Responding to a Complex Landscape

OVERVIEW

Walder Foundation is inviting proposals for up to two years of funding to strengthen the Chicago region’s capacity to respond to the increased demand for complex immigration legal services, such as removal defense and asylum law. This grant opportunity is intended to support investments in training, mentorship, and technical assistance to expand the number of attorneys and organizations capable of confronting these unprecedented times. Grants between $25,000 - $150,000 per year will be considered.

BACKGROUND

The Chicago metropolitan region has a robust and growing network of nonprofit organizations that help immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers with their immigration legal services. However, not all organizations have the capacity and staff prepared to handle the highly complex cases that are increasingly and urgently in need of attention. With significant and frequent shifts in the federal policy landscape—including the termination of a range of programs, stricter qualifications for some forms of relief, and a relentless focus on deportations that has neglected rights to due process—access to responsive, skilled, and experienced legal support that can navigate this challenging landscape is vital.

Through a request for proposals for “Responding to a Complex Landscape,” Walder Foundation aims to invest in training, mentorship, and technical assistance opportunities that will expand the region’s ecosystem of legal aid attorneys and organizations equipped for this demanding environment. Some organizations have expertise in this field and are positioned to help mentor other organizations and attorneys. Other organizations have immigration attorneys on staff willing to take on more complex cases under dedicated supervision and access to collaborative networks. A variety of organizations already offer technical assistance, policy briefings, fellowships, and training programs that are highly sought after, but need additional resources to keep pace with the frequent policy updates and uncertainty. With a two-year commitment of funding, Walder Foundation hopes to strengthen immigrant- and refugee-serving organizations, particularly those with cultural competencies, as they respond to the complex landscape.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

This opportunity is by invitation-only. Grants for two years of funding, between $25,000 and $150,000 per year, will be awarded for proposals focused on expanding mentorship, training, and technical assistance across the immigration legal service provider network. Proposals will be considered that include a detailed plan, timeline, and commitment to this field.

Grants will be awarded based on a variety of criteria, including the feasibility to deliver on the proposal, a proven track record working in this field, and an institutional mission and board commitment to providing complex legal services. The amount of the grant will be determined by the details of the proposed budget, the size of the budget relative to the organization’s budget, and other funding sources for legal services.

Please know that as Walder Foundation strategies and grant initiatives continue to evolve, this RFP is a one-time opportunity. Applicants should not have any expectations that awarded grants will be renewed beyond the scope of this RFP. Please keep this in mind when planning for the sustainability of this work.

Examples of projects may include:

  • Organizations that have existing expertise and are seeking funding to mentor and train more immigration attorneys and organizations to develop capacity for complex cases.

  • Organizations that have at least one immigration attorney on staff and are seeking funding to develop their skills for removal defense and asylum law through dedicated supervision, access to mentors, and support for trainings and court observation hours.

  • Immigrant- and refugee-serving organizations that provide legal services with cultural competencies to under-served populations or in geographic areas that lack availability of services, and are seeking funding to expand their capacity to support more complex requests.

  • Organizations looking to hire former immigration judges to serve as practitioners-in-residence to mentor a network of immigration attorneys.

  • Organizations seeking to invest in training attorneys for impact litigation.

  • Organizations that serve as a resource hub and are seeking funding to provide technical assistance, policy briefings, training, mentorship, and coordination of multiple organizations that can benefit from a network and learn from each other.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

  • Applicants must be a registered Section 501(c)(3) organization classified as a Section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) public charity, or a project within a fiscal sponsor organization that meets this requirement.

  • Applicants must have a mission that prioritizes uplifting immigrant, refugee, and asylum-seeker communities.

  • Applicants must be either located in the greater Chicago metropolitan region (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, or Will counties) or whose work will be centered on the communities of the Chicago metropolitan area.

  • Proposals will not be considered if they are intended to influence legislation, to influence the outcome of any election for public office, to carry on any voter registration drive, or to undertake any activity for a purpose other than charitable, scientific, educational or other purposes specified in Section 170(c)(2)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code.

