2026 Grant Application

The South Asian Bar Association of North America Foundation (the “Foundation”) supports access to justice for South Asian communities in North America and advances causes important to the communities we serve. Each year, the Foundation distributes funding to community-based organizations and other non-profits that provide much needed services to South Asian communities in North America. The Foundation funds work benefitting South Asian communities in North America related to immigration rights; domestic violence intervention; prevention of and support for victims of hate crimes, discrimination and racial profiling; and other community access to justice issues. 

This year, to achieve its goals, the Foundation is excited to announce we will be increasing both the number and the amount of our grants, awarding up to five $15,000 Community Grants.

For 2026, please only submit a grant proposal if: 

  1. Your organization is recognized by the IRS as 501(c)(3); a Canadian not-for-profit organization; or a registered charity with the CRA; and not classified as a private foundation;

  2. Your organization is currently engaged in legal services or advocacy work around changing immigration policies that impact South Asian communities; and

  3.  Your organization is looking for funding for team wellness activities, retreats, safety protocols, revisions to employee policies or promising practices, strategic planning, organizational capacity- or infrastructure-building, or similar resiliency efforts. This could also include supporting employees and key leaders at South-Asian-serving immigration organizations, helping to document evidence-based self- and collective-care practices in community-based settings, and contributing to shared learning efforts across the field

Additionally, the SABA Foundation does not make grants to individuals and does not fund the following: capital or endowment campaigns or building funds; recreational activities, sporting events or athletic associations; advertising; sectarian or religious activities; or political campaigns or causes.

The application process for 2026 grants is now open!

Community Grants

Each year, the South Asian Bar Association of North America Foundation distributes funding to community-based organizations that serve South Asian communities in North America. The last 12 months have created a crisis for many of these groups - there’s been an increase in demand for their services, and a lack of funding to sustain the services. In 2026, our grants will be tailored to respond to the needs of nonprofit organizations that are being asked to do more and go further with less resources and time, all in the face of significant instability. 

Specifically, we are inviting grant proposals for supporting either (1) staff wellness and/or (2) organizational resilience at nonprofits that are working for South Asian communities against the repressive immigration tactics being used by local, state, and federal governments in Canada and the US. These organizations  and their staff are often on the frontlines - supporting call centers, providing legal services in courts, and leading the charge on Capitol Hill. As funding depletes for immigration support organizations, they are calling for sustained operational support to survive the coming year. The South Asian Bar Association of North America Foundation is proud to provide grants to keep these essential workers employed, safe, and healthy. Our ultimate goal is to strengthen the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of South Asian-serving organizations. We view wellness as essential infrastructure–one that protects people, stabilizes organizations, and ensures that critical community services remain ethical, effective, and durable over time.

To augment your application you may send us a digital file or provide a link to a website that highlights your Community-Based Organization (CBO) and/or your Grant Proposal. If you wish to submit a file, for example a budget or presentation, please email it to grants@sabalegalfdn.org. Please note, if your CBO wins a grant, the digital file may be used at a presentation during the SABA Foundation Benefit or in other marketing collateral for the SABA Foundation.  

NEW - Grant winners will be expected to submit reporting showing how the grant money was used, information which can be used by the Foundation to track impact and for promotional purposes.

Questions? Email us at grants@sabalegalfdn.org.

2025 Grantees at the SABA North America Conference

“The grants have supported our advocacy work with our community but most of all the grant coupled with the support of [SABA North America and SABA-Georgia] members has been critical in working towards ultimately getting regulations for abused H4 survivors to get EADs!”

— Aparna Bhattacharyya, Executive Director, Raksha, Inc.

2025 Grant Awardees

South Asian Legal Clinic of British Columbia, Surrey, BC

The South Asian Legal Clinic of British Columbia (SALCBC) is committed to improving access to justice for South Asians in British Columbia (BC), Canada’s third largest and most populous province, and filling in gaps in the current legal aid system. SALCBC programs will focus on legal issues affecting the daily lives of South Asian British Columbians, including those related to immigration status, child protection and custody, separation and divorce, domestic violence, sexual assault, racial discrimination and profiling, economic justice for workers, elder abuse, mental health, and wills and estates.

Sakhi for South Asian Survivors, New York, NY

Sakhi for South Asian Survivors (Sakhi) exists to represent the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean diaspora in a survivor-led movement for gender justice and to honor the collective and inherent power of all survivors of violence.

Kiran, Raleigh, NC

Kiran is a nonprofit organization based in North Carolina that empowers and uplifts South Asian survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and other forms of gender-based violence. Kiran's mission is to end the cycle of abuse and to serve and empower these survivors by providing culturally specific services and comprehensive economic, social and community resources.

Aliento, Phoenix, AZ

Aliento serves undocumented, DACA, and mixed-immigration status families to transform trauma into hope and action. Aliento is youth-led, directly impacted people and allies who co-create and build a place where human potential is nurtured and not defined by immigration status. Aliento has a four-pronged approach to address its goals: Arts & Healing Programs, Education Initiatives, Leadership Development Training, and Policy & Systemic Change Advocacy activities.

Saahas for Cause, Cerritos, CA

Saahas for Cause (Saahas) is a women-led nonprofit that has been serving South Asian (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri-Lanka, and Maldives) communities in Los Angeles and Orange Counties since 2019. Our mission is to educate, empower, and enable our community to improve their quality of life and access resources, services, and tools they need to thrive.

Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, Toronto, ON

Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic offers trauma-informed legal services and representation, counselling and multilingual interpretation, and drives system transformation to support women and gender diverse people who have experienced violence. Rooted in the foundations of intersectionality, innovation, and a client-centered approach, we foster the skills and resilience of the people we serve and amplify their voices to create individual and collective change.

Past Grantees

“Narika has witnessed a 3X spike in calls from survivors of domestic violence and abuse post the lockdown, and your generous grant will continue to support our free counseling services and direct financial aid that many of our survivors urgently need. Thank you for