U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is accepting applications for two funding opportunities under the Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program. The grant opportunities, mandated by Congress and funded with appropriations rather than the agency’s operating funds, will provide up to $10 million in grants for citizenship preparation programs in communities across the country.
These competitive grant opportunities are open to organizations that prepare lawful permanent residents for naturalization and promote civic assimilation through increased knowledge of English, U.S. history, and civics.
USCIS expects to announce award recipients in September 2020, if agency staff are available to review applications and oversee the program. However, should agency staff be furloughed in late August, USCIS anticipates that the grant program could be impacted or even terminated for the fiscal year.
USCIS seeks to expand availability of high-quality citizenship and assimilation services throughout the country with these two grant opportunities:
- Citizenship Instruction and Naturalization Application Services (PDF, 663.57 KB). This grant opportunity will fund up to 33 organizations that offer both citizenship instruction and naturalization application services to lawful permanent residents. Applications are due by Aug. 31.
- The Refugee and Asylee Assimilation Program. (PDF, 675.54 KB) This grant opportunity will fund up to six organizations to provide individualized services to lawful permanent residents who entered the United States under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program or were granted asylum. Applications are due by Aug. 31.
USCIS will consider various program and organizational factors, including past grantee performance, when making final award decisions. In addition, all funded grant recipients must enroll in E-Verify as a regular employer within 30 days of receiving the award and remain as a participant in good standing with E-Verify throughout the entire period of grant performance. Funded grant recipients will be required to verify all new hires at hiring locations performing work on a program or activity that is funded in whole or in part under the grant. New to this year’s program is a prerequisite that applicants and sub-awardees certified under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) must comply with all SEVP requirements at the time of application.
Since it began in 2009, the USCIS Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program has awarded approximately $92 million through 434 grants to immigrant-serving organizations in 39 states and the District of Columbia.
