PIF Renters & Immigrants for Stable & Equitable (RISE) Housing Collaborative
Release Date: 6/29/2026
Application Portal: Applications must be submitted through the application portal at this link. Emailed submissions will not be accepted.
Application Deadline: 7/29/2026
Selection Notification: 8/24/2026
Subgrant Period: 9/1/2026 – 8/31/2027
Award Amount: $50,000, 12 awards
Reporting Requirements: Subgrantees must send a paragraph summarizing their work on the funded project. Must send budget vs actuals for the funded project.
I. Background and Purpose
Immigrant families across the United States face escalating threats to their safety, stability, and access to essential services and basic needs, including stable housing. Immigrants are contending with the same housing crisis the entire nation is embroiled in – a severe shortage of affordable, safe and stable housing for people with the lowest incomes. For immigrants, however, the crisis is aggravated by unique challenges. Many immigrant renters, for example, struggle to meet proof of identity requirements in the leasing process, forcing them to make use of informal alternatives that leave ample room for discriminatory housing practices. Immigrants also face systemic barriers to accessing safety net programs, including language and cultural barriers, administrative hurdles, lack of accurate information, and fears about the impact that participating in programs could have on their immigration status. Further, widespread anti-immigrant rhetoric fuels policies at the state and local levels that facilitate harassment, discrimination, and isolation.
These challenges will be exacerbated by a current proposal by the administration to bar mixed status families from living in HUD-assisted housing. The proposal threatens to either separate or evict families from their housing, while doing nothing to increase the availability of affordable housing. It also forces millions of U.S. citizens to go through a flawed system to prove their status.
To address these challenges and build capacity among member organizations, the Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) Coalition is launching the Renters & Immigrants for Stable & Equitable (RISE) Housing Collaborative (hereafter, RISE Housing Collaborative), a learning community of PIF member organizations who will receive training and support to strengthen capacity to advance equitable housing policies and practices that address the needs of immigrant renters. A core component of the RISE Housing Collaborative is a focus on building the power of impacted communities to act collectively and sustainably in order to drive structural change and advance housing justice.
The purpose of this RFP is to identify 12 locally- or state-based PIF member organizations who are working on housing and/or immigrant rights issues locally; are committed to building community power through base-building, leadership development, and strategic campaigns; and are positioned to engage in education and advocacy on immigrant-inclusive housing policies at the local, state and federal levels. Selected organizations will receive a subgrant to support an advocate’s participation in the RISE Housing Collaborative for a period of 12 months.
Organizations selected through this RFP will also receive:
- Access to training, technical assistance, and materials
- Support to understand the barriers and assets available to address the challenges faced by immigrant renters in their respective localities
- Opportunities to connect with organizing and policy experts to both better understand policy challenges and help to shape new policy proposals
- A peer network of advocates working at the intersection of immigrant and housing rights in their respective localities
II. Overview: PIF RISE Housing Collaborative
A. Objectives
- Strengthen partners’ understanding of specific challenges and intersecting policies impacting immigrant renters
- Build the advocacy and power-building capacity of local partners to work at the intersection of housing and immigrant rights
- Foster long-term collaboration and shared strategy among participating organizations and across the PIF network
- Equip advocates with tools and strategies to influence policymakers
B. Activities and Support Provided
Selected organizations will designate one staff member to:
- Participate in regular virtual meetings, targeted trainings, and one in-person gathering (costs covered by selected organizations)
- Share strategies, challenges, and lessons learned with peers
- Contribute to education efforts targeting communities and policymakers
- Receive guidance, resources and tools from PIF’s team of staff and consultants, as well as organizing and housing policy experts in PIF’s coalition
Training topics may include:
- Historical overview: housing policy, immigration policy, immigrants’ access to benefits
- Community organizing and power building
- Coalition-building and partnership strategies
- Policy Advocacy 101 (including 501(c)(3) rules for nonpartisan advocacy)
- Effective storytelling for policy change
- Power mapping for systems change
- Others, based on subgrantees’ input
III. Eligibility Criteria
Applicant organizations must meet the following criteria:
- Be or become a current PIF member organization
- Be a locally- or state- based nonprofit organization
- Regularly engage in housing and/or immigrant rights advocacy at the local level
- Show interest and capacity to engage in advocacy and power-building efforts
- Commit to designating a staff member to attend meetings, trainings, working group calls, and advocacy activities, as capacity allows
IV. Proposal Requirements
A. Organizational Information
- Organization name, mission, and primary areas of work
- Geographic location and communities served
B. Designated Organizational Participant
- Name and role
- Email and phone number
C. Strategic and Historical Context (750 words maximum)
A brief description of the organization’s:
- Connection to immigrant communities, if any
- Past and current work related to immigrant rights and/or housing access
- Experience leading or participating in advocacy campaigns
- Inclusion of impacted communities in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the organization’s work
D. Collaborative Impact Statement (250 words maximum)
Applicants must describe how participation in the PIF RISE Housing Collaborative will strengthen their capacity to work at the intersection of immigrant and housing rights in their locality, particularly in relation to the challenges facing immigrant renters and the role of power-building in achieving structural change.
IV. Selection Criteria
Organizations based in states with historically less infrastructure supporting pro-immigrant and housing policies are especially encouraged to apply. To promote geographic diversity and equity, no more than two (2) organizations from the same state will be selected.
Proposals will be evaluated based on:
- Experience working on immigrant rights and/or housing rights issues
- Demonstrated commitment to immigrant communities
- Capacity and readiness to engage in advocacy and power-building, particularly at the local level
- Fulfillment of requirements to be a locally-based organization and a member of PIF
V. Award Information
Selected organizations will receive:
- A subgrant to support an advocate from an organization to participate in the PIF RISE Housing Collaborative
- Access to PIF’s training curriculum, materials, and expert guidance
- Public recognition for participation on PIF’s website and social media
VI. Deliverables
With support of PIF staff and consultants, participants in the PIF RISE Housing Collaborative will:
- Identify and outline local power relationships in relation to the challenges and barriers facing immigrant renters and opportunities for advocacy and intervention
- Attend and actively participate in virtual meetings, trainings, and technical assistance sessions, approximately one time per month
- Participate in coordinated PIF efforts to respond to changes in relevant federal policies through community education and building relationships with policymakers
- Share a brief written reflection on participation in the PIF RISE Housing Collaborative upon completion of the grant term
VII. Submission Instructions
Applications must be submitted through the application portal at this link. Note that you will need to create an account to submit an application. Emailed submissions will not be accepted.
VIII. Contact Information
For questions or assistance, contact Edith Lopez, edith@pifcoalition.org.
