financial support for projects and activities

benefiting immigrant and refugee communities.

Coordinated, strategic approaches to funding –

such as focusing on awareness-building, capacitybuilding,

and/or collaboration – could yield

significant results. For example:

• Supporting community awareness-building

around newcomer issues might help agencies

tap more local resources, such as individual

volunteers, faith-based volunteer groups,

and private sector resources.

• Fledgling mutual aid associations might be

strengthened considerably with modest capacitybuilding

support, such as funding leadership

development.

• Local refugee-serving agencies have indicated

a growing interest in working collaboratively,

particularly in view of recent state and federal

funding cuts; local funder support could

provide additional incentives for agencies

to pursue collaborative efforts.

Each month, more new neighbors arrive in

Grand Rapids. They come from Bosnia, Cuba,

Mexico, Somalia, Sudan, Viet Nam and other

distant countries. Their arrival here is a testimony

to their courage, creativity and commitment – the

same qualities that organizations and individuals

in Grand Rapids will need to demonstrate if we

are to capitalize on their presence as an opportunity

for strengthening our community.