When it comes to working in the field of immigrant and refugee services, there are numerous challenges faced by individuals and organizations operating across language and culture. Here are just five of those challenges and possible solutions, according to Irene Paxia, MBA, CFRM, senior program manager at Welcoming America and president at Petra Solution, both in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
* Language Proficiency: Organizations led by non-English speakers often struggle with English proficiency when completing grant applications independently. While this is a generalization, it is also true that new such organizations led by non-English speakers face a steep learning curve in grant writing.
Language barriers further hinder access to grants unless external support is provided, often by volunteers. Larger funders should consider implementing coaching or assistance programs to enable limited-English speakers to navigate their applications.
* Connections and Emerging Organizations: Leaders at emerging and cross-cultural organizations face challenges in establishing connections compared to their established counterparts. Building relationships within the community and with board members is crucial for grant success.
Unfortunately, many such organizations lack experienced board members with governance expertise. Funders, at times, fail to understand these challenges, thus the challenges negatively impact the relationship between organizations and funders, according to Paxia.
As an example, consider the limited diversity in leadership within organizations like city administrations, banking groups, and real estate companies (to name a few). An organization led by Burmese refugees, for instance, encounters significant language, culture, and relational barriers that impact its ability to recruit experienced board members. In many ways, it has not had sufficient opportunities to cultivate robust connections with established leaders, and this results in a smaller circle of influence compared to mainstream organizations.
* Understanding Cultural Context: Board members in emerging organizations are often community members dedicated to the mission but might lack experience in governance and financial contributions. Moreover, funders often have limited awareness of challenges faced by limited-English speaking communities.
While progress has been made in certain places, grantmakers generally lack familiarity with immigration procedures, language rights laws, and refugee displacement. Census data also falls short in providing a comprehensive picture for ethnic and refugee communities, necessitating expensive studies combining Census, qualitative sources, and national statistics.
* AI In Grant Writing: Considering recent developments in AI, how it could assist cross-cultural grant writers is being watched. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that the use of AI might temporarily disadvantage individuals and organizations without access to technology.
* Funder’s Role: It is important to call on funders to consider ways to diversify their application pool by addressing the challenges outlined. This includes providing support for language proficiency, recognizing the unique needs of emerging organizations, and understanding the cultural context of the communities they serve. By doing so, funders can contribute to fostering a more inclusive and equitable grant application process.
In the collective pursuit of positive social impact, it is essential that funders take proactive steps to bridge the gaps faced by organizations navigating the complexities of language and culture in the grant writing landscape, according to Paxia.
