Recent articles published in the Fordham Now, The Fordham Ram, and The Observer newspapers covered the Initiative on Migrants, Migration and Human Dignity’s new $670,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation to expand its efforts in migration justice. The three-year grant builds on a $200,000 pilot grant awarded in 2022 and will deepen the Initiative’s work at the U.S.-Mexico border, in New York City, and across Fordham’s campuses.

With this funding, the Initiative will offer more opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to practice accompaniment—building long-term, mutual relationships with migrant communities through immersive workshops, internships, and border trips. Partner organizations include the Kino Border Initiative, LSA Family Health Service, Jesuit Refugee Service, The Ark at CBST, and the Center for Migration Studies.

“We want to bring students into dialogue, share what they’ve learned, and help them grow as advocates,” said Professor Carey Kasten in Fordham Now. Faculty members from theology, political science, media studies, Spanish, and natural sciences are now involved, showing the Initiative’s deeply interdisciplinary model.

As Professor Sarah Lockhart shared, the work is rooted in mutual learning: “Migrants bring talents and skills, not just needs.” With this new support, the Initiative is poised to grow its mission and serve as a national model for migration accompaniment in Jesuit higher education.