Immigrants Belong Fund

Tides Foundation’s Immigrants Belong (I-Belong) Fund promotes a pro-immigrant future by investing in the storytelling power of immigrant communities and proximate leaders at the forefront of community change.

Be a Champion for Narrative Change

For decades, alarmists have spread pervasive and polarizing narratives that profile immigrants based in the United States as dangerous and harmful to our economy and way of life. As a result, xenophobia is being networked across a vast array of digital and media spaces. The I-Belong Fund supports immigrant and proximate leaders with practical tools to counter these narratives, including inoculation, sociological research on media usage, and a better understanding of common fear-based mis/disinformation tactics. The fund is also creating collaborative events and spaces for leaders to develop innovative, pro-immigrant media and storytelling content that can disrupt false and harmful narratives.

Amplify Immigrant Voices

Supporting the I-Belong Fund is an opportunity to invest in evidence-based, cutting-edge digital tools and rigorous training, so that immigrant and proximate leaders can reach movable middle audiences with narratives about immigrants that influence hearts and educate minds.

Our Impact

Based on research, data, and lessons learned, I-Belong is taking a rigorous approach to narrative change. The fund is creating a Community of Practice of 10 local and state-level organizations to collaborate in a learning curriculum and media productions led by Define American, a culture change organization redefining the immigrant story in the US.

10 Inaugural Grantees in our Community of Practice
$100K General Support Grants for Each of our 10 Grantees
25 Additional Organizations Collaborating With our Community of Practice Grantees Through Network-Building Events

Funding Priorities

In partnership with an immigration rights advisor, I-Belong invited 10 organizations that align with our five funding priorities to be part of the Community of Practice pilot program.

  • Immigrant- or Proximate-Led Organizations

    We recognize that organizations led by proximate leaders and immigrant communities are often excluded from grantmaking priorities. The I-Belong Fund seeks to support organizations working with and alongside immigrant communities that are best positioned to meaningfully advance narrative change.

  • Movement and Power-Building

    Tides’ I-Belong Fund centers immigrant and proximate leaders, partnering with organizations that are committed to and engaged in movement- and power-building.

  • Organizational Infrastructure

    I-Belong prioritizes organizations with the existing infrastructure to effectively absorb the fund’s capacity-building support.

  • Engagement

    Our Community of Practice is a collaborative effort. The fund seeks to partner with groups whose leadership will be able to fully immerse themselves in this work.

  • Values Alignment

    We are partnering with organizations that share our values of equity, collaboration, transparency, and the belief in the power of narrative change to shift attitudes and counter disinformation.

Grantee Stories

The Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP) is working to build a border state where migrants and border residents have dignity and equal rights. They partner closely with other organizations and communities to share truths about the migrant experience and dismantle policies that perpetuate the harms caused by militarization, cultural erasure, imprisonment, and exclusion.

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Help Tides Ignite a New Immigration Conversation

For Funders

Xenophobic narratives become one of the primary ways extremists try to influence conflicted individuals against a pro-immigrant future, intensifying the need to counter harmful narratives during highly contested election cycles. While immigrant and proximate leaders are routinely outspent,  they also have a greater understanding of how to amplify culturally resonant narratives that can reach movable middle audiences. Our goal is to raise at least $6 million over the next three years to catalyze further momentum to reach millions of people. Help us strengthen local and state-level organizations in fighting disinformation, fear tactics, and chaos-based narratives. Together, we can move toward a pro-immigrant future of shared values and belonging.

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For Grant Seekers

Tides’ I-Belong Fund has a closed-selection grantmaking process and does not respond to unsolicited proposals. We value the long-standing work and dedication of all partners in the immigration/narrative change ecosystem. We look forward to announcing future grantmaking updates. In the meantime we are setting the stage to engage community partners in shared learning, collaborative events, and opportunities to contribute to dissemination strategies. Sign up to receive our monthly emails and learn more about our work. 

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