• Press Release
• September 10, 2021

In response to the situation in Afghanistan, communities across the United States are eager to directly support refugees and welcome them into their communities. Formally launched on Thursday, September 9, 2021, the Community Sponsorship Hub (CSH) will build, support, and resource the sponsorship system through which communities eager to welcome refugees may have the opportunity to do so, regardless of where they are in the United States.

In early 2021, the US government announced its goal of expanding community sponsorship and launching private sponsorship in the United States. Responding to a needs assessment conducted in the months that followed, the Community Sponsorship Hub (CSH) was created to grow the role of local communities to engage directly in the welcome and integration of refugees through sponsorship.

CSH builds collaboratively on the thoughtful work of the Community Sponsorship Catalyst Fund (the Catalyst Fund), which will now be housed within CSH. The Catalyst Fund was established to build awareness of and support for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons through the expansion of community sponsorship. Over the course of the Catalyst Fund, reported community sponsorship opportunities in the United States have more than doubled, allowing hundreds more community groups to directly engage in the welcome and support of forcibly displaced people.

Fiscally sponsored by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc., and guided by a growing Management Committee of thought leaders in resettlement innovation, CSH has an inaugural staff of three respected practitioners, policy makers, and systems development and coordination experts. In the coming months, CSH will scale its operations rapidly to respond to this moment.

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