OVERVIEW:

The Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) seeks Letters of Intent (LOI) from nonprofit and religious 501(c)(3) organizations that provide services to refugees and other displaced people. Organizations to receive funding will be selected by the City of Seattle and will receive funding from the Seattle Refugee Fund through Seattle Foundation.

GOAL:

To provide service and/or help build partner capacity in serving displaced people and meet their basic and urgent needs.

BACKGROUND:

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2022, there are more than 100 million displaced people who have been forced from their homes worldwide, more than any time in recorded history. Earlier this spring, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and 36 other King County mayors organized a special benefit concert: The Mayors’ Concert for Ukraine and Refugees Worldwide. Proceeds from the concert benefited the Seattle Refugee Fund, created to help the people of Ukraine and other refugees in our region. The City’s fiscal partner for this effort is Seattle Foundation.

The funds raised for the Seattle Refugee Fund are being distributed as follows:

• 70% is being used to help Ukrainians in Europe and in the Seattle/King County area through services offered by the Ukrainian Community Center of Washington and the International Rescue Committee.
• 30% will be used to provide services to other refugees in Seattle and King County (through organizations identified through this LOI process) OR services to refugees internationally.

FUNDS TO BE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THIS LOI PROCESS:

Approximately $128,000 is available to be dispersed.

ANTICIPATED NUMBER AND AMOUNT OF AWARDS:

OIRA is planning to select 3 or 4 service providers to receive grants in the amount of $30,000 to $40,000 each.

WHO CAN APPLY:

Organizations that have:

• A 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS or organizations fiscally sponsored by other 501(c)(3) organizations; and
• Have an office located in King County, Washington; and
• That intentionally serve any or all the following groups of people:
  • Refugees
  • Asylees
  • Asylum applicants
  • Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders
  • Unaccompanied minors
  • People displaced due to conflict and other emergencies outside of the U.S.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

LOIs must be received according to the instructions below by 5:00 PM Pacific Time on July 25, 2022.

LETTER OF INTENT FORMAT:

You must use this Word document template for your Letter of Intent.

AWARD DECISIONS AND CONTRACTING:

Organizations must submit a Letter of Intent to be considered for funding. An LOI Review Panel will make recommendations to Seattle Foundation about disbursement of funds by the end of August 2022. Based on Seattle Refugee Fund intent and the LOI process recommendations of the Seattle OIRA Review Panel coming from this LOI process, Seattle Foundation will manage grant agreements with the selected service providers. Seattle Foundation will transfer funds (via wire or check), and the grant agreement will stipulate reporting requirements. Seattle OIRA will not be a party to these contracts. Anticipated contracted period is September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023.

The types of services to be funded will be determined based on the submittals received that comply with the goal stated above. The OIRA’s Review Panel decisions will be final.

Applicants may be asked to provide additional information or documents during the LOI review stage.

QUESTIONS:

Please contact Oksana Bilobran with the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs at [email protected] for any questions related to the application process.

Article Source: News from City of Seattle