The WES Mariam Assefa Fund seeks to catalyze economic inclusion, opportunities, and mobility in support of immigrants and refugees in the U.S. and Canada. Through grantmaking, impact investing, partnerships, and field-building, the Fund supports efforts to bring about inclusive economies and to ensure that all immigrants and refugees can achieve their goals and thrive. The Fund has distributed more than US$7.5 million in the U.S. and Canada since launching in 2019, and partnered with more than 40 organizations across both countries.
The WES Mariam Assefa Fund supports leaders and organizations working to build inclusive economies and to ensure that all immigrants and refugees can achieve their goals and thrive. Our four main goals are to:
We support organizations and initiatives that create strong career pathways, shift employer practices, generate skill-building opportunities, and provide holistic supports so that immigrants and refugees can thrive and advance.
Our funding seeks to spur the creation and spread of more equitable practices that put workers at the center among employers, policymakers, funders, and practitioners.
We seek to deepen the bench of leaders who bring lived experience from immigrant and refugee communities and communities of color, particularly in the workforce, education, and social innovation sectors.
The Fund is focused on expanding the ecosystem of stakeholders committed to fostering welcoming and inclusive workplaces and communities.
The most vibrant economy is one in which immigrants and refugees can access quality jobs and contribute their skills and talents in inclusive and equitable environments.
By 2025, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund aims to invest over $50 million into immigrant and refugee leaders and communities in the U.S. and Canada.
Since 1974, WES has helped nearly three million individuals achieve their academic and career goals. But 45 years later, systemic barriers to immigrant success and economic inclusion remained stubbornly in place.
In 2019, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund launched with an initial US$30 million commitment from WES to seed its philanthropic arm. The Fund is named after the organization’s former CEO, Mariam Assefa, who led WES for 38 years, making it into the leading social enterprise it is today. Through our funding, we expand the ways that WES helps people learn, work, and thrive in new places and helps society recognize the value of people’s education and experience.
As workforce and education systems are changing rapidly, philanthropy can help ensure immigrants and refugees thrive amidst these changes and create the careers and lives they desire.
Aging workforces in the U.S. and Canada are increasing demand for the talents and skills of immigrants. According to Pew Research, immigrants and refugees are projected to add about 18 million working-age people to the U.S. workforce over the next 15 years. They will help fill the growing number of jobs in high-demand industries and offset the decline in available workers as more baby boomers retire. According to the Conference Board of Canada, immigration is expected to account for 100 percent of Canadian labour force growth by 2040, yet the country forgoes an estimated $50 billion in GDP annually because of the immigrant wage gap and underemployment.
Historically, few funders have focused on supporting the economic integration and mobility of immigrants and refugees. Currently, less than 2 percent of foundation funding in the U.S. goes to pro-immigrant groups; and only 0.6 percent goes to women of color, according to the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. Only 2 percent of venture capital goes to Black and Brown founders in the U.S., according to research supported by the Knight Foundation.
Looking ahead, as philanthropy evolves, there will be more opportunities to drive resources to immigrant and refugee communities. In Canada, the government currently funds 85 percent of the immigrant-serving sector, but philanthropy can step in to provide flexible, innovative funding and take risks on new approaches.
Since the Fund launched in 2019, we’ve already begun to see the impact of our efforts.
Equity, inclusion, diversity, and racial justice are inextricably linked to WES and the Fund’s vision of a future where immigrants and refugees can thrive and build the careers they desire. Read how we’re centering these principles in our work.
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Monica Munn is the Managing Director of Philanthropy at World Education Services. Monica oversees WES’ philanthropic initiatives, including the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, funding partnerships, and corporate philanthropy.
Monica joined WES in 2019, bringing over a decade of experience leading social impact, economic development, and sustainability initiatives in the philanthropic, social enterprise, and private sectors. Previously, Monica held several positions at the Rockefeller Foundation and worked at Next Street, a social enterprise that drives equitable economic and community development. She began her career as an analyst at Citigroup. Monica currently serves on the steering committee of the Workforce Matters Funders Network. Monica holds a B.Sc. in International Politics from Georgetown University and a M.Sc. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University.
Monica is deeply committed to building an economy that works for all people and for our planet. Given her family members’ experiences immigrating to the U.S., the mission and work of WES and our partners is very close to Monica’s heart. When she’s not in a Zoom meeting, you can find Monica running or cycling across Brooklyn, exploring national parks, or testing out new recipes.
Lauren Crain is the Associate Director for U.S. Strategy and Programs at the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. Lauren develops grantmaking strategies that support economic mobility and integration for immigrants and refugees. She works closely with the Fund’s 20+ U.S. grantee and investee partners to make connections across the workforce development, adult education, and immigrant integration ecosystems to champion and amplify their work.
Lauren has over 10 years of experience working in international human rights, higher education, and migration, including at the Aspen Institute and Scholars at Risk. She earned a BA in politics from New York University and an MA in Middle Eastern studies from Columbia University.
Lauren is passionate about addressing systemic and intersectional barriers that limit opportunity for individuals, and looks to build bridges that will create more just, democratic, and resilient institutions and communities.
Smitha Das is the Principal of Impact Investing at the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. She leads the Fund’s impact investing initiatives in the U.S. and Canada. As a daughter of immigrants and refugees, Smitha is deeply committed to WES’s mission and centering equity and justice within impact investing.
