People moving to the United States make a major impact on the growth of the U.S. economy. Cities across the country are now stepping up to support immigrant communities and provide opportunities for them to flourish.
Supported by inclusive and progressive organizations such as New American Economy (NAE) and Welcoming America, cities are developing multi-sector strategic plans by participating in the Gateways for Growth (G4G) Challenge.
What are NAE and Welcoming America?
NAE is a “bipartisan research and advocacy organization” that helps fight for immigration policies at the local and national level regarding access to jobs and growth in the economy. Welcoming America works to help communities become more prosperous and help community members feel like they belong.
What is the Gateways for Growth (G4G) Challenge?
The G4G Challenge welcomes local governments, chambers of commerce, and non-profit organizations to apply for grant support in their strategic planning process. Those who are accepted into the challenge receive technical advice, matching grants, and specialized research to inform their plans.
G4G’s goal is to help cities and smaller governments or organizations develop strong plans for “attracting, retaining, and integrating immigrants and international talent.” These plans include supporting immigrants and entrepreneurs from around the world, promoting citizenship and financial empowerment, improving public safety, and advancing education and workforce goals — all which will help the regions and cities compete in a global economy.
In the last two rounds of this challenge, over 40 cities and towns have become even more inclusive for immigrant communities. These efforts include:
- Creation of theMayor’s Office for New Americans in Salt Lake County, UT to help foreign-born residents feel welcome and supported;
- A city-wide initiative called the New Tulsans Welcoming Plan in Tulsa, OK to build a more cohesive city; and
- The Dallas Welcoming Plan through the Mayor’s office in Dallas, TX.
Having more inclusive cities, counties, and towns across the U.S. can help the country as a whole become more welcoming to many communities moving to the U.S., whether they are moving from Mexico or overseas from the Philippines.
How Do You Participate?
If you currently live in the U.S. or are planning to move to a sanctuary city, you may want to get in touch with your local community leaders and encourage them to apply for this opportunity. You can also see how well your city is integrating immigrant communities into its local economy by seeing where it ranks on the NAE Cities Index.
Gateways for Growth is accepting applications until 5 pm EST on November 19th.