helping to pass laws that restrict human trafficking, protect the rights of
“The Boston Foundation has been a major partner in our work as a true collaborator in convening, leadership and vision.” Eva Millona
foreign-born defendants in the courts, require interpreters in hospital settings and restore state health benefits to 33,000 legal immigrants. MIRA co-authored the Commonwealth’s New Americans Agenda in 2009 and launched the New Americans Integration Institute in 2011. Most recently, MIRA advanced a national agenda that helped to inform the President’s 2014 executive actions on immigration. Over the years, the Boston Foundation has made more than $1.5 million in grants to MIRA. “The Boston Foundation has been a major partner in our work,” says MIRA Executive Director Eva Millona. “Not just in financial support but as a true collaborator in convening, leadership and vision.”
English for New Bostonians
E
nglish for New Bostonians’ mission is “to increase access to high-quality
English language learning opportunities for immigrants.” It was founded in 2001 after discussions among the Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians, community and philanthropic leaders and the Boston Foundation, which made a $100,000 grant to help start the new collaborative and has supported it with another $2.1 million since. “At the beginning, the goals were to increase the number of seats in Englishlanguage classes and improve quality and coordination,” says Executive Director Claudia Green. “They also wanted to build capacity in grassroots, immigrant-led
English for New Bostonians expands access to English classes for immigrants.
organizations.” Each year, English for New Bostonians makes grants to organizations that offer English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes; provides staff professional development; and educates the public and policymakers about the need for ESOL. ENB also works with businesses that want to offer English classes in the workplace. “We keep the focus on access and quality because English is a critical tool for immigrant families to attain educational and economic success here in Massachusetts,” says Green. Human Services
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