Arkansas United awarded $250,000 federal grant for immigrant integration

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by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) November 13, 2023 7:43 pm 593 views 

Arkansas United (AU) received a federal grant of $250,000 from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for its Citizenship and Integration Grant: Innovations in Citizenship Preparation.

This grant is the first time USCIS has awarded such a grant to the state of Arkansas.

AU’s Together Towards Citizenship (TTC) 2023 Innovation Project will help Arkansas immigrants overcome persistent barriers to fulfilling the potential of U.S. citizenship. Through this USCIS grant, the TTC program will focus on closing citizenship service gaps in rural communities as well as across the entire state.

Critical components of the TTC program will include: Citizenship readiness assessments; Immigrant integration fairs; working groups for employers, schools, municipalities, and immigrant-serving nonprofits; and the expansion of AU’s community navigator program.

“We are elated to receive this grant from USCIS, especially considering that Arkansas has the fourth fastest-growing immigrant population in the nation, particularly our Hispanic, Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Desi communities”, said Arkansas United Founding Executive Director, Mireya Reith, “USCIS recognizes the crucial role that naturalization plays in the civic integration of immigrants, and Arkansas United shares in their mission to empower newcomers with the tools and knowledge needed to fully integrate into American society. This grant will enable us to expand our efforts in empowering immigrants and promoting their full participation in our communities and their full potential as US citizens.”

The goal of USCIS’s Citizenship and Integration Grant Program (CIGP), through which this grant is funded, is to expand access to high-quality citizenship preparation services for immigrants across the nation, equipping them with the knowledge and skills essential for seamless integration into American society.

Arkansas United (AU), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is Arkansas’ first and only statewide immigrant advocacy group, and operates regional Immigrant Resource Centers in Fayetteville and Little Rock.