USCIS Announces Fiscal Year 2014 Grant Recipients During Constitution Week

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) awarded nearly $10 million in grants today to 40 organizations that will help permanent residents prepare and apply for U.S. citizenship. Located in 24 states and the District of Columbia, these organizations will receive federal funding to support citizenship preparation services for permanent residents through September 2016.

Since it began in 2009, the USCIS Citizenship and Integration Grant Program has awarded a total of $43 million through 222 competitive grants to public or private non-profit organizations in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Now in its sixth year, the program has helped more than 93,000 permanent residents prepare for citizenship. USCIS anticipates that an additional 32,000 permanent residents will receive citizenship preparation services by Sept. 30, 2016, as a result of the grant program.

“Our Citizenship and Integration Grant Program is an integral part of our agency’s mission of supporting immigrant integration and participation in American civic culture,” said USCIS Director León Rodríguez. “Grant recipient organizations, located throughout the country, are a crucial network of supporters that help tens of thousands of permanent residents access high-quality services and gain access to valuable citizenship information.”

The Citizenship and Integration Grant Program is a major part of USCIS’ efforts to support effective citizenship preparation services and provide information to immigrants and public or private non-profit organizations. Other efforts include the Citizenship Resource Center, a Web resource that provides learning materials to help permanent residents prepare for the naturalization process, and USCIS’ partnerships with federal and municipal agencies that raise awareness of the rights, responsibilities and importance of U.S. citizenship among the estimated 8.8 million permanent residents nationwide eligible to apply for naturalization.

This year’s announcement is part of USCIS’ celebration of Constitution Week, commemorated every Sept. 17-23 in honor of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. During this week, we celebrate our history and reflect on what it means to be a U.S. citizen. For additional information on the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program, please visit www.uscis.gov/grants.