Previously, Smitha was an impact investor at Social Finance, where she developed and executed the firm’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative, impact management practice, and field building strategy. Before Social Finance, Smitha worked in venture philanthropy, renewable energy private equity, and the U.S. House of Representatives. Her passion to scale impact formed at a young age when she founded a water nonprofit at age 12.
Smitha has an MBA from Harvard Business School and AB with Honors in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, where she co-founded the HBS Impact Investing Club and Harvard Social Innovation Collaborative. She serves as a steering committee member for the HBS Impact Investing Alumni Group, chapter leader of Women Investing for a Sustainable Economy (WISE), and member of the Leadership Now Project. Beyond impact investing, Smitha is deeply passionate about creating quality connection and community and shares her thoughts monthly on the Seen & Heard podcast.
Marina Nuri is the Senior Program Manager at the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. She leads the Fund’s strategy and grantmaking in Canada.
Prior to joining the Fund, Marina spent several years designing and managing international development programs across Africa. Before that, she spent eight years in management consulting with Accenture, advising both private sector and social impact organizations on strategy and operations. Marina has an MBA from the University of Oxford, Said Business School.
Having worked across the world and seen the value that diversity and economic opportunity brings to workplaces and communities, Marina is passionate about driving racial equity and justice and advancing opportunities for all.
Nomzana Augustin is the Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships Manager at the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. She drives the Fund’s external partnerships, strategy, and initiatives with funders and other external and internal stakeholders.
Previously, Zana led and supported economic development and equity-focused initiatives and programs at Save the Children, FHI360, and Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT).
As a first-generation immigrant, Zana brings a profound understanding of the needs and solutions required to integrate and support immigrants and refugees, especially for those living with intersectional identities.
Zenia Dacio-Mesina is the Grants and Portfolio Manager at the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, leading the pre- and post-award administration of the Fund’s grants and impact investments in the U.S. and Canada.
Zenia has over 10 years of experience in grantmaking operations in public charities and previously worked in non–profits and NGOs focused on environmental issues and international development in the U.S. and the Philippines. Zenia holds a BA in environmental science from Otterbein College (now University) in Ohio and she holds a master’s degree in International Development and Social Change from Clark University in Massachusetts.
Zenia views philanthropy as a partnership between funder and grantee and is passionate about improving the Fund’s grantmaking processes so that they are respectful and responsive to the needs of Fund applicants and partners. Please feel free to contact Zenia if you have any feedback!
Silan Akgul is Communications Manager at the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, leading communications and influence strategy to further the Fund’s impact in both the U.S. and Canada. In this role, she supports communications for the Fund’s grantee and investee partners.
Prior to joining the Fund, Silan helped build internal and external communications at the Helmsley Charitable Trust, a philanthropy focused on improving health outcomes for all. She played a key role in advancing the foundation’s leadership in its early years. She began her career at Just Food, a nonprofit that develops community-driven solutions to inequities within the New York regional food system. She holds a BA from Baruch College and is currently completing her Master’s in Public Administration.
Silan is personally driven by the Fund’s mission as her father is an immigrant and her mother an immigration lawyer. Based in New York City, she loves Citi Bike, the Union Square Greenmarket, and exploring the city’s diverse food options.
Maleeha Baig is a Program Associate at the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. She supports the Fund’s Canadian grantmaking strategies and grantee partners to foster an environment of knowledge sharing and collaboration.
Maleeha graduated from the University of Toronto with a double major in History and Diaspora and Transnational Studies. Since then, she has worked in various non-profit organizations and social enterprises focused on assisting youth, refugees, and newcomers achieve their fullest potential.
As a young person who immigrated to Canada with her family, she watched her parents struggle to obtain opportunities due to language barriers and discrimination. Maleeha understands the limitations and systemic barriers present in Canada that often prevent newcomers from achieving their potential. She wants to work towards ensuring immigrants and refugees have equal access to services and opportunities that will help them build a safe and prosperous life in Canada.
Lei Ma is the U.S. Program Associate at the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. Lei supports and manages a range of programmatic and funding initiatives, data management, and special projects that advance the Fund’s U.S. goals and grantee partner community.
Lei’s passion lies in social innovation and environmental sustainability. She most recently worked as a program officer at the Earth Institute, Columbia University, where she developed and led China-related research projects aimed to foster economic development that integrates environmental and social factors. Lei also supported the immigrant small business owners community at Kiva, a non-profit micro-lending platform for the underserved.
Lei is excited to support efforts to build an inclusive economy for immigrants and refugees and believes that a core part of the U.S.’ identity is being home to more immigrants than any other country in the world. Lei’s experience – and that of her loved ones – as an immigrant helps her realize the importance of the Fund’s work to improve social welfare and livelihood, one of the key aspects of sustainable development.
Abby Frias is Grants Associate at the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. In this role, she provides funding administrative, data management, and special project support through all stages of the Fund’s grantmaking operations in the U.S. and Canada. Abby also supports the Fund team in adopting trust-based philanthropy practices and centering equity in how we fund.
Abby most recently worked on the WES Mariam Assefa Fund team in summer 2021 as an intern focused on grants management and communications. She also interned at the City of Worcester’s Executive Office on Diversity and Inclusion. She is from Worcester, Massachusetts and received her Bachelor of Arts in Government with double minors in Justice and Peace Studies and African American Studies from Georgetown University. Following graduation, Abby worked in community development through AmeriCorps. She loves working with non-profit organizations, grassroots organizations, and local government at the intersection of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and immigrant justice. Her favorite part of being on the Fund team is learning and seeing the real impact of grantmaking, impact investing, and partnerships in immigrant communities.
