The purpose of the Immigrant/Refugee Student Success Grant program is to provide funds to applicants that document an understanding of the unique needs of Immigrant/Refugee students, have potential to become exemplar programs and who create collaborative practices relating to the strategies outlined in the
Immigrant/Refugee Student Success Plan. Grant program applicants must demonstrate the outcomes of the grant activities are to benefit and serve Immigrant/Refugee students and their families.
ODE works with grantees to evaluate sustainability, replicability, best practices and lessons learned from implemented projects, programs and services. The data collected and analyzed from grantees’ projects is utilized by ODE to further refine the Plan and inform effective internal agency implementation as well as external (i.e. district and community) implementation of the Immigrant/Refugee Student Success Plan.
Announcements
2024-2025 Grantee Overview
In early 2025, applications were evaluated for the program’s first open Request for Applications (RFA), and 18 grantees were funded for a total of $2 Million, with all 5 statewide regions represented. Immigrant/Refugee Student Success Plan grants were awarded to school districts and community-based organizations. The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024-2025 Immigrant/Refugee Student Success grantees below.
Click the grantee name below to go down to their section of the webpage to learn more:
Adelante Mujeres
Connected Lane County and Eugene-Springfield NAACP serve African American/Black and multiracial youth, ages 14 to 24, and families across Lane County. We provide innovative pathways for youth to complete secondary education and postsecondary opportunities and use culturally competent curricula to promote the development of technical, professional, and life skills. This project creates opportunities for youth to receive support during critical transition periods. Activities provide exposure to diverse career paths through job shadows and industry tours, after-school programs, paid learning opportunities through Invention Lab and internships, one-on-one mentorship and social activities with peers and families, cultural experiences, an annual youth leadership conference, local Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) activities, and leadership development through a Youth Advisory Board.
Contact Adelante Mujeres
African Refugee Immigrant Organization (ARIO)
The African Refugee and Immigrant Organization (ARIO) supports Immigrant and Refugee students in PPS by operating a homework club offering tutoring in core subjects and academic support, implementing a summer reading program to improve literacy and prevent summer learning loss, and monitoring academic success, attendance and behavioral challenges through the PPS tracking system. ARIO works with the schools, parents and students to improve student success.
Contact ARIO
Center for African Immigrants and Refugee Organization (CAIRO)
The social emotional wellness enhancement program increases parental engagement. CAIRO organizes monthly Parent-Student Learning Workshops where families participate in interactive sessions focused on social-emotional learning.
Contact CAIRO
HONEY Inc.
Information coming soon.
KairosPDX
KairosPDX is a culturally specific non-profit organization that runs both school and community-based programs that serve primarily Black and Brown children (aged 3-11) and their families. Our mission is to eliminate the prolific racial achievement and opportunity gaps by cultivating confident, creative, compassionate student leaders who exceed academic expectations at each developmental milestone. Although the majority of our students speak English as their first language, roughly 7% of our student body consists of English Learners. Other first languages found at KairosPDX include Spanish, Amharic, Togrinya, French, and Lingala, and ‘Creoles and Pidgins’. Our goal is to increase communication between the school and parents, amplifying a sense of belonging, community, and safety for our English Learner families so they can better advocate for their children. The Immigrant and Refugee Student Success Plan grant strengthens our community and parent-centered model, helping to close the achievement gap for the English Learner students we serve.
Contact KairosPDX
The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)
Information coming soon.
The Urban League
Information coming soon.
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Centennial School District, in partnership with the Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Program at Centennial High School, Metropolitan Family Service, and Edúcate Ya, implements initiatives to support immigrant and refugee students. These initiatives include student and parent workshops, educator professional learning, multilingual library expansions, and targeted social worker support. Funding also supports bilingual staff and translation services to ensure accessibility, while culturally responsive resources better support an inclusive learning environment. A dedicated bilingual social worker assists students and families in navigating the education system. These efforts are designed to empower students, strengthen family engagement, and enhance academic and emotional support, fostering a more inclusive and equitable school community.
Contact Centennial
David Douglas SD
The David Douglas School District is partnering with the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) to support our diverse community of recent arrivers, totaling about 825. This community represents languages and cultures from around the world. The ODE IRSSP grant funding supports activities that primarily align with Goal 1 of the IRSSP: to create a safe and welcoming school environment. Activities include: providing a sheltered instruction professional development workshop for educators to support MLLs; purchasing bilingual books for our school libraries; implementing a newcomer intervention/supplementary curriculum; equipping culturally responsive community partners with educational translation devices; creating a recent arriver welcome packet, video and posters in multiple languages; and partnering with IRCO to provide culturally responsive activities to address students' needs.
Contact David Douglas
Gervais SD
The Gervais School District is thrilled to use IRSSP Grant funds to support immigrant students and families. Funds provide bilingual curriculum materials, welcome bags with essential resources, communication technology, leadership development for immigrant youth, and after-school tutoring. These efforts aim to enhance inclusion, reduce barriers, and empower students for future success.
