Welcome.US was founded as a fiscally sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2021 to pool resources to facilitate the processing, assistance, and settlement of refugees in the United States after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The group has since broadened its scope beyond Afghanistan and has raised money from many of America’s largest corporations, including Google, Meta, Apple, and Walmart, among others. ^{1 2}

Founding and History

Welcome.US was founded in 2021 as a fiscally sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to economically and culturally support refugees after the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. ³ The U.S. State Department partnered with the organization soon after its founding. ⁴

The group has since expanded its work to deal with all potential refugees to the U.S., with a special emphasis on refugees from the war in Ukraine that began in February 2022. The group claims that it has assisted and welcomed over 200,000 refugees to the U.S. since its founding. ⁵

Finances

As a fiscally sponsored organization, Welcome.US does not file tax returns, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors does not itemize the project on its tax return. ⁶ However, the project does list the amount of funding it has raised in cash and in-kind since its launch in 2021. According to the organization’s annual report, as of September 2022, it has raised over $20 million through its Welcome Fund, and an additional $179 million from corporate sponsors in goods, services, and funds, as well as another $18.8 million in in-kind donations from other organizations participating in its exchange program. ⁷

In August 2022, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund provided a grant of $50,000 to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc earmarked for the Welcome.US project. ⁸

Numerous large corporations participate in the program’s CEO Council that provides both funds and goods and services in-kind. These include, Google, Adobe, Airbnb, Amazon, American Express, Apple, Bank of America, Blackstone, Comcast NBC Universal, Goldman Sachs, HP, Lyft, Marriott International, Meta, Microsoft, Pfizer, Snap Inc (SnapChat), T Mobile, Uber, United Airlines, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Starbucks, and Walmart. ⁹

Programs

Welcome Corps

Welcome.US administers a program known as the Welcome Corps that facilitates private groups of five people that sponsor a refugee. This support includes raising $2,375 per refugee, undergoing training and background checks, and agreeing to provide three months of financial support and 12 months of social support when the refugee arrives in the U.S. ¹⁰

The Welcome Fund

The Welcome Fund is a fundraising effort to raise money to distribute to local organizations around the U.S. that provide aid to refugees. As of January 2024, the fund has collected $23 million and has dispersed 240 grants. ¹¹

Welcome Legal Alliance

The Welcome Legal Alliance is a pro bono network of legal professionals and non-professionals seeking to provide aid to people seeking refugee status in the U.S. ¹²

Leadership

Nazanin Ash is the CEO of Welcome.US. She was born in the U.S. to Iranian parents who came to the U.S. for education and ended up staying in America when the Iranian Revolution broke out. She has claimed that the Trump administration “decimated” the American refugee system for five years. ¹³

1. “About US.” Welcome.US. Accessed January 22, 2024. https://welcome.us/who-we-are.
2. “The Welcome.US CEO Council.” Welcome.US. Accessed January 22, 2024. https://welcome.us/who-we-are/ceo-council.
3. “About US.” Welcome.US. Accessed January 22, 2024. https://welcome.us/who-we-are.
4. ^[1] “State Department Collaboration with Welcome.US.” United States Department of State, September 16, 2021. https://www.state.gov/state-department-collaboration-with-welcome-us/.
5. “About US.” Welcome.US. Accessed January 22, 2024. https://welcome.us/who-we-are.
6. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc, return of an organization exempt from income tax (Form 990), 2022.
7. “A Year of Welcome: 2022 Annual Report.” Welcome.US. Accessed January 22, 2024. https://d100e4z65y3agv.cloudfront.net/prd/WEL_2022_Print_AR_PRNT_da441d5a18.pdf.
8. “Donations to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc from Rockefeller Brothers Fund.” RBF.org, September 6, 2023. Accessed January 22, 2024. https://www.rbf.org/grantees/rockefeller-philanthropy-advisors-inc.
9. “The Welcome.US CEO Council.” Welcome.US. Accessed January 22, 2024. https://welcome.us/who-we-are/ceo-council.
10. “Welcome US: What Is the Welcome Corps?” Welcome.US. Accessed January 22, 2024. https://welcome.us/become-a-sponsor/what-is-the-welcome-corps.
11. “The Welcome Fund Is Raising Support for Sponsorship.” Accessed January 22, 2024. https://welcome.us/who-we-are/the-welcome-fund.
12. “Welcome Legal Alliance.” Welcome.US. Accessed January 22, 2024. https://welcome.us/more-ways-to-help/the-welcome-legal-alliance.
13.  Suozzi, Caroline. “How Welcome.US Is Empowering Americans to Support Refugees.” Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, March 3, 2022. https://www.rockpa.org/how-welcome-us-is-empowering-americans-to-support-refugees/.