Ethnic Community Self Help (ECSH) Program

Grants to USA nonprofit community organizations and agencies serving refugee populations to provide self-help groups for refugees. Applicants are advised that required registrations may take several weeks to complete. Funding is intended to support organizations whose board of directors is comprised of at least 60 percent current and/or former refugees.

Effective refugee self-help groups contribute to refugees' self-sufficiency, visibility, empowerment, and active participation in their communities. ECBOs help their members navigate their new environment, while catering to their communities' economic and psychosocial needs. Their linguistic and cultural competence provides insights into the background, needs, and potential of newly arrived refugee communities. This allows them to serve as powerful supporters for improved culturally appropriate services to refugees, and to foster the growth of community leaders. ECBOs often also serve as cultural brokers and perform vital tasks such as promoting cross-cultural understanding between newly arrived refugee communities and receiving communities.

ORR is particularly interested in supporting projects that include a direct service component focusing on providing programming around 1) emotional and behavioral well-being through non-clinical interventions and psychosocial support, and 2) youth support emphasizing college preparation and after-school activities. ORR will award bonus points for such activities. Please see Section V.1. Criteria for more information.

ORR will award a bonus point to projects that propose to implement activities in states identified by the Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration’s Refugee Processing Center as having a high refugee resettlement rate in FY 2018 and that do not have an ECSH grant as of September 30, 2019. The following states are eligible: Texas, Washington, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Georgia, Minnesota, and Michigan. Please see Section V.1. Criteria for more information.

Goal and Objectives of the ECSH Program

The goal of the ECSH Program is to support ECBOs in providing refugee populations with critical services to assist them in becoming integrated members of American society. In promotion of this goal, ORR has identified the following three program objectives that must be carried out under the ECSH Program:

1) Strengthen Provision of Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services: To strengthen ECBOs’ provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services to refugees within 5 years after their initial resettlement.
2) Support Organizational Development: To support ECBOs' organizational development and engagement in capacity building by encouraging their collaboration with established refugee service providers and mainstream organizations.
3) Promote Community Building and Civic Participation: To support ECBOs in promoting community building and civic participation by refugee individuals and refugee community members.

For lists of allowable activities for each of the above program areas, see: https://ami.grantsolutions.gov/files/HHS-2019-ACF-ORR-RE-1551_0.pdf#page=4