As federal immigration and refugee support collapses, philanthropic organizations in Spokane are stepping in to help immigrant and refugee-serving nonprofits stay afloat. 

This year, the Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund awarded modest grants to two organizations serving these communities: Nuestras Raices and the newly formed Eastern Washington Refugee Coalition. 

The funds come at a time of deep uncertainty. The current policy environment has gone beyond anything seen during the first Trump administration, which has halted refugee resettlement programs entirely and created a climate of fear among longtime residents, say nonprofit leaders.  

“It wasn’t completely unimaginable that the White House took the first shot at refugees by shutting (it) down immediately,” says Mark Finney, director of Thrive International. “Because there was a lot of rhetoric throughout the campaign that was very targeted toward painting refugees in a really unfair and bad light.”

While refugee resettlement has stalled, immigrants already living in Spokane—as well as U.S. citizens born here or naturalized—are more fearful. At Nuestras Raices Centro Comunitario, a behavioral health agency in East Central, the doors to the center remain locked during business hours. Clients are canceling and rescheduling therapy appointments, skipping food bank pick-ups, and avoiding community gatherings, says executive director Fernanda Mazcot.

At the same time, demand for mental health support to process this fear has dramatically increased.

In the absence of federal funding, local philanthropy has offered targeted relief. The Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund has awarded a $15,000 grant to the newly formed Eastern Washington Refugee Coalition and become its fiscal sponsor, and awarded $10,000 to Nuestras Raices, a tradename for the Hispanic Business Professional Association of the Inland Northwest Public Benefit.

The grants, while modest in size, have provided critical support, says Mazcot.  

 Refugee coalition

The Eastern Washington Refugee Coalition is comprised of six refugee-serving agencies: Feast World Kitchen, Global Neighborhood, the Spokane chapter of the International Rescue Committee, Manzanita House, Refugee and Immigrant Connections Spokane, and Thrive International.

Finney, the director of Thrive International, says the agencies came together shortly after the presidential election in November with the goal of strengthening advocacy efforts and educating the public about the value of refugees and immigrants in the community, sharing resources, and continuing to offer support despite a total elimination of federal funding.

 “The formal coalition really grew out of an organic network of relationships,” he says. “So that we can work together to share resources and expand the opportunities to serve refugees and make Spokane really a great place for folks to get a new start.”

During the first Trump administration, there was a significant shift in refugee policy that resulted in reduced refugee admissions and stricter asylum processes, Finney notes.

While he and his colleagues expected a return of these targeted actions and disparaging language, he didn't think that the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program would be cut entirely. Under the executive order issued in January, federal funding for refugee resettlement programs was also significantly cut. Uniting for Ukraine, a refugee program started in 2022 that sought to provide Ukrainian refugees from the war a pathway to come to the U.S. temporarily, has also been suspended, he says.

“Most of the refugee agencies, while aware that it was a possibility, had hoped that it would not be that dramatic,” he says. “It was kind of a worst-case scenario situation and really has been since then.”

The funding and program cuts have resulted in several million dollars lost across the coalition, Finney says. Thrive International had to shut down a cultural integration program for refugees, while World Relief laid off all social workers tied to a 90-day refugee transition service. Pre-approved contracts for work completed in late 2024 and 2025 have been frozen, and agencies won’t be reimbursed for the work they’ve already completed, he says.

While Washington state is supportive of refugee agencies, he adds, it is also facing its own budgeting challenges over the next four years, and many of the agencies that are accustomed to filling in funding gaps with state funds have been strained.

Consequently, fundraising will be a key part of the coalition’s efforts, he says. Simultaneously, the coalition aims to counteract the false, negative narratives about immigrants and promote stories about immigrants who come to the U.S., do well, and make the community better for all, he says.

Nuestras Raices

Nuestras Raices, a 501(c)(3) organization, is located at 1214 E. Sprague in Spokane’s East Central neighborhood. It was founded in 1979 by Mexican Americans to support youth through scholarships and positive role models and has expanded its services to promote and serve business growth, professional development, education opportunities, cultural preservation, community wellness, and justice for the Hispanic/Latino community in the Inland Northwest.

Last year, the organization opened a second location in Othello, Washington, an agricultural community comprised of nearly 80% Latinos. Twenty of the organization’s 24 staff are based in Spokane.

Under Mazcot’s leadership, the organization launched the Esperanza program in 2019 to provide culturally and linguistically grounded therapy, peer-to-peer counseling, and case management.

“It was right when the pandemic happened, we got even busier,” Mazcot says. “We never closed down. We still were seeing clients during the pandemic. That’s when we really saw just the amount of need for behavioral health.”

The Esperanza program is comprised of three therapists, a Mexico-based psychologist who conducts virtual sessions, and three case managers. Mazcot says this is the third year they’ve received a grant from the Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund, which has been instrumental in funding the Mexico-based psychologist. Therapists charge minimal fees per session, about $20, which are often waived, Mazcot says.

In November, the organization received its accreditation from Washington state as a certified behavioral health agency serving the Latino population.

“Other than MIA (Mujeres in Action), we’re the first Latino Behavioral health agency in Eastern Washington,” Mazcot says.

Mazcot says that the organization did not need the accreditation to operate, as its clinicians are independent therapists. The organization had decided to pursue the accreditation because it was planning to become a Medicaid provider, a plan that is now largely unknown.

“We’re hoping Medicaid would help,” Mazcot says. “But then with everything that’s happening, I don’t even know how much that’s going to be helping if they’re cutting a significant amount of Medicaid.”

Even before the most recent wave of anti-immigrant policies, Mazcot has long been cautious about seeking federal funding. This year, that caution became a necessity when Nuestras Raices turned down a $30,000 grant to fund the organization’s food bank. The agency had applied for the grant through Spokane County, which had in turn applied for the grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, she says. However, the award came with the stipulation that Nuestras Raices share client data with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a clear conflict of interest with the organization's dedication to building trust and protecting vulnerable families.

That trust is already under strain, as the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Spokane has grown more visible, Mazcot says. Even naturalized citizens and longtime residents now carry anxiety that a trip to the store or a public event could have consequences.

“We used to hold regular women’s groups and workshops,” she says. “But now, people are scared to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary.”

Without the grant, Mazcot estimates the food bank—which currently serves 80 families every two weeks—may be sustainable through September unless other donors step in.

That’s just one sign of how strained the organization's finances have become. Other grant-making organizations have slashed their budget, and about $500,000 that Nuestras Raices had anticipated to receive is no longer on the table. Furthermore, the nature of fundraisers, public events blasted on social media, has become a precarious situation that could put the population it serves at risk.

The organization’s Tacos y Tequila Festival 2025, a two-day annual celebration scheduled for August 23 and 24, has been postponed, Mazcot announced in a recent press release. According to the statement, the decision to cancel this year’s festivities are in “response to the current political climate and the increasing anti-immigrant rhetoric that has raised concerns about the safety and inclusivity of our event.”

Last year, the organization operated on a $2 million budget. This year, it’s closer to $1 million.

In response, the organization has prioritized keeping core staff, while beginning to scale back after-school activities, trainings, and public workshops.

“We were hoping to expand our team,” she says. “Our case managers and our therapist are stretched out really thin. We were hoping to have in our budget to bring more folks to the team, especially therapists, but right now, I don’t know.”