Since 2009, the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program has been a part of a multifaceted effort to provide citizenship preparation resources, support, and information to immigrants and immigrant-serving organizations.
The main goal of the grant program has generally been to provide citizenship instruction and application assistance to lawful permanent residents (LPRs). Recipients of the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program have included various types of organizations such as community and faith-based groups, public libraries, and adult education and literacy organizations.
In 2022, programs include the following:
- Citizenship Instruction and Naturalization Application Services: This opportunity will fund public or nonprofit organizations that offer both citizenship instruction and naturalization application services to immigrants.
- Community and Regional Integration Network Grant: This grant opportunity funds integration services with a focus on individualized programming for certain immigrants, including those who entered the United States under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, were granted asylum, or were admitted or entered the United States as a Cuban or Haitian entrant. This funding grant, which was formerly called the Refugee and Asylee Integration Services Grant, has expanded eligibility to include organizations serving one of the following groups: individuals who were admitted or entered the United States as Cuban or Haitian entrants; individuals admitted on a Special Immigrant Visa; victims of human trafficking and criminal activity; and abused spouses, children, and parents under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
- Regional Hub Program: This new grant opportunity is designed to fund regional or statewide citizenship support networks that build capacity among their affiliates or members to provide direct citizenship preparation services to immigrants. Applicants are expected to serve as a hub for communication and information sharing on citizenship preparation among their affiliates or members and within the broader community.
- Innovations in Citizenship Education Program: This new grant opportunity is designed to amplify innovation. USCIS will award innovation grants to organizations that foster creative approaches to preparing immigrants for naturalization and encouraging the civic, linguistic and cultural integration of immigrants into their communities.
Note: The specific types of funding opportunities may change during each new funding year.
Since 2009, the program has awarded approximately $132 million through 579 competitive grants to immigrant-serving organizations in 39 states and the District of Columbia. The program has helped more than 300,000 lawful permanent residents (LPRs) prepare for U.S. citizenship.
In 2022, approximately $20,000,000 was awarded to 66 organizations. Recipients can be seen here: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship-resource-center/civic-integration/learn-about-the-citizenship-and-integration-grant-program/fy-2022-grant-recipients