USCCB - (MRS) - A Brief History of Migration and Refugee Services

MRS Funding Sources

MRS Unrestricted Revenue Sources

Catholic Relief Services Collection

An annual USCCB national collection that provides support to Catholic Relief Services, Migration and Refugee Services, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, the Holy Father’s Relief Fund, and USCCB Justice Peace and Human Development and Cultural Diversity in the Church.

Investment Income

Interest earned from investment of the MRS fund balance.

Passing on Hope Program

Donations received from former refugees to help other refugees in need.

Publication Fees

Funds received from sale of MRS publications.

Refugee Travel Loan Collection Fees

Funds received for MRS’ role in collecting the repayment of refugee travel loans for the International Organization for Migration on behalf of the US Department of State.

MRS Restricted Revenue Sources

Safe Passages – Family Reunification and Foster Care Grant

This US Department of Health and Human Services/Office of Refugee Resettlement (DHHS/ORR) federal grant provides long-term foster care placements, transitional foster care services, suitability assessments and related follow up services to unaccompanied alien children who have been apprehended and are in federal custody. Services for foster care placement are through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) network, which consists of child welfare agencies throughout the United States, working with USCCB/MRS to provide services to undocumented children.

Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS) Grant

This national technical assistance project funded under a US Department of Health and Human Services/Office of Refugee Resettlement (DHHS/ORR) grant works to broaden the scope of information and collaboration among service providers in order to strengthen services to refugee youth, children, and their families.

Reception and Placement Program Grant

This program is funded on a per capita basis by the US Department of State/Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (DOS/PRM). The grant supports basic resettlement services to newly arriving refugees sponsored under USCCB/MRS auspices.

Match Grant Program Grant

This US Department of Health and Human Services/Office of Refugee Resettlement (DHHS/ORR) Voluntary Agency Matching Grant program facilitates early economic self-sufficiency through intensive employment and other services for newly-arrived refugees. USCCB/MRS and the more than sixty participating dioceses generate at least a 50% match in cash and in-kind contributions for each $2.25 in federal funds expended.

Cuban/Haitian Program Grant

This US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant provides processing, reception and placement of Cuban and Haitian entrants paroled by DHS into the US through a program called the Cuban/Haitian Primary/Secondary Resettlement Program.

Trafficking Services Contract

This program is funded on a per capita basis by the US Department of Health and Human Services/Office of Refugee Resettlement (DHHS/ORR). Through a network of provider subcontractors, USCCB/MRS administers these funds for the provision of basic services to meet the needs of individuals identified as victims of human trafficking throughout the United States.

Robert Woods Johnson Foundation Grant

This grant funded through the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation provides resources to develop a gaps analysis of the needs of Maya language speakers, to develop a medical interpreter train-the-trainer curriculum, and a toolkit to enable service providers to better meet the needs of Maya language speakers.

Services to Newly Arrived Refugees Grant

This grant funded through the US Department of Health and Human Services/Office of Refugee Resettlement (DHHS/ORR) is intended to provide enhanced services to newly arrived refugees at sites selected for their proven success in resettlement.

Sisters of Charity Grant

This grant provides support for a Justice for Immigrants Campaign convening in Ohio to mobilize education and advocacy efforts of USCCB/MRS partners in that state on behalf of comprehensive immigration reform in the United States.

America’s Voice Grant

This grant funds the Justice for Immigrants Campaign regional Catholic and public education and training efforts in several states on the principles of Catholic social teaching on migration in anticipation of passage and enactment of comprehensive immigration reform in the United States.

Ford Foundation Grant

This grant supports the Justice for Immigrants Campaign efforts to educate Catholics and others about immigration and the need to support pastoral and public policies that help integrate immigrants into the fabric of American life.