The Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA) seeks to fund programming provided by community-based nonprofits and legal aid organizations to respond to this need for immigration legal assistance.
Donor Name: Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA)
State: Massachusetts
City: Boston
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/08/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Less than 1 Year
Details:
MOIA aims to support programming offered by community-based nonprofits and legal aid organizations, addressing the need for immigration legal assistance. Immigration legal services must be provided by licensed immigration attorneys or Department of Justice-Accredited Representatives.
Grants will be disbursed to immigrant-serving nonprofits that are working across immigrant communities. Proposals can include, but are not limited to:
- Legal orientation
- Comprehensive consultations
- Pro se application support
- Forms assistance
- Full representation
- Bond assistance (legal support/representation only – funds cannot be used for paying bond)
- Other immigration legal services responding to emerging needs resulting from recent federal policy changes.
The U.S. immigration legal system is complicated and difficult to navigate without experienced help. Small errors can have serious ramifications on a case. However, people seeking immigration benefits often face barriers navigating the legal system because demand for accessible, affordable, and competent assistance vastly outweighs supply. Further, recent federal immigration policy changes have made it harder for immigrants to regularize their status, be released from detention, and gain work authorization.
Funding Information
- Total Amount Available for Grants: $900,000
- Maximum Award Amount per Grant: Awards may vary in size up to $100,000.
Grant Period
January 5 – August 31, 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must:
- Be a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization that serves Boston residents
- If the organization is not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, they can apply with a fiscal sponsor.
- Work with immigrant populations in the City of Boston and, if applicable to the proposed program, have experience working within these communities to provide high quality immigration services.
- Be authorized to provide immigration legal services such as screening and consultation, forms assistance, or legal representation by licensed staff attorneys, Department of Justice Accredited staff, or through appropriate attorney supervision.
- Have the capacity to successfully execute the proposal’s deliverables and demonstrate that they will commit to providing an adequate number of staff with sufficient expertise, time, and resources.
- Demonstrate their ability to ensure culturally and linguistically-sensitive procedures throughout the project/program.
- Be in good financial standing with both the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the IRS, and be in good standing with current or previous MOIA grant reporting requirements.
- Be able to execute deliverables within the stated time frame and provide data that allows for assessment of the proposal’s impact.
For more information, visit MOIA.
