About
RefugePoint is a Boston-based humanitarian organization that works toward an inclusive world where all refugees can safely build stable, connected, and thriving lives. Founded in 2005 by Sasha Chanoff, it focuses on refugees facing acute vulnerabilities who are underserved by existing humanitarian systems, providing direct assistance to thousands of people each year while working to change the wider aid system.
Mission
RefugePoint envisions an inclusive world where all refugees can safely build stable, connected, and thriving lives. Founder and CEO Sasha Chanoff has said the organization was founded because refugees in life-threatening situations were falling through the cracks of humanitarian aid.
What they do
RefugePoint's work is organized around two programmatic pillars:
- Self-Reliance: helping refugees who remain in host countries achieve stability and meet their essential needs independently, including through its Urban Refugee Protection Program
- Resettlement and Other Pathways to Safety: helping refugees relocate to safe countries, including through family reunification
It pursues these goals through three tactics: direct services, field building (strengthening the capacity of partner organizations), and systems change (influencing policy through relationships with UN agencies, governments, and international organizations).
History
RefugePoint was founded in 2005 by Sasha Chanoff, who continues to serve as Chief Executive Officer.
Scale and impact
Figures published by RefugePoint include more than 194,980 refugees helped to access resettlement and other pathways to safety since 2005, and 9,392 refugees supported through its Urban Refugee Protection Program, nearly 60 percent of whom graduated or achieved self-reliance. Partner organizations in the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, which RefugePoint helps lead, have collectively reached more than 2.5 million refugees.
Financials
According to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, RefugePoint Inc (EIN 20-2061482) reported total revenue of $16,372,615, total expenses of $13,267,075, total assets of $20,568,394, and net assets of $19,760,058 for fiscal year 2024. Roughly 96 percent of funding came from contributions.
Governance
RefugePoint is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with a country office in Kenya. Leadership includes Founder and CEO Sasha Chanoff, and the board is chaired by George Lehner.
