HomeTechnologyYuri Milner’s Tech For Refugees Expands Partnership With Welcome.US

Yuri Milner’s Tech For Refugees Expands Partnership With Welcome.US

Tech For Refugees has expanded its partnership with Welcome.US through a new grant to enhance its Welcome Connect platform. The funding will allow the innovative platform, which matches refugees with sponsors and support networks in the U.S., to streamline and broaden its services.

Launched by philanthropists Julia and Yuri Milner, Tech For Refugees is a global initiative dedicated to helping refugees via tech-driven programmes. The initiative works with powerful tech partners, including Uber and Flexport.org, to make a difference in the lives of displaced people worldwide.

Welcome Connect’s Impact in the U.S.

Welcome.US partnered with Tech For Refugees in 2022, receiving funding to support its efforts in helping U.S. citizens welcome newcomers who are seeking safety and refuge. The funding included a grant to develop and scale Welcome Connect, a pioneering public platform facilitating private sponsorship pathways.

Welcome.US initially established Welcome Connect to help U.S. sponsors connect with Ukrainians fleeing the war. However, the platform quickly expanded to assist Cuban, Haitian, Venezuelan, and Nicaraguan refugees who are eligible for sponsorship.

In 2023, the U.S. government announced it would allow up to 30,000 non-citizens a month from these countries to seek entry into the U.S. for parole on a case-by-case basis. To participate, beneficiaries need a U.S. sponsor who agrees to provide financial support during their stay.

Expanding Welcome Connect

To date, Welcome Connect has:

  •   Helped thousands of refugees match with U.S. sponsors.
  •   Contributed to the resettlement of more than 500,000 newcomers in two years.
  •   Mobilised more than $7 billion in time and resources from communities in every U.S. state.

Now, the new grant from Tech For Refugees will help Welcome.US grow Welcome Connect into a “one-stop” hub for sponsors and beneficiaries. The enhanced platform will provide seamless access to a full range of resources and support services.

Yuri Milner said: “Welcome Connect has proven itself as an innovative and efficient way to bring refugees into contact with those keen to help them. Julia and I are looking forward to seeing the platform develop and impact the lives of even more people.”

Nazanin Ash, CEO of Welcome.US, said: “Our partnership with [the Milners’ Breakthrough Foundation] and its Tech For Refugees initiative has powered what is proving to be a transformative solution to the global refugee crisis: enabling everyday Americans in communities in all 50 states to sponsor and resettle refugee newcomers.”

The Power of Partnership

Tech For Refugees works with leading technology companies and non-profits, funding their humanitarian programmes. Current tech partners include Airbnb.org, Spotify, and UNICEF USA.

Founders Julia and Yuri Milner believe these partnerships can offer practical assistance to people living in turmoil away from their homeland. Their initiative continually seeks new partners that can help increase the effectiveness, variety, and range of its global humanitarian operations.

Technology organisations that have the capacity to significantly help refugees should consider joining the Milners’ initiative. Tech For Refugees welcomes enquiries from businesses and non-profits that could support refugee relief efforts via their tech-related services, networks, or expertise.

About Julia and Yuri Milner

Julia and Yuri Milner have donated to various humanitarian causes, including the global refugee crisis. In line with their Giving Pledge, the couple supports numerous science initiatives committed to making the world a better place.

The Milners co-founded the Breakthrough Prize, the world’s largest science award, in 2012, along with Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, Anne Wojcicki, and Sergey Brin. The couple also launched the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, a global science video competition for students, in 2015.

In 2021, Yuri Milner wrote Eureka Manifesto: The Mission for Our Civilisation, a short book about the Universe, humanity, and our future. The manifesto highlights the importance of investing in fundamental science and celebrating scientists as heroes.

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