In this challenging moment for immigrants and refugees, and the organizations that serve them, we at Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation are pleased to announce a new development in our philanthropic strategy. After 16 years of operation during which the foundation has distributed over 14 million dollars to support immigrant justice and equal access to healthcare and education, our board has decided to wind down operations in their current form by the end of 2027.
Throughout the next three years, we will be accelerating our giving and spending down our existing financial holdings to provide greater and more immediate support to our partners. We believe this is the best way to put our values into action and advance the efforts of our trusted grantee partners as they work for a common good that recognizes the dignity, and supports the potential, of immigrants and refugees in our communities.
Throughout this transition, our decisions will be guided by the following principles:
- Advancing equity, justice, and opportunity for immigrants and refugees
- Strengthening the nonprofit ecosystem that serves immigrants and refugees through capacity- and alliance-building
- Recognizing the wisdom in community
While some new initiatives are not yet fully developed, we will be continuing and building on our programming and commitments in the next three years. Specifically:
- All existing multi-year grants will continue to be paid out on schedule. We will not be accepting any new applications for our Justice Fund or Health & Education funding streams.
- We will continue our Rapid Response Grants, Sponsorships, and Community-Led Grants through 2027.
- We will increase funding for advocacy and capacity-building, and for networks that support immigrant justice.
- We will work to provide resources beyond direct financial support, including our grantee education and workshop opportunities.
After 2027, SYLF will pause all operations and spend time on research, reflection, and discussion about our next steps to understand and address the global drivers of forced migration.
If you have any questions about our spend-down and operational pause, please feel free to reach out to Executive Director, Rachel Allen, at programs@sylfoundation.org.
