FY 2019 Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program: Refugee and Asylee Assimilation Program | CI CET 19 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for CI CET 19 003

The FY 2019 Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program: Refugee and Asylee Assimilation Program (RAAP) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the Office of Citizenship (OoC) within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The program is built around the idea that naturalization is not just a legal milestone, but the culmination of longer-term civic assimilation. USCIS notes that many lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who originally arrived as refugees or were granted asylum may still face barriers to full participation in U.S. civic life, including challenges related to English, literacy, navigating institutions, understanding civic norms, economic stability, and community connection. RAAP is intended to close those gaps by supporting structured, individualized assimilation services that help eligible participants move toward citizenship and develop a stronger sense of belonging and attachment to the United States.

A central feature of RAAP is that it funds extended assimilation services that build on, but do not duplicate, the early resettlement assistance typically supported by the Department of State (Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration) and the Department of Health and Human Services (Office of Refugee Resettlement). Those resettlement programs tend to prioritize rapid early self-sufficiency, particularly employment. In contrast, RAAP emphasizes longer-term civic integration and readiness for naturalization. The target population is specifically LPRs who entered through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) or who were granted asylum and who have identified naturalization as a goal. At the same time, the opportunity clearly excludes certain groups from being served under this program, including LPRs who entered as Cuban-Haitian entrants or those who obtained status through a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV).

The required program model is strongly client-centered and documentation-heavy. Applicants must propose a detailed process to (1) assess each participant's needs, (2) develop an individual assimilation plan for every enrolled client, and (3) actively monitor implementation of that plan over time. A proposed assimilation plan template must be included as an attachment in the application, which signals that USCIS expects a standardized tool that can be used consistently across clients while still reflecting individualized goals and service pathways. Grant recipients are expected to complete and monitor assimilation plans for at least 200 LPRs who have stated that becoming a U.S. citizen is their goal, making this a relatively high-volume, structured service model rather than a small pilot or informal outreach effort.

RAAP requires a "suite" of assimilation services, combining direct services with coordinated referrals. The cornerstone components that must be present in the program design include civics-based literacy instruction, civics-based English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, citizenship instruction specifically geared toward preparing for naturalization, and free naturalization legal services delivered within the authorized practice of immigration law. A key compliance rule is that naturalization legal services cannot be provided until after the participant has completed the initial assimilation assessment and has a completed assimilation plan, meaning the legal service component must be integrated into the larger assimilation workflow rather than offered as a stand-alone legal clinic. In terms of who must deliver what, the primary applicant or a sub-awardee must directly provide either the citizenship instruction or the naturalization legal services. Civics-based literacy and civics-based ESL can be provided by the applicant, a sub-awardee, or a community-based partner.

Beyond these core educational and legal elements, the program also requires that each participant's assimilation plan include referrals, tailored to the individual's needs, to specific categories of community supports. These required referral areas include community orientation and facilitated interactions with local government and public institutions, referrals to employment training, and referrals to appropriate sources of information for updating or renewing foreign professional credentials when that applies. The grant allows these additional supports to be delivered through "systemic and documented" referrals to outside providers, but it emphasizes that the applicant must have pre-existing and well-established relationships with those local partners. In other words, RAAP is designed to fund organizations that can demonstrate they are already embedded in the local service ecosystem and can reliably connect clients to complementary services, not organizations that are starting from scratch with new partnerships.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate deep experience with and knowledge of the specific refugee and asylee communities they propose to serve, and they must explain how the program design responds to the particular assimilation needs present in that community. The opportunity also notes that OoC may recommend changes to an applicant's assimilation proposal after review, either during the negotiation period prior to award or during the first quarter of the funding period, suggesting that program design may be refined in collaboration with USCIS once an award is made.

From an administrative and eligibility standpoint, the opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number CI CET 19 003, categorized under Community Development, and associated with CFDA (now Assistance Listing) number 97.010. The eligible applicant pool is broad and includes county and city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, other Native American tribal organizations, and nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education within that nonprofit category). The agency point listed is the Office of Procurement Operations, Grants Division. The original closing date for applications was August 13, 2019, and the listed award ceiling is $1,000,000 per award (with the number of expected awards not specified in the provided text).

Overall, RAAP is meant to strengthen long-term civic assimilation and support lawful permanent residents who came as refugees or asylees in progressing toward naturalization through a structured combination of individualized planning, civics and English instruction tied to civic participation, and free naturalization legal services. It aligns with DHS's broader mission of administering immigration laws by improving understanding of the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship and helping eligible LPRs navigate the naturalization process lawfully and effectively, while also encouraging earlier and more meaningful engagement with local institutions and community life.

• The Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2019 Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program: Refugee and Asylee Assimilation Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 97.010.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-07-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-08-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for CI CET 19 003

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