Welcomer Communities
Join a Welcomer Community to connect with fellow sponsors and Welcomers in your area, share resources, and support newcomers together.
Sign up today
Be part of America’s welcoming movement
Welcome.US facilitates statewide Welcomer Communities for Americans to share knowledge and access expert resources to support newcomers and private sponsorship in their communities.
Community funding opportunity
Get $250 to $550 towards projects that publicly elevate Welcomer stories, educate others on sponsorship pathways, or share the journeys and contributions of newcomers.
As a member of your state’s Welcomer Community, you’ll have the opportunity to:
- Participate in safe, facilitated conversations on the topics that matter most to you: Meet with other Welcomers in your state via Zoom once a month.
- Go deeper with your neighbors: Organize in-person activities with those in your immediate area.
- Crowdsource connections at your fingertips: Communicate at any time with other community members via WhatsApp.
Who are Welcomer Communities for?
Welcomer Communities are for Americans who have sponsored newcomers or who value welcoming newcomers and the benefits of private sponsorship pathways in their community.
Welcomer Communities are currently in:
Florida, Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin.
If you don’t see your state on the list, sign up anyway, and we’ll alert you when we launch a Welcomer Community in your state or region.
Join a welcomer community
Sign up today
Why join a Welcomer Community?
Connect with Welcomers in your state to:
- Meet, learn from, and collaborate with Welcomers who are engaging newcomers and their communities.
- Leverage combined networks, resources, and experiences to address challenges sponsors and newcomers are encountering.
- Grow awareness about the benefits of private sponsorship in your community.
Connect with Welcome.US team members and partners for expertise including:
- Answers to your questions about welcoming in your state, training and resources, and funding opportunities to raise awareness about welcoming.
- Policy updates, storytelling tips, and more from the Welcome.US team.
- A safe space for learning and collaborating above political divides.
Join a welcomer community
Sign up today
“I feel like I have learned so much, and yet still don’t know everything. It made sense to join a larger network where I can continue to learn how to help newcomers by making new connections, learning about new resources, and building a more welcoming community together with others."
“Knowing that you can get answers and process problems with people who are facing the same issues that you have is priceless.”
“The South Carolina Welcomer Community provides a useful forum and networking opportunity for so many of us that have been sponsors and supporters of legal immigrant families resettling in our communities. By sharing best practices and working together, we can ensure that these deserving families quickly become productive and active participants in our hometowns.”
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Austin Donahoo, Community Engagement Manager
As Community Engagement Manager at Welcome.US, Austin facilitates the monthly Welcomer Community meetings, which spotlight credible resources and local initiatives, as well as opportunities to get involved.
“When we started these communities, we built them on the idea that, ‘many hands make light work,’” he said. “These groups are for anyone who wants to connect over their shared experience and work together to support newcomers in their community.”
