The Haas, Jr. Fund is thrilled to welcome Elica Vafaie, who will lead strategies and partnerships to build the power and voice of immigrants to find safety, opportunity, and representation in California and nationwide. She has extensive experience building and managing initiatives and programs focused on advancing justice, equality, and opportunity for immigrants. Most recently, she served as interim executive director with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, San Francisco Bay Area (LCCRSF). 

Advancing visibility and inclusion of immigrant Indigenous communities is a growing commitment of our Immigrant Rights program. That’s why we’re partnering with groups like Comunidades Indígenas en liderazgo (CIELO), which works to increase indigenous language access rights and cultural preservation, among other priorities.

Funding from five California-based groups including the Haas, Jr. Fund supported the launch of the Community Learning Partnership’s California Youth Leadership Corps, a unique statewide initiative that provides historically marginalized youth with career pathways and resources to become local organizers and change agents in their communities.

The California Dignity for Families Fund is a public-private partnership with Governor Gavin Newsom that provides humanitarian relief and assistance to migrant families and unaccompanied children at the U.S.-Mexico border as well as Afghan and Haitian migrants. The Haas, Jr. Fund was proud to join 17 other funders to support CDFF’s second investment round.

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on June 18 blocks the Trump administration’s efforts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Since the start of DACA in 2012, 800,000 undocumented young people have been able to obtain work permits and a temporary reprieve from deportation. In a letter addressed to the young people who have led the movement for DACA and other protections for immigrants, Haas, Jr. Fund President Cathy Cha pledges continuing support and solidarity. The letter highlights the economic contributions of immigrants to the United States, as well as the risks they face from Covid-19 and its economic impacts. “As we keep working to address the Covid-19 crisis and look to emerging on the other side, we need you to stay safe and healthy, continue your life-saving work, keep strengthening our economy, and keep inspiring us through your stories and your voices,” Cha writes.

Recognizing that undocumented immigrants and their families are at grave risk as a result of COVID-19, a collaborative of funders join together with the State of California in an effort to help.

The California Campus Catalyst Fund announces grants to 32 public colleges and universities to develop solutions for supporting undocumented students. The Haas, Jr. Fund joined with the Chavez Family Foundation, Educators for Fair Consideration, Grove Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, Hellman Foundation, James Irvine Foundation and Weingart Foundation to launch the initiative. Its focus: helping campuses expand outreach, offer legal and other services, and take steps to create a more welcoming, supportive campus environment for undocumented students.  

A video shares the story of a group of young activists’ 1,784-mile journey from the Canadian to the Mexican borders to highlight the need for a pathway to citizenship for non-citizens in the United States. The ride was put together by organizers working for Haas, Jr. Fund grantee National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC).
 

Philanthropy responds to the inhumane family separation and detention policies. The Haas, Jr. Fund joins more than 200 institutions signing a statement in support of children and families seeking refuge in the United States. 

The Haas, Jr. Fund joined with the Chavez Family Foundation, Educators for Fair Consideration, Grove Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, Hellman Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, and Weingart Foundation to launch the California Campus Catalyst Fund, a multimillion-dollar effort to strengthen services and supports for Dreamers at public college and university campuses across the state.

The Haas, Jr. Fund unites with 40 other California funders in a joint statement highlighting the “devastating impact” of ending Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program DACA. The program has provided temporary work authorization and protection from deportation for nearly 800,000 undocumented people.

The Haas, Jr. Fund announces the hiring of a new staff leader for its Immigrant Rights program. Descended from Mexican immigrants, John Govea started his career as an attorney representing farmworkers in rural California. Most recently, he managed national programs on childhood obesity and health equity for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. At the Haas, Jr. Fund, John is leading its efforts to create equal opportunities for immigrants in California and across the nation. “To join the Fund’s ream at a challenging time for immigrant communities across the country is both a great honor and a profound responsibility,” Govea says.

The 100-day mark of the Trump administration is a time of reflection for philanthropy and its partners in the work of advancing rights and creating opportunities for immigrants, LGBT people, and other communities. Haas, Jr. Fund Vice President of Programs Cathy Cha joins the dialogue with three colleagues in an article for the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The article follows up on a presentation the group made at a Northern California Grantmakers debate.  

In the wake of White House actions targeting refugees and immigrants, the Haas, Jr. Fund joins with other funders of immigrant rights to speak up for policies that advance diversity, inclusion and human dignity.  

The U.S. Supreme Court blocks the Obama administration’s plan to extend deportation relief to more immigrants beyond those covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Despite the defeat, California continues to offer a model for pro-immigrant reforms.  

The Haas, Jr. Fund joins with other funders to share lessons from an innovative partnership aimed at boosting civic engagement among immigrants and other underrepresented populations in California. 

California continues to buck the national trend of stalemate on immigration issues as the movement secures important policy wins in Sacramento.

President Obama grants “administrative relief” to 5 million undocumented Americans, providing them an opportunity to obtain work permits and temporary relief from deportation. (In February 2015, a federal judge temporarily halts Obama’s executive action.)

California adopts the TRUST Act, limiting the ability of police to detain immigrants who pose no threat. New state laws also allow undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses; domestic workers to obtain overtime pay; and qualified undocumented immigrants to become licensed lawyers.

The Fund awards $1 million to UC Berkeley for scholarships for undocumented students—the single largest gift for scholarships of this type at a U.S. university.

The Fund partners with the Rockwood Leadership Institute to launch the Fellowship for a New California, a leadership development program to strengthen California’s immigrant rights movement and connect its leaders.

Along with the Carnegie, Knight, Grove and Open Society foundations, the Fund rolls out the New Americans Campaign, a national effort designed to boost citizenship among legal permanent residents.

A gift from Elise Haas, in honor of her father, supports the creation of the Robert D. Haas Dreamers Resource Center at UC Berkeley—a first-of-its-kind center that provides undocumented students at Cal with counseling, peer support and access to educational resources.

The Fund joins NEO Philanthropy’s Four Freedoms Fund, a national collaborative of funders working to integrate immigrants into our democracy.

The Fund invests in direct services for immigrants, litigation, organizing and advocacy at the state and national levels.

The Fund launches its Immigrant Rights program, part of the Haas family’s longtime tradition of helping immigrants—highlighted by Walter A. Haas, Jr.’s efforts to assist San Francisco Latinos employed at Levi’s.

Fund directors approve a new priority: Promoting Diversity and Inclusiveness. This work leads to a focus on immigrant rights and gay and lesbian equality.