It takes all of us to build home

With the loss of federal funding in 2026, your support helps continue EducationConnect and the trusted, school-based guidance students rely on to reach their goals.

We are losing $120,000 in federal funding at the end of June 2026. Your contribution helps us continue providing in-school support for refugee students and families after federal funding ends in 2026.

For over a decade, RefugeeConnect has helped refugee families rebuild their lives by strengthening the foundation of our shared community. Through our navigator and education programs, families don’t just access services, they gain the guidance, trust, and connection needed to build stable, thriving lives. As federal funding shifts in 2026, we face a critical question: Will this work continue to grow—or will families lose access to the support they rely on?

That’s why we’re launching ReConnect—a campaign to build a more sustainable, community-supported initiative to address gaps in refugee education. But this doesn't happen alone, and no single grant should determine whether refugee families get the help they need. It takes all of us to build home.

Introducing Education Connect

To better serve our community, we have transitioned our education programs into one unified approach. Education Connect integrates our College & Career Readiness, Parent Academy, and Training & Consultation programs into one comprehensive initiative. This evolution reflects our commitment to addressing a broader range of refugee education gaps with greater coordination and impact.

Education Connect aligns these efforts into a single model that strengthens educational achievement for refugee students by supporting the adults and systems that shape their learning: parents, caregivers, schools, and community partners. Through this initiative:

Parents and Caregivers gain the tools to engage fully in their children’s education, participating in cultural orientations and developing leadership skills to advocate for their families.
School Districts are empowered through our Parent Academy Facilitator Training.

Where This Work Happens: Our Schools

For many families, schools are the first and most trusted point of connection. Through EducationConnect, RefugeeConnect partners directly with local school districts—often working inside school buildings—to support students and their families as they navigate the U.S. education system, plan for their futures, and stay on track toward their goals.

Schools are our largest referral partners. They rely on our team to provide culturally responsive, individualized support that helps students and families fully engage and succeed.

In the 2025-2026 school year alone, we trained 5 local districts to use our curriculum to deepen relationships with immigrant families.

Combined, these school districts will reach ~200 parents.

Our College & Career Readiness initiative is a glimpse of what’s possible when navigators are well-supported. Students not only graduate — they thrive, envisioning futures that once felt out of reach. Now, we want to scale that impact to all of our education and health navigation work.

In 2024, with the help of community partners and the dedication of our Navigators and Community Health Workers, RefugeeConnect served 184 families across 7 counties and 22 zip codes.

Greater Impact through Community Health Navigators

Our commitment to deep, holistic support has led us to combine our Health Navigator and Community Navigator programs into the Community Health Navigator program. In 2024, our team of 8 navigators worked with families across 16 school districts originiating from 26 different countries. On averages, navigators supported families for 9 months, connecting them to resourceses and services to achieve long term goals. Your gift isn’t just a stopgap—it’s a seed for self-sufficient, community-led support systems.

College & Career Readiness: Gloria's Story

Every student’s journey is unique. Gloria’s story shows what can happen when determination is met with the right support at the right time.

RefugeeConnect has continued to transform the lives of refugee families as they navigate their new homes in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

One such story is that of Gloria, a teenage refugee from the Congo who lives with family here but has been separated from her mother still living in the Congo. With the support of her RefugeeConnect Navigator, Gloria has achieved incredible milestones. From applying for and being accepted to the college of her choice, securing scholarships, and graduating high school, each step brings her closer to her goals for the future: to succeed in college, maintain her scholarships, and buy a car of her own.

Her journey is a testament to the power of resilience and the life-changing impact of RefugeeConnect’s support. As Gloria shared, “It was a game-changer for me... I really accomplished something, and it felt amazing to see that I, someone from Africa, could get a scholarship in the U.S.”

The need is growing. In 2025 RefugeeConnect has 323 families, helping them navigate vital resources like healthcare, housing, education, and employment. With the ongoing global refugee crisis, we expect an estimated 2,000 new arrivals in our region next year through resettlement efforts, the asylum process, family sponsorships, and sponsor circles.

This growing need means we must expand our team of Navigators and support staff to ensure every family receives the care and guidance they deserve.

Your Partnership Makes This Possible

Your donations directly fund the EducationConnect Initiative, and support the navigators who make it possible.

Our region’s future prosperity depends upon ensuring that our systems and policies are designed to work for everyone, not just those who are already ahead.

$25 Provides an educational or career-related workshop for students.
$50 Supplies educational materials for one-on-one coaching sessions on FAFSA, college applications, or resume building.
$100 Provides transportation support for students and their parents to attend a college tour or a family day event.
$250 Contributes to our family stability fund, providing emergency financial support when all other resources are exhausted.
$500 Connects a refugee family with individualized support through a Community Health Navigator to help them rebuild their lives.

Take your support even further and become a recurring donor. Donating as little as $10 a month helps sustain RefugeeConnect's programs which are 100% reliant on grants, donations and sponsorships from genrous supporters of our mission.

Other Financial Support

RefugeeConnect gratefully accepts stock donations, donor-advised funds, and planned gifts. Contact kristin@refugeeconnect.org to learn more about these options, including potential tax advantages.

Peer-to-peer fundraising

Support ongoing donation campaigns through peer-to-peer fundraising or host a private event. For more information contact kristin@refugeeconnect.org

Stay Connected

Sign up for our newsletter for announcements and updates about our events, workshops, community gatherings, and fundraisers, or volunteer your time to help with events, provide language support and assist behind the scenes to keep programs running. To explore volunteer opportunities, reach out to megan@refugeeconnect.org.

Your support and contributions make a tangible difference in the educational journeys and overall well-being of our refugee neighbors. Donate today and stand in solidarity with refugee families, the communities they live in, and the nonprofits supporting them.

Refugee ReConnect Campaign

Building A Future Beyond Grants

Team Members