For me, being a citizen is a huge comfort—I know that no one can take these opportunities away from me.

Giannina Diaz Coello

Until recently, Giannina was one of nearly 9 million U.S. immigrants who are eligible for citizenship. She arrived in the United States from Peru in 2007 after her mother, a U.S. citizen, petitioned for Giannina and her three children to come north.

Like so many others, Giannini was intimidated about applying for citizenship. But thanks to help and counseling from a local organization affiliated with the New Americans Campaign, she became a citizen in late 2016.

Co-founded by the Haas, Jr. Fund and other foundations, the New Americans Campaign is a wide-ranging partnership that works to help immigrants like Giannina navigate the path to citizenship. The focus of the nonpartisan campaign: connecting lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to trusted legal assistance and critical information that can simplify the naturalization process. The New Americans Campaign and its partners also work to promote the benefits of citizenship, which include: protection from deportation, eligibility for government jobs, freedom to travel, the right to vote, and much, much more.

Since 2011, the campaign has supported hundreds of thousands of immigrants to complete citizenship applications. It also has saved aspiring citizens and their families hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees. But with just 10 percent of people who are eligible for citizenship applying each year, the campaign recently has ramped up its outreach and other work—for example, by joining with other partners to launch an easy online service that guides immigrants safely through every step of their citizenship application.

“The New Americans Campaign aims to fundamentally transform the entire system of naturalization assistance through new levels of collaboration and innovation among the nonprofits, businesses and other institutions that assist legally qualified residents in becoming U.S. citizens,” said Eric Cohen, executive director of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, a national nonprofit that serves as the campaign’s main coordinator. “The more our communities harness the civic and economic participation of new citizens, the stronger and more vital we will be as a nation.”

“The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund is committed to finding ways to ensure that immigrants can contribute their full talents and voices to the cause of keeping our communities and our country moving forward,” said Cathy Cha, vice president of programs with the Haas, Jr. Fund. “It’s time to remove the barriers that keep so many immigrants from participating fully in the American experience.”

When the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in June 2015 that same-sex couples have the right to marry nationwide, it was not a singular event. The freedom to marry victory is instead the latest step on a long path toward greater equality for gays and lesbians, and for all Americans.

This moving video from Freedom to Marry charts this path: the ups and downs along the way, and the many individuals that made this victory possible. It reminds us that this moment was not inevitable; it happened because of people who chose to be brave, and to stand up for love and equality.

Watch the video on Freedom to Marry’s website.

In this San Francisco Chronicle article, reporter Joe Garofoli profiles the Haas, Jr. Fund’s early decision to back marriage equality, and stay with it for the long haul. “14 years ago, few would publicly support same-sex marriage—let alone put money behind it.”

The article traces the Fund’s ongoing support for marriage equality, from helping to create Freedom to Marry to serve as a unifying force for the movement, through the early, devastating losses of 2004, to the creation of a unified strategy. It also tells the story of how the Haas family came to take on this issue, including early support from co-founder Evelyn D. Haas: “When Evelyn Haas, the Fund’s matriarch, was asked if she worried about potential controversy alienating friends and colleagues, she told the group, “Well, then they’ll have to get over it. It’s time for all of us to move on.”

Coaching Corps coaches have worked with over 75,000 young people, giving them the chance to experience the special relationship that comes from playing on a team with a caring adult.

Dré knows firsthand the difference sports and good coaches made for her on the soccer field and in the classroom. Because of her coaches, she pursued college and is now enrolled in medical school at the University of California, San Francisco.

Read more of Dré's powerful story here.

Few would deny that boards can play a vital leadership role for their organizations. Through the Haas Leadership Initiative, the Fund has witnessed the power of a strong board working in concert with staff leadership to achieve real impact.

Read the latest findings on effective board development in this new report, aimed at funders and others in the social change sector who are interested in tapping the potential and the power of boards to help organizations achieve their goals.

For the estimated 904,000 LGBT immigrants living in this country, it is a period of both great progress and uncertainty. This special report by Funders for LGBTQ Issues provides a snapshot of the unique needs facing LGBT immigrants. It also provides an overview of the current state of funding at the intersection of LGBT and immigrant rights, and of the ecology of advocacy and service organizations working to address the needs of LGBTQ immigrants and their communities. Finally, the report offers recommendations for funders as we look for a pathway forward. This report was supported in part by the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund.

California is home to more immigrants than any other state—over a quarter of the population, and growing. The biannual “Looking Forward” report by the California Immigrant Policy Center looks at who California’s immigrants are, what they do, and how they are shaping state policy and growing the economy. Among its findings: California’s immigrants contribute more than average to Social Security, provide much of the labor for a number of growing industries, and are raising more than a third of California’s future voters.

Looking Forward delves into the details behind immigrants contributions to California, with updated information on demographics, labor force participation, economic contributions, entrepreneurship, and numbers of eligible voters among all immigrants.