About
Refugees International is a Washington, DC-based advocacy organization dedicated to creating a more welcoming world for people seeking refuge. It advocates for lifesaving assistance, human rights, and protection for displaced people and promotes solutions to displacement crises. To preserve its independence and credibility, the organization does not accept government or United Nations funding.
Mission
Refugees International fights for rights and refuge for all displaced people. Its experts investigate the challenges displaced populations face, create policy solutions, mobilize action, and hold powerful actors accountable, with an emphasis on centering refugee and local leadership in its advocacy.
What they do
- Conducts research and releases reports that inform policy on displacement crises
- Organizes coalition advocacy campaigns and engages in strategic litigation and amicus briefs
- Partners with local refugee-led organizations and civil society
- Operates a Refugee Fellows Program supporting six refugee leaders annually
- Monitors implementation of agreements on the ground
Its issue areas include climate displacement, internal displacement, shifting power, pathways to safety, the right to work, and women and girls, with regional work spanning Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa.
History
Refugees International was founded in 1979 as a citizens' movement to defend people fleeing Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, and has since grown into a global advocacy organization for displaced people.
Scale and impact
Advocacy outcomes reported by the organization include Kenya's official recognition of refugee ID cards for SIM registration and telecom services, helping prevent the World Food Program from cutting food rations for Rohingya refugees by more than half, coordinating a letter from over 55 NGOs ahead of announced Syria sanctions relief, a Costa Rican court ruling that asylum seekers expelled from the U.S. must receive access to education, housing, and social services, and helping defeat anti-refugee bills in six U.S. states through its Refugee Advocacy Lab.
Financials
According to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Refugees International (EIN 52-1224516) reported total revenue of $5,493,372, total expenses of $5,625,248, total assets of $6,999,527, and net assets of $4,851,491 for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024. Contributions represented about 85.2 percent of revenue.
Governance
Refugees International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 52-1224516, headquartered in Washington, DC. It holds four-star ratings from Charity Navigator and Charity Watch and recognition from Candid, and accepts no government or UN funding.
