Silicon Valley Community Foundation has awarded nearly $1 million to improve access to high-quality legal services for immigrants living in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

 

Seven grants to six different nonprofit organizations will provide a total of $962,250 for programs that will increase the efficiency and availability of legal services for Silicon Valley’s large population of immigrants. Grants will support training for case workers, outreach efforts and lending circles that help immigrants pay for citizenship fees, among other services.

 

SVCF’s interest in legal services infrastructure is aligned with its overall immigration grantmaking strategy, which focuses both on strengthening legal assistance and on helping adults learn English, increasing their ability to succeed in the workforce. More than 15,000 immigrants received one-on-one assistance with legal services through SVCF grantees in 2014.