundpeace 

9. Interim CDA 

10. Kandelia 

11. Khalsa Gurmat Center (KGC) 

12. Korean Community Service Center (KCSC) 

13. Lao Senior Outreach 

14. Muslim Association of Puget Sound Community Services  

15. Oromo Cultural Center (OCC) Academy  

16. Our Hope 

17. Project Be Free 

18. Riverton Park United Methodist Church (RPUMC) 

19. Rooted Community 

20. Somali Bantu Rising 

21. Somali Family Safety Task Force 

22. Southwest Youth and Family Services (SYFS) 

23. Villa Comunitaria 

24. Washington African Diaspora Commission (WA-ADC) 

25. Washington Neighborhood Defense (WAND) 

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Career Pathways 

This investment recognizes the recent federal funding loss for ESOL education and workforce development efforts that are essential to a thriving City of Seattle. 

English proficiency for immigrants is a critical step toward building a new life and contributing to the economic and cultural vitality of our city. In addition to learning grammar and vocabulary, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) education provides a comprehensive support system designed to help English Language Learners (ELL) navigate their new environment and achieve their full potential, including digital literacy, job readiness training, and case management. 

OIRA is creating partnerships with City of Seattle departments, including the Office of Economic Development, to explore new career pathways that could lead to jobs for ELLs. OIRA will invest $170,000 to ensure that ESOL investments facilitate careers in new or emerging fields such as the green economy. More information will be available as we finalize details with each of our City partners.  

Investment: $485,000 for ESOL programming plus $170,000 for career pathways 

Status: An RFP for the ESOL investment was released in May, and proposals are due June 24, 2026. Successful proposals will be announced in late July and more details on the career pathways programming with City departments will be provided on OIRA’s Blog.  

Naturalization 

OIRA will also provide $200,000 in funding to community partners assisting low-income immigrants on the path to citizenship. This investment will go to existing community organizations participating in OIRA’s New Citizen Program to address new and persistent challenges due to federal policy changes and loss of federal funding for naturalization services. 

Investment: $200,000 

Status: OIRA is working directly with our New Citizen Program partners to add these investments to their contracts. 

SECTOR-BASED INVESTMENTS 

In addition to community organizations, OIRA also invested in sectors that are critical to immigrant and refugee communities: immigrant small business owners, immigrant workers, public schools, and service providers. Where possible, OIRA streamlined its investments by partnering with City of Seattle departments that have existing, aligned programs, including the Office of Labor Standards and the Office of Economic Development. 

Immigrant Workers 

OIRA transferred $125,000 to the Office of Labor Standards’ Community Outreach and Education Fund (COEF) to support Seattle labor standards by increasing worker understanding of the Seattle labor standards, providing language-specific outreach and technical assistance, and building trust with low-income worker communities so that they feel more comfortable accessing labor standard enforcement/complaint resolution services with OLS and other referral organizations. The contracts will focus on broad-based labor standards outreach and Know Your Rights training and legal support for immigrant workers.  

Expected outcomes include increased access to information and awareness among immigrant workers about: their workplace rights as Seattle workers, their legal rights as immigrants/refugees, and pathways to exercise their rights both related to immigration and labor. 

Investment: $125,000 

Organizations Funded: 

Horn of Africa Services (HOAS) 

El Centro de la Raza 

Chinese Information Services Center (CISC) 

Puget Sound Sage 

In addition to the COEF administered by OLS, OIRA invested an additional $30,000 with Puget Sound Sage to support immigrant workers in the Chinatown-International District during the FIFA World Cup games. The support of Puget Sound Sage’s educational activities offered in multiple languages and outreach to the CID’s primary workforce – Chinese, Vietnamese, and Latino/a – gives visibility to this vital neighborhood and the workers who are its economic backbone. Puget Sound Sage’s work began in May and will conclude mid-July after the World Cup Quarterfinal match.   

Immigrant Small Businesses 

OIRA transferred $150,000 to Office of Economic Development (OED) to support immigrant small business owners through Growing Contigo from June 2026 through June 2027. This program will offer technical tools, education on how employers can respond to immigration enforcement such as I-9 audits, and referrals for legal assistance. The program will focus on immigrant-owned small businesses generating less than $5 million and with less than 5 employees. This contract with Growing Contigo will also help immigrant business owners with succession planning.  

Investment: $150,000 

Organization Funded: Growing Contigo  

Public Schools 

Because Seattle’s public schools are the hub for education and the entry point for social services for a large number of immigrant and refugee students and their families, OIRA invested in the Alliance for Education’s Right Now Needs Fund to support the basic needs of low-income immigrant students and their families. The Alliance will also offer Know Your Rights education to school personnel, teachers, and the families of students to increase participants’ ability to respond to changes in federal immigration policy. 

Investment: $125,000 

Funded Organization: Alliance for Education 

Service Providers 

This investment will equip non‑profit organizations and service providers with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate potential interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While the details are still being finalized, the initiative is expected to include targeted trainings, individualized preparedness plans, and tailored consultations designed to strengthen organizational protocols. Through this support, local service providers will be better positioned to safeguard their own legal rights and uphold the rights, safety, and confidentiality of the communities they serve. 

Investment: $70,000 

Funded Organizations/Activities: More information will be provided in July or August. 

ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS 

Seattle Foundation 

OIRA will invest $300,000 in Seattle Foundation’s Care + Response Fund to help stabilize individuals, families and communities impacted by changing immigration policies and practices. This will include but is not limited to direct services, emergency and basic needs assistance, legal aid for individuals, or family support during detention.  This funding is aligned with the strategy of the Washington Immigrant & Refugee Funders Collaborative to target basic needs of immigrant and refugee communities in Washington. Seattle Foundation has committed to contributing $200,000 from its corpus to the Care + Response Fund, with possible future funding from other entities. For legal compliance, the City’s contribution will focus on community organizations that serve low-income individuals with a Seattle tie. 

The contract with Seattle Foundation for the administration of this aligned strategy will be July 2026 through June 2027. More details will be announced in July with grantmaking to begin in August or September. 

Investment: $300,000 

Funded Organization: Seattle Foundation