USCIS is offering three competitive grant funding opportunities designed to help prepare permanent residents for citizenship and promote immigrant integration in the United States.
FY 2011 Funding Opportunities
Under the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011, Congress authorized $11 million to enhance immigrant integration initiatives within USCIS. The majority of this funding will support the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program. The FY 2011 program will include three competitive funding opportunities and approximately $8.5 million to support citizenship preparation services for permanent residents.
Two of the funding opportunities will strengthen citizenship preparation programs that provide direct services in communities across the country. The third funding opportunity will increase the capacity of members or affiliates of national, regional, or statewide organizations to offer citizenship services in underserved communities.
USCIS anticipates offering approximately 35 awards, subject to the availability of funds. Grant recipients will be announced in September 2011.
The application deadline is April 1, 2011 for all three funding announcements.
Citizenship and Integration Direct Services Grant Program
Citizenship Instruction Only
For organizations providing citizenship instruction to prepare permanent residents for the civics and English (reading, writing and speaking) components of the naturalization test. Citizenship instruction must include:
- U.S. history and government (i.e., civics) instruction
- Civics-focused English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction.
Grant funds may also be used for:
- Outreach to inform permanent residents of services offered through the grant-funded program
- Staff professional development
- Educational resources
- Volunteer training.
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Funding Opportunity: |
DHS-11-CIS-010-001 |
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Application Deadline: |
April 1, 2011 (No extensions) |
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Estimated Number of Awards: |
10 |
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Anticipated Funding Amount: |
$1,500,000 |
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Performance Period: |
2 years |
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Anticipated Award Date: |
September 2011 |
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Maximum Grant Award: |
$150,000 |
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Eligible Organizations: |
Organizations with public or non-profit status that can demonstrate recent experience providing citizenship instruction to immigrants. This includes, but is not limited to:
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Citizenship and Integration Direct Services Grant Program
Citizenship Instruction and Naturalization Application Services
For organizations who prepare permanent residents for citizenship by offering both citizenship instruction and naturalization application services. Proposed activities must include the following two components:
- Citizenship instruction (as described above)
- Naturalization application services, within the scope of authorized practice of immigration law, to support the naturalization application and interview process.
Grant funds may also be used for:
- Outreach to inform permanent residents of services offered through the grant-funded program
- Staff professional development
- Educational resources
- Volunteer training.
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Funding Opportunity: |
DHS-11-CIS-010-002 |
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Application Deadline: |
April 1, 2011 (No extensions) |
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Estimated Number of Awards: |
20 |
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Anticipated Funding Amount: |
$4,000,000 |
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Performance Period: |
2 years |
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Anticipated Award Date: |
September 2011 |
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Maximum Grant Award: |
$200,000 |
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Eligible Organizations: |
Organizations with public or non-profit status with demonstrated recent experience providing direct citizenship instruction and naturalization application services to immigrants. This includes, but is not limited to:
Must be recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and have a BIA accredited representative, or have an attorney, either on-site or off-site, who provides or supervises the naturalization application services. |
National Capacity Grant Program
The objective of this program is to provide grants to national, regional, or statewide organizations and build long-term capacity to provide direct citizenship instruction and naturalization application services to permanent residents. Funding will support costs associated with:
- program management
- organizational capacity building and technical assistance
- the development and implementation of sustainable local citizenship preparation programs by affiliates or members (sub-applicants).
Principal applicants must:
- propose four sub-applicants (affiliates or members) within the grant application
- select sub-applicants based on the sub-applicants need for, and potential to benefit from, the capacity building and technical assistance services provided by the principal applicant. The four sub-applicants may not be located in the same city or locality.
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Funding Opportunity: |
DHS-11-CIS-010-003 |
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Application Deadline: |
April 1, 2011 (No extensions) |
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Estimated Number of Awards: |
5 |
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Anticipated Funding Amount: |
$3,000,000 |
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Performance Period: |
A mandatory 2-year performance period from Oct. 1, 2011 to Sept. 30, 2013 |
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Anticipated Award Date: |
September 2011 |
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Maximum Grant Award: |
$600,000 |
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Eligible Organizations: |
Principal applicants are national, regional or statewide organizations that can demonstrate recent experience providing capacity building and technical assistance to organizations to develop direct citizenship preparation programs. Eligible principal applicants must have proven subject-matter expertise in citizenship instruction and naturalization application services. Principal applicants must be public or private non-profit organizations with an established multi-site network of affiliates or members to serve as sub-applicants. Sub-applicants included by the principal applicant in this funding announcement are not eligible to apply for either of the FY 2011 Citizenship and Integration Direct Services Grant Programs (DHS-11-CIS-010-001 and DHS-11-CIS-010-002). |
Grant Application Information
Organizations must apply electronically for these funding opportunities using the application package and instructions available at www.grants.gov. Detailed application instructions can be found in the funding announcements to the right and on www.grants.gov.
Contact Information
For additional information and updates on the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program, visit www.uscis.gov/grants or contact the USCIS Office of Citizenship by phone at 202-272-1280 or by e-mail at citizenshipgrantprogram@dhs.gov
This page can be found at http://www.uscis.gov/grants..
Last updated: 01/20/2011
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