Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award Grants Over $24M to Five Non-Profit Organizations to Create Long-Term Transformational Change for Refugees

Today, Lever for Change and ICONIQ Impact announced that the Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award (“Award”), a competition to secure a brighter, more durable future for refugees globally, has successfully raised $24.25 million in funding to distribute to five finalist organizations dedicated to improving the lives of refugees around the world. The award sponsors, philanthropists Chris Larsen and Lyna Lam, have selected the Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative (“the Initiative”), a six-organization strong global coalition effort, as the recipient of their $10 million award. The Sea Grape Foundation, a family foundation and initial Award sponsor, has selected DREAMS for Refugees, a project led by Village Enterprise in partnership with Mercy Corps and IDinsight, as the recipient of its $2 million award.

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St. Andrew’s Refugee Services, Young refugee student at the StARS preschool in Cairo, Egypt.

The Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award was facilitated by Lever for Change’s partnership with ICONIQ Impact, ICONIQ Capital’s platform for collaborative philanthropy. Through peer-to-peer fundraising efforts over the past three months, ICONIQ Impact and the Award’s sponsors have mobilized an additional $12.25 million in funding from several generous donors in the ICONIQ network, bringing the total funds raised to $24.25 million—more than double the initial award of $12 million. These funds will be distributed across the Award’s five finalist teams. In addition to the $10 million awarded to the Initiative and the $2 million granted to DREAMS for Refugees:

• DREAMS for Refugees is being awarded an additional $8 million by an anonymous donor in the ICONIQ network.
• Three other finalist organizations—Southern New Hampshire University’s Global Education Movement, an initiative which offers refugees in six countries access to a university degree program and academic and career counseling and resources; New American Cities, a Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service project; and Unlocking Skilled Migration Solutions for Refugees, a project connecting refugees with international employers, led by Talent Beyond Boundaries—will each receive a $1 million grant from an anonymous donor in the ICONIQ network.
• Additionally, David Karp, founder and former CEO of Tumblr, and Samantha McManus have awarded $1.25 million to be shared equally by all five finalist organizations.

The Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative, the recipient of the Larsen Lam family’s $10 award, is a global coalition driven by the importance of transferring ownership and resources to refugee-led organizations (RLOs). The coalition, convened by Asylum Access, brings together five RLOs including Basmeh & Zeitooneh in Lebanon, RefugiadosUnidos in Colombia, Refugees & Asylum seekers Information Centre (RAIC) in Indonesia, St. Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS) in Egypt, and Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID) in Uganda. The $10 million award will help the Initiative establish a first-of-its-kind RLO-to-RLO fund, allowing donors to pool capital and fund RLOs around the world, and is expected to help catalyze $40 million in funding over the next five years for at least 45 global RLOs to support over one million refugees.