Deadline: 14-Oct-20
The Denver Foundation’s Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund is currently accepting applications for the 2020 grant cycle to inspire people and mobilize resources to strengthen their community.
The fund is managed by The Denver Foundation in partnership with a community advisory board composed of representatives from the Denver Mayor’s Office, Denver City Council, Colorado Lawyers Committee, immigrant rights groups, and The Denver Foundation.
Purpose
Its purpose is to increase legal services to Denver’s immigrant community by providing qualified nonprofit organizations with grants to:
- Offer direct legal representation to immigrants in detention and/or subject to removal proceedings;
- Provide affirmative relief to individuals seeking help with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and various visa programs and/or;
- Support capacity building or other innovative projects to help organizations increase the pool of pro bono or low bono immigration attorneys available to represent immigrants.
Grant Categories
- Category 1: Removal defense for individuals who are detained at the Aurora Detention Facility and those released from the facility that have cases pending in Denver Immigration Court.
- Category 2: Affirmative relief and removal defense for people not in detention.
- Category 3: Building capacity for direct legal representation.
What they do not Fund
- Capital campaigns;
- Building endowments or reserve funds;
- Membership campaigns;
- Special events or sponsorships;
- Retroactive funding, i.e., activities, projects, or programs that will be completed before funding becomes available;
- Debt retirement;
- Grants directly to individuals;
- Grants for re-granting purposes;
- Multi-year funding requests;
- Conferences, symposia, and related travel;
- Organizations that do not comply with The Denver Foundation’s anti-discrinatory statement;
- Grants for medical, scientific, or academic research;
- Grants that further political doctrine or religious activities;
- Scholarship (please visit denverfoundation.org for more information on scholarships administered by the Foundation);
- Grants to parochial or religious schools;
- Requests from schools (e.g., individual public schools, departments or programs of universities or colleges, or organizations that raise money for individual public schools) that have not coordinated the request with their central school district, university administration, or fundraising arm.
Eligibility Requirements
Funds may only be used to support individuals who meet the following criteria:
- Are residents of the City and County of Denver (a “resident” is an individual living in the State of Colorado who can verify his or her presence in the City and County of Denver for at least 60 days);
- Have a household income that does not exceed 200% of the federal poverty guidelines;
- Present with viable claims, or need the advice of counsel, or are offered removal defense representation without an initial screening based on eligibility for relief. Services can also be offered to individuals for affirmative relief or defense from removal;
- Those facing removal proceedings should be individuals facing immigration court proceedings.
Who can Apply?
Nonprofit groups based in the Denver area with 501(c)3 status in good standing with the IRS and the State of Colorado with:
- Demonstrated knowledge of the Denver immigrant community, including populations that are most vulnerable to immigration enforcement action (e.g., arrest, detention, and removal);
- Strong working relationships with a diverse network of community-based organizations, legal service providers, and faith-based institutions that have direct contact with immigrants;
- Previous experience and capacity to collaborate with key partners, such as legal services providers, law firms, bar associations, and private attorneys to promote greater access to legal services.
For Those Applying in Category 1, Applicants must:
- Demonstrate a strong record of providing high-quality legal representation to immigrants facing removal.
- Have licensed attorneys with immigration law expertise on staff or under contract who will directly provide the services described in this application. Demonstrate that all professionals (attorneys, BIA-accredited representatives, social workers, etc.) involved in providing services under this contract have the appropriate professional licenses and are in good standing professionally.
- Demonstrate the ability to consult with/represent clients in the Aurora Detention Center.
Those Applying in Category 2 and Category 3, Applicants must:
- Demonstrate a history of working with the prioritized populations. Organizations with prior experience providing similar services will be given priority.
Application Process
- Eligible nonprofit organizations can apply through The Denver Foundation’s online grant application portal.
- You will need to register online to submit an application. Registration takes up to two business days.
- Please register as soon as you think you might apply.
- Information about the online application process is available at their website
- If you are unable to use the online system, please call them and ask to speak to a grants manager. They will work to accommodate your organization.
- The grant application requires attachments. These must be in PDF format. The application includes
instructions on how to save documents in this format.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2SgD550