SELECTION CRITERIA

  • Impact: Does the proposal have the ability to help expand the ecosystem of attorneys and organizations capable of addressing complex immigration law in the Chicago metropolitan region?

  • Alignment: Does the proposal align with Walder Foundation goals to strengthen the region’s capacity to confront the challenging landscape?

  • Leadership: Does the team leading the work in the proposal have a track-record of experience working in this field?

  • Demand: Is the organization facing unprecedented demand and uniquely positioned to help contribute to a stronger ecosystem, either through its expertise in the field, the populations it serves, or the geography in which it is located?

  • Collaboration: Does the organization have a history of partnerships and experience to build a strong ecosystem across the metropolitan area?

  • Feasibility: Is the proposal feasible with the resources, time, and capacity needed?

TIMELINE

Applications Invited: August 18, 2025

Proposal Deadline: September 15, 2025 5 p.m.

Notifications: November 2025

Grant Period Begins: End of 2025 - Beginning of 2026

APPLICATION PROCESS

A complete application requires submitting an online form and uploading documents. You will need to create an account in akoyaGO, Walder Foundation’s grants management system. To create an account, you will need your organization’s EIN.

Create an account in akoyaGO

1. Click on the link below to access the grantee portal:

Create an Account in akoyaGO

2. Choose Create New Account

 

3. Select Organization

4. Choose your region – US or Canada – and search for your organization using the Tax ID number.

5. You will see a list of organizations matching that Tax ID number. It is possible that you see more than one entry for your organization, and it may have a staff member’s name following the organization name, for example “Walder Foundation – Monica Chavez”. Click Select next to the entry for your organization that does not have a staff person’s name next to it.

6. If your organization is new to our database and does not show up on the list, choose the Skip, manually enter option.

7. A screen will appear with fields you may fill out to create your new account.

8. Once you have completed the registration form and submitted it, your registration request will be reviewed. You will receive an email confirmation after it has been accepted, and you are free to access the grant portal. Please note that the process is typically quick but may take up to two business days.

Begin your application

Once your user account has been accepted, use the link below to login and begin working on your application:

Responding to a Complex Landscape Grant Application Form

It will take you straight to the proposal form.

You will be able to log in any time (up until the deadline) to work on your application and save your progress. We recommend creating your account early to familiarize yourself with the system and the application form.

>> VIEW A SAMPLE PROPOSAL FORM FOR COMPLETE REQUIREMENTS

An automated email confirmation is generated upon submission of the application. If you do not receive a confirmation within 24 hours of submitting your application, please check your spam folder and then contact: grants@walderfoundation.org

ADDITIONAL UPLOADS

Within the Uploads section of your application, as an “Additional Upload”, please provide responses to the following questions as a Microsoft Word document or a PDF. The document should be formatted as follows:

  • A separate section header and response for each question below

  • Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman font

  • 11-point font

  • At least 0.5” margins all around

  • Single-spaced document

  • Standard character spacing (neither expanded nor condensed)

GRANT REQUEST INFORMATION

  1. Describe the organization’s experience in working on complex immigration legal services in the Chicago region over the last three years, and any specific new challenges the organization is currently facing.

  2. Describe the current legal team staffing roles and structure.

  3. Describe the overall demand for services the organization is seeing, and its process for screening cases, the types of cases the organization takes on, the average caseload, and the immigration software platform used to manage cases.

  4. Describe what kinds of immigration legal services the organization does NOT provide, and why not.

  5. Define how the organization sees itself as contributing to strengthening the immigration legal services ecosystem in the Chicagoland metropolitan region. What is unique about the organization’s approach, location, populations served, or delivery of services?

  6. What possible risks or consequences, particularly unintended consequences, have been considered, and what steps would be taken to mitigate unintended harm or misunderstanding?

  7. What additional information would you like to share about this application that has not been asked?

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

For inquiries about the content of your application, send an email to immigration@walderfoundation.org.

For inquiries about the grants management system, send an email to grants@walderfoundation.org.