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2022 Request for Letters of Intent (LOI): Seattle Refugee Fund – AWARDEES ANNOUNCED

Updated 10/27/2022

 

Seattle Refugee Fund Awardees

Seattle Refugee Fund Letter of Intent Details

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

 

Seattle Refugee Fund Awardees

On Monday, October 24, 2022, the Seattle Foundation and the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs officially announced the Seattle Refugee Fund awardees:

Funding source: 70% of the Mayors’ Concert for Ukraine and Refugees Worldwide

Funding source: 30% of the Mayors’ Concert for Ukraine and Refugees Worldwide (Seattle Refugee Fund)

 

Seattle Refugee Fund Letter of Intent Details

OVERVIEW:

The Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) sought Letters of Intent (LOI) from nonprofit and religious 501(c)(3) organizations that provide services to refugees and other displaced people. Organizations to receive funding will be selected by the City of Seattle and will receive funding from the Seattle Refugee Fund through Seattle Foundation.

 

GOAL:

To provide service and/or help build partner capacity in serving displaced people and meet their basic and urgent needs.

 

BACKGROUND:

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2022, there are more than 100 million displaced people who have been forced from their homes worldwide, more than any time in recorded history. Earlier this spring, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and 36 other King County mayors organized a special benefit concert: The Mayors’ Concert for Ukraine and Refugees Worldwide. Proceeds from the concert benefited the Seattle Refugee Fund, created to help the people of Ukraine and other refugees in our region. The City’s fiscal partner for this effort is Seattle Foundation.

The funds raised for the Seattle Refugee Fund will be distributed as follows:

  • 70% is being used to help Ukrainians in Europe and in the Seattle/King County area through services offered by the Ukrainian Community Center of Washington and the International Rescue Committee.
  • 30% will be used to provide services to other refugees in Seattle and King County (through organizations identified through this LOI process) OR services to refugees internationally.

 

FUNDS TO BE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THIS LOI PROCESS:

Approximately $128,000 is available to be dispersed.

 

ANTICIPATED NUMBER AND AMOUNT OF AWARDS:

OIRA is planning to select 3 or 4 service providers to receive grants in the amount of $30,000 to $40,000 each.

 

WHO CAN APPLY:

Organizations that have:

  • A 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS or organizations fiscally sponsored by other 501(c)(3) organizations; and
  • Have an office located in King County, Washington; and
  • That intentionally serve any or all the following groups of people:
    • Refugees
    • Asylees
    • Asylum applicants
    • Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders
    • Unaccompanied minors
    • People displaced due to conflict and other emergencies outside of the U.S.

 

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

LOIs must be received according to the instructions below by 5:00 PM Pacific Time on July 25, 2022.

 

AWARD DECISIONS AND CONTRACTING:

An LOI Review Panel will make recommendations to Seattle Foundation about disbursement of funds by the end of August 2022. Based on Seattle Refugee Fund intent and the LOI process recommendations of the Seattle OIRA Review Panel coming from this LOI process, Seattle Foundation will manage grant agreements with the selected service providers. Seattle Foundation will transfer funds (via wire or check), and the grant agreement will stipulate reporting requirements. Seattle OIRA will not be a party to these contracts. Anticipated contracted period is September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023.

The types of services to be funded will be determined based on the submittals received that comply with the goal stated above. The OIRA’s Review Panel decisions will be final.

Applicants may be asked to provide additional information or documents during the LOI review stage.

 

QUESTIONS:

Please contact Oksana Bilobran with the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs at oksana.bilobran@seattle.gov for any questions related to the application process.

 

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. Are applicants required to have budgets under $5 million?

No. It is not a requirement but a prioritization criteria. Smaller organizations will be prioritized for capacity-building support.

 

2. We are interested in applying for this funding opportunity because there is a gap in our community to help people to get political and humanitarian asylum. We would like to know if this funding can be used to assist people wish to apply for asylum, refugees, people escaping political prosecution in their country of origin, and victims of human trafficking, sexual harassment, discrimination and domestic violence who entered the U.S. without documentation/authorization.

This funding is available to be awarded to eligible organizations that serve any or all of these groups:

  • Refugees
  • Asylees
  • Asylum applicants
  • Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders
  • Unaccompanied minors
  • People displaced due to conflict and other emergencies outside of the U.S.

We interpret the word “refugee” in the broadest way because we understand that many people are unable to obtain this status but are still displaced from their country of origin. The groups of people described in the question are essentially displaced and most likely seeking protection under U.S. asylum laws. That would make them eligible for the services under this funding.

 

3. Can the “30% used to provide services to other refugees” be used for those who are seeking asylum or unaccompanied minors, in addition to those with legally designated refugee status?

This funding is available to be awarded to eligible organizations that serve any or all of these groups:

  • Refugees
  • Asylees
  • Asylum applicants
  • Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders
  • Unaccompanied minors
  • People displaced due to conflict and other emergencies outside of the U.S.

So this funding can not only serve “refugees” in the legal sense of that word. We interpret the word refugees in the broadest way because we understand that many people are unable to obtain this status but are still displaced from their country of origin.

 

4. Our organization had received initial funding from the Mayors’ Concert for Ukraine and Refugees Worldwide. Are we permitted to re-apply for this new funding opportunity?

You are permitted to re-apply. However, if your organization has already received funds from the initial Seattle Refugee Fund, then the panel will likely prioritize access to funding for other organizations who have not received funds from the initial funding opportunity.

 

5. Are we able to utilize these funds to serve recently arrive Ukrainian migrants?

This current funding opportunity is reserved for immigrant communities other than Ukrainian Nationals, since the 70% of initial funding from the Mayors’ Concert for Ukraine and Refugees Worldwide was already allocated to help recent migrants from Ukraine.