MIAMI — The shift in refugee policy by the Trump administration has compelled philanthropic organizations to adjust their focus on resettlement services. Nonprofit groups that help connect American sponsors with recently arrived refugees are striving to make the best use of their constrained resources. However, the cessation of federal funding has created significant challenges after a four-year period during which the number of arrivals had revived their missions.
Annie Nolte-Henning, Executive Director of the Community Sponsorship Hub, noted that the State Department’s recent stop-work order has broadly impacted the nonprofit sector, resulting in many employees being furloughed or losing their jobs. Although new programs initiated during the Biden administration that allowed ordinary citizens to directly welcome refugees had expanded the United States’ resettlement capabilities, recent restrictions on foreign aid and the federal order have necessitated workforce reductions among the organizations responsible for these initiatives.
Following the stop-work order, the Community Sponsorship Hub reportedly laid off a substantial number of its staff. Church World Services has had to furlough over half of its workforce based in the U.S., while the International Rescue Committee has confirmed layoffs and furloughs affecting thousands of its employees worldwide.
Despite these challenges, philanthropic leaders had been hopeful about garnering support in light of potential policy changes. Nazanin Ash, CEO of Welcome.US, urged sponsors to apply promptly following the recent elections, particularly for refugees whose processing had already been completed.
Ed Shapiro, a key funder for Welcome Corps, launched an initiative in November aimed at covering essential expenses for sponsors willing to assist refugees. This effort resulted in 90 new applications from groups looking to become sponsors. While Shapiro indicated that his foundation is revising domestic resettlement strategies, it is also working on similar projects abroad in countries including Canada, Germany, and Japan.
In the interim, Shapiro mentioned that his foundation is providing funding to numerous local resettlement offices that have had to scale back their services. He emphasized the urgent need for this aid but acknowledged that it is only a temporary solution. “That’s critically important, but it’s short-term,” he stated in an email, underscoring that further action would depend on the administration’s decisions following its 90-day review period.