Contact Gervais
Hood River County SD
Hood River County School District is dedicated to creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students and families. With the support of this grant, we enhance our efforts to serve newcomer and immigrant families through a multifaceted approach. In partnership with The Next Door Inc., we provide plain language training to improve communication and ensure that information is accessible and easily understood. Additionally, we develop and implement comprehensive professional learning for educators, equipping them with effective strategies to support language learners in the classroom. To further strengthen school-family connections, we establish a systematic approach to welcoming newcomer families through intentional outreach and engagement efforts. Through these initiatives, we aim to build a more equitable and supportive educational experience for multilingual learners and their families.The consortium comprises Oregon Family Support Network, Oregon Alliance to Prevent Suicide and the Family Acceptance Project
Contact Hood River County SD
Jefferson County SD
509J Jefferson County School District provides support and further engages our immigrant and refugee students and families in multiple ways. Direct student support provided through launching new student cultural clubs, supporting students’ SEL needs via trauma-informed practices and implementing a Bridging Forward Transition Program for middle and high school newcomers. Staff professional development includes SIOP training and increased professional development libraries at each school. Newcomer teachers and schools (KG-12) are increasing their library collections to include bilingual and target language books. Curriculum alignment works to support newcomer instruction. Targeted family engagement activities are building a bridge between schools and families with English language classes, Culture of Care parent sessions and a culminating multicultural celebration highlighting our new student clubs.
Contact Jefferson County SD
Medford SD
The Medford School District values a safe and welcoming environment for Spanish speaking newcomer students. We are expanding staffing to provide a Newcomer Family Liaison and ensure our largest schools have dedicated bilingual staff. We continue to evaluate data to ensure families feel welcome and students are successfully onboarded when entering the school district.
Contact Medford
Parkrose SD
Information coming soon.
Phoenix - Talent SD
The Immigrant Refugee Student Success Plan Grant supports Phoenix-Talent Schools in expanding academic, language, and community support for immigrant and refugee students. Key activities include extended learning opportunities like the Newcomer Breakfast Clubs and a summer bootcamp at elementary, middle and high school, district-wide language access tools, and wraparound services to meet urgent student and family needs. The project also strengthens family engagement, mental health support, attendance interventions, and post-secondary exploration—building a foundation for long-term success and belonging.
Contact Phoenix - Talent SD
PortlandSD
Portland Public School District is rolling out the community school model across the district, focused on robust wrap-around services, community/family collaboration, and culturally affirming, robust learning experiences. At the heart of this model are supports to ensure an inclusive, supportive, safe and empowering experience for our immigrant, refugee and newcomer students and families. Our schools support culturally specific organizations who specialize in mentoring, support, and resource navigation. Additionally, we create family resource spaces to foster collaboration and connection with our immigrant, refugee and newcomer families/students as well as provide needed resources. We wrap around our immigrant, refugee, and newcomer families in multiple ways, and support our students in reaching their highest potentials!
Contact Portland SD
Umatilla
At Umatilla School District we use grant funds to meet the immediate needs of immigrant student population in grades K-12. Because there are several large pockets of immigrant students, with high needs at the high school level and at the early elementary level, we fund a variety of materials and personnel at those two levels. At the secondary level, we contract with former teachers to come in during the last months of school and do intensive credit recovery, and we purchase Spanish language curriculum materials. At the elementary level, we pour resources into our dual language program (where all of our immigrants have been placed), and provide much needed in-service for staff members in that program.
Contact Umatilla
Woodburn SD
Woodburn School District (WSD) uses the Immigrant and Refugee Student Success Plan grant funds to develop newcomer-focused guidance, resources, and professional learning for educators and administrators. This initiative aims to enhance culturally responsive instruction, equitable practices, and inclusive access to content and language learning for immigrant and refugee students. In partnership with Education Northwest (EDNW), WSD implements three key activities: Professional Learning for Educators – Educators receive training on language acquisition, culturally responsive teaching, and evidence-based strategies to support newcomer students. Sessions include collaborative planning time and lab classroom observations. Administrative Learning Walks – School and district leaders participate in guided classroom observations to strengthen their ability to support teachers and align instructional practices for multilingual learners. Newcomer Guidance and Educator Resources – WSD and EDNW develop instructional guidance, social-emotional support strategies, and a process for evaluating international transcripts to ensure appropriate student placement and academic recognition. Through these efforts, WSD aims to improve access to grade-level content, enhance linguistic and academic outcomes, and foster an inclusive learning environment for immigrant and refugee students.
Contact Woodburn SD
For questions, contact the Immigrant/Refugee Student Success Coordinators at ode.immigrantrefugee.success@ode.oregon.gov.