FY 2020 Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program: Refugee and Asylee Assimilation Program | DHS 20 CIS 010 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for DHS 20 CIS 010 003

The FY 2020 Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program: Refugee and Asylee Assimilation Program (RAAP) is a discretionary grant offered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security through USCIS, aimed at helping lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who originally came to the United States as refugees under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) or who were granted asylum. USCIS frames naturalization as the culmination of civic assimilation, but recognizes that many former refugees and asylees face persistent barriers after initial resettlement. Those barriers can include gaps in English proficiency, limited civic knowledge, difficulty navigating U.S. institutions, cultural adjustment challenges, and obstacles that slow progress toward stable community engagement and eventual citizenship. The program is built around the idea that earlier and deeper connection to community life improves long-term outcomes for individuals and strengthens the broader civic fabric, increasing the likelihood that participants will contribute positively to local communities and the nation and ultimately become U.S. citizens.

RAAP is specifically designed to extend and deepen assimilation support beyond the initial resettlement phase. It is meant to build on, not duplicate, the early resettlement services funded by the Department of State (Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration) and the Department of Health and Human Services (Office of Refugee Resettlement), which tend to prioritize rapid economic self-sufficiency soon after arrival. In contrast, RAAP concentrates on longer-term civic assimilation and citizenship readiness, using individualized programming that helps eligible LPRs develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to feel a sense of belonging and attachment to the United States. Importantly, the program also draws a clear eligibility boundary: LPRs who entered as Cuban or Haitian entrants or through a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) are not eligible to receive RAAP services under this funding opportunity.

A central expectation of the grant is that applicants demonstrate deep, credible experience with the specific refugee or asylee community they intend to serve. Applicants must show they understand the communitys needs and can explain how their program design responds to those needs in a practical, culturally informed way. The program model is individualized rather than one-size-fits-all. Each enrolled participant must receive a client needs assessment, followed by the creation of a personalized assimilation plan that is then monitored as it is implemented. The application must include the programs proposed assimilation plan template as an attachment, signaling that USCIS expects applicants to have a structured tool for documenting goals, tracking progress, and coordinating services for each client.

The required services include both direct instruction and structured referrals. On the direct service side, the cornerstone components must include civics-based literacy, civics-based English as a Second Language (ESL), citizenship instruction specifically geared toward naturalization preparation, and free naturalization legal services delivered within the authorized practice of immigration law. The legal services component is not meant to be an open door to walk-in representation; it is tied to the assimilation process. Under the grant rules, naturalization legal services cannot be provided to someone unless that person has first completed the initial assimilation assessment and has an assimilation plan developed on their behalf. This requirement reinforces the program emphasis on coordinated, goal-driven service delivery rather than isolated activities.

On the referral side, each clients assimilation plan must incorporate referrals tailored to their needs, and the applicant must be prepared to connect participants to key community-based supports. At a minimum, the plan must provide for referrals to community orientation opportunities and 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 relevant. These referral requirements reflect a practical view of assimilation: becoming a citizen is not only about passing a civics test, but also about navigating schools, public services, workplaces, licensing systems, and other institutions that shape day-to-day life and long-term stability.

The opportunity also sets expectations about who delivers what. The primary applicant or a sub-awardee must directly provide at least one of the two key pillars: either citizenship instruction or naturalization legal services. Civics-based literacy and civics-based ESL may be provided by the applicant or sub-awardee as well. Other assimilation services can be delivered through systematic, documented referrals to local providers, but those partnerships must be real and established, not informal or speculative. USCIS expects the applicant to have pre-existing, well-established relationships with the organizations to which participants will be referred, supporting continuity of care and reducing the risk that clients are simply handed a phone number without follow-through.

From an administrative standpoint, the funding opportunity number is DHS 20 CIS 010 003, under CFDA 97.010, and it was released by the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division. Eligible applicants include a wide range of public and nonprofit entities, such as state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; and nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in that nonprofit category). The posting lists an award ceiling of $1,800,000 and anticipates making six awards. The opportunity was created on July 2, 2020, with an original application closing date of August 5, 2020.

Overall, RAAP is structured as a targeted citizenship-and-assimilation investment for former refugees and asylees who have already reached LPR status and have identified naturalization as a goal, but who still need intensive, personalized support to get there. The program ties together assessment, individualized planning, civics and English instruction rooted in civic participation, and no-cost naturalization legal services, while also ensuring participants are connected to practical community and workforce resources that can remove barriers and accelerate full civic integration.

• The Department of Homeland Security, Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2020 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 Jul 02, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 05, 2020 No Explanation. (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 $1,800,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, 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), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for DHS 20 CIS 010 003

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