Non-profit

Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA)

Website:

www.panasd.org

Location:

SAN DIEGO, CA

Tax ID:

47-5299457

Budget (2017):

Revenue: $740,147
Expenses: $516,195
Assets: $345,526

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

The Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) is a San Diego-based organization that advocates for left-of-center policies that expand immigration and make it easier for refugees to come to the United States. The organization was founded and is staffed by refugees.

PANA took part in lawsuits against the Trump administration and its efforts limit immigration, including a high-profile lawsuit against the administration’s ban on travel from select Muslim-majority countries. 1 PANA also joined efforts to increase immigrant response to the 2020 Census, suing the Trump administration over its alleged efforts to exclude illegal immigrants from the census count. 2

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, PANA received a grant from the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation reportedly worth “six figures.” 3

Overview

Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans is a San Diego-based organization that promotes left-of-center policies to encourage more refugee resettlement in the United States and support increased immigration in general. The organization was founded and is staffed by refugees. 4

PANA conducts a regular study of refugees living in the San Diego-area to evaluate the refugee experience in housing, health, employment, and education. The purpose of the survey is to determine how PANA and other organizations need to change what kind of services to provide to refugees. The first study was done in 2016, and its results were used to develop the Syrian Refugee Collaborative, an aid project for refugees from Syria resettled in San Diego. 5

The organization also helps refugees access legal services and navigate the immigration process, including helping refugees and illegal immigrants to avoid deportation. 6

Travel Ban Lawsuit

In 2017, Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans was among the organizations which filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the travel ban which the administration enacted against several majority-Muslim countries. The Trump administration claimed that allowing entries from those countries would endanger American national security. PANA successfully urged the San Diego City Council to sign an amicus brief supporting the lawsuit against the ban. 7

PANA’s executive director was present at the U.S. Supreme Court when it heard the lawsuit against the travel ban. The court upheld the ban. 1

After the Supreme Court upheld the travel ban, PANA joined a protest led by the left-of-center Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in San Diego against the Trump administration. 8

Census Advocacy

Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans has been encouraging immigrants to get involved with and respond to the 2020 Census. During the collection period, PANA helped run a call center to assist immigrants and refugees in answering census questions. 9

PANA was a member of a coalition called the My Black Counts Campaign, which urged African Americans to respond to the census. 10

In July 2020, PANA joined a lawsuit led by the left-of-center advocacy organization Common Cause against the Trump administration’s decision to exclude illegal immigrants from the census count. 2

In March 2021, PANA alleged that refugees were being undercounted because Middle Easterners and other ethnic groups were classified as white. PANA further claimed that the classifications of Middle Easterners as white results in decreased federal resources for refugees. 11

Biden Administration

In April 2021, Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans criticized the Biden administration for keeping the Trump administration’s refugee cap of 15,000. It called on the Biden administration to be “bold and courageous” and to raise the refugee cap. 12

Leadership

Ramla Sahid is the executive director of Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans. She is a former refugee from Somalia. 13

Homayra Yusufi is the deputy director of PANA. She formally worked with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where she developed its immigration platform. She previously worked with the Council on American Islamic Relations and is a former refugee from Afghanistan. 14

Finances

According to the organization’s tax return, Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans had $989,958 in revenue, $908,435 in expenses, and $602,057 in assets. 15

The organization received a “six figures” grant from the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. 3 PANA also received a $400,000 grant from the San Diego Foundation during the COVID-19 pandemic. 16

In January 2021, it received a $100,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente. 17 PANA also received an undisclosed amount from the California Black Freedom Fund. 18

