What Makes a Community Welcoming?
Chicago's new certification builds on a national movement
Graphic courtesy of Welcoming America.
For generations, newcomers have shaped Chicago. Now, the city has earned national recognition for its commitment to ensuring that all residents can belong and thrive.
During a June celebration of National Immigrant Heritage Month, the City announced it earned a 4-Star Certified Welcoming designation from Welcoming America, a national nonprofit that helps communities turn the idea of belonging into action.
The recognition celebrates Chicago's efforts to create pathways for immigrant and refugee residents to participate fully in civic, economic, and community life, while also highlighting a growing national movement to build communities where everyone feels they belong.
National Immigrant Heritage Month celebration at Columbus Park Refectory in Chicago on June 24, 2026.
Supported by Walder Foundation since 2019, Welcoming America has spent nearly two decades building a national nonpartisan movement grounded in the belief that thriving communities depend on the participation and contributions of all residents, including immigrants and refugees. Through its Welcoming Network and Certified Welcoming program, the organization provides local governments and community organizations with the tools, resources, and guidance needed to strengthen belonging.
"Welcoming America was founded on the belief that belonging doesn't happen by accident," said Rachel Perić, executive director of Welcoming America. "It happens when communities make intentional choices to create opportunities for everyone to participate, contribute, and thrive."
Measuring Belonging
The Certified Welcoming program is one of Welcoming America's signature initiatives. The program offers communities a rigorous framework for assessing and improving systems, policies, and practices.
Municipalities pursuing certification complete an extensive self-assessment, participate in an independent audit process, and provide evidence across more than 100 indicators that examine how local governments support equitable access, civic participation, public trust, and community engagement. The process is designed to recognize achievements and opportunities for continued growth and improvement.
Since 2022, the number of Certified Welcoming communities has more than doubled, growing from 22 to 50 certified cities and counties across the country. Twenty-five million people now live in Certified Welcoming communities.
Map of Certified Welcoming Cities and Counties, as of September 10, 2026. Graphic courtesy of Welcoming America.
Communities increasingly view certification as both a public commitment and a practical roadmap for embedding welcoming principles into government systems and civic life.
"Certification gives communities a chance to celebrate what's working while also identifying opportunities to grow," Perić said. "The process helps communities build a shared roadmap for belonging and implement concrete policies and practices that support it."
Chicago's Path to Four Stars
Chicago's recent certification illustrates what that work looks like in practice. The city's assessment highlighted a range of successful efforts that have supported immigrants and refugees, including initiatives to strengthen:
language access
community and civic engagement
service delivery
workforce development
entrepreneurship
The review also highlighted the city’s collaborative response to humanitarian challenges and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights’ leadership in building cross-sector partnerships that help immigrant and refugee residents thrive.
In a press release from the City of Chicago’s Office of the Mayor, Mayor Brandon Johnson indicated the Certified Welcoming designation “reflects our values and our ongoing work to expand opportunity and ensure that every Chicagoan can fully participate in the civic, economic, and cultural life of our city.” It also acknowledged alignment with the City’s commitment to “building a Chicago where all residents can put down roots, contribute to their communities, and help shape our shared future.”
See how this work is unfolding, as shared with our community on social media:
Building Stronger Communities
For Welcoming America, the value of certification goes beyond recognition. Experience from communities, small and large, across all corners of the country suggests that welcoming policies and practices can contribute to:
stronger social connections
increased trust
greater resilience during times of uncertainty
improved economic opportunities
sustained long-term commitments across changes in leadership and political environments.
Perić connects long-term success with a community’s ability to create structures that endure beyond any single administration.
"To become Certified Welcoming requires leadership inside and outside of local government. A public commitment, coupled with community accountability and multisector participation, is what helps build and sustain champions and create long-term sustainability."
Welcoming America's broader work reflects this focus on long-term infrastructure. Over the past several years, the organization has strengthened its certification systems, created new resources and tools, and grown its national network of local governments committed to creating welcoming communities. These investments help communities learn from one another and adapt successful approaches to their local context.
To learn more about how communities are uplifting the work of welcome around the country:
Follow Welcoming America on social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), especially during Welcoming Week, an annual initiative that brings together communities across the country to celebrate the contributions of immigrants and create opportunities for neighbors of all backgrounds to connect.
Consider attending Welcoming American’s next Welcoming Interactive, an in-person gathering that brings together hundreds of leaders to learn, connect, and share local innovations and ideas from peer communities.
Welcoming is a Shared Commitment
A certification may be awarded to a city or a county, but creating a welcoming community requires the collective efforts of people and institutions across the region. Schools, nonprofits, faith communities, employers, civic leaders, and residents all play an important role in helping newcomers navigate their communities, access resources, and build connections. Welcoming America's resources consistently emphasize the importance of multisector collaboration as a foundation for lasting community resilience.
This shared commitment reflects Walder Foundation’s values and its support for Welcoming America.
"Welcoming America’s mission strongly aligns with our core values of collaboration, unity, and optimism at Walder Foundation,” said Elizabeth Walder. "In this increasingly divisive world, we need dedicated efforts focused on bridge-building across faith, political ideology, and backgrounds to build thriving communities for all."
What’s Next for Chicago
Chicago's 4-Star Certified Welcoming designation is both a celebration of progress and a guidepost for the work yet to do. Welcoming is an ongoing practice with a multitude of opportunities to strengthen and initiatives to safeguard. Chicago can continue to demonstrate how collaboration, data-driven policymaking, and shared values can create stronger places for everyone.
Stay engaged with efforts from our Migration and Immigrant Communities program area: walderfoundation.org/migration-and-immigrant-communities
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