References

  1. Sahid, Ramla. 2018. “The Promise Of America?”. National Immigration Law Center. https://www.nilc.org/2018/05/08/the-promise-of-america/.
  2. Wang, Hansi Lo. 2020. “Trump Sued Over Attempt To Omit Unauthorized Immigrants From A Key Census Count”. National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/2020/07/24/894322040/trump-sued-for-attempt-to-omit-unauthorized-immigrants-from-a-key-census-count.
  3. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. “BLACK LIVES MATTER 2020 IMPACT REPORT.” Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, 2021. https://blacklivesmatter.com/2020-impact-report/.
  4. “Our Values”. 2021. PANA. Accessed June 28. https://www.panasd.org/our-priorities.
  5. Mento, Tarryn. 2016. “New Initiative Aims To Improve Experience Of Refugees In San Diego”. KPBS Public Media. https://www.kpbs.org/news/2016/jun/01/initiative-improve-refugee-experience-san-diego/.
  6. Morrissey, Kate. 2021. “Supervisor Proposes Legal Help For People In Immigration Custody In San Diego County”. San Diego Union-Tribune. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/immigration/story/2021-04-27/supervisor-lawson-remer-immigration-custody.
  7. Bowen, Andrew. 2017. “San Diego City Council Supports Lawsuit Against Trump Travel Ban”. KPBS Public Media. https://www.kpbs.org/news/2017/feb/14/san-diego-city-council-supports-lawsuit-against-tr/.
  8. Finn, Pat. 2018. “San Diego Muslim Community Reacts To Travel Ban Validation”. KPBS Public Media. https://www.kpbs.org/news/2018/jun/27/local-muslim-community-reacts-travel-ban-validatio/.
  9. “New Call Center Encourages Apprehensive Immigrants To Complete Census”. 2020. KPBS. https://www.kpbs.org/podcasts/san-diego-news-now/2020/jan/14/new-call-center-encourages-apprehensive-immigrants/.
  10. “Our Partners”. 2021. My Black Counts. Accessed June 28. https://www.myblackcounts.org/partners/.
  11. Srikrishnan, Maya. 2021. “Refugee Communities Say Census Whitewashes Their Numbers, Needs”. Voice Of San Diego. https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/government/middle-eastern-communities-say-census-whitewashes-their-numbers-needs/.
  12. Stone, Ken. 2021. “Biden Backs Off Trump-Era Refugee Cap As Democrats Like Sara Jacobs Protest”. Times Of San Diego. https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2021/04/16/biden-backs-off-trump-era-refugee-cap-as-democrats-like-sara-jacobs-protest/.
  13. “RAMLA SAHID”. 2021. PANA. Accessed June 28. https://www.panasd.org/people/2020/11/18/ramla-sahid.
  14. “HOMAYRA YUSUFI”. 2021. PANA. Accessed June 28. https://www.panasd.org/people/2020/11/18/homayra-yusufi.
  15. Form 990. 2019. Ebook. Guidestar. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2019/475/299/2019-475299457-202012739349300001-9.pdf.
  16. “Relief And Recovery Grants”. 2021. The San Diego Foundation. Accessed June 28. https://www.sdfoundation.org/relief-and-recovery-grants/.
  17. “Kaiser Permanente Commits $100K To Help Remove Barriers For San Diego Communities Of Color Striving To Achieve Good Health”. 2021. Kaiser Permanente. Accessed June 28. https://thrive.kaiserpermanente.org/care-near-you/southern-california/san-diego/news/kaiser-permanente-commits-100k-to-help-remove-barriers-for-san-diego-communities-of-color-striving-to-achieve-good-health/.
  18. “Catalyst Members Launch $100 Million California Black Freedom Fund”. 2021. Catalyst Of San Diego & Imperial Counties. https://catalystsd.org/news/catalyst-members-launch-100-million-california-black-freedom-fund/.
  See an error? Let us know!

Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: October 1, 2015

  • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2017 Dec Form 990 $740,147 $516,195 $345,526 $0 N $739,742 $0 $155 $69,368 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $342,102 $220,528 $121,574 $0 N $340,933 $0 $69 $26,125

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA)

    4089 FAIRMOUNT AVE
    SAN DIEGO, CA 92105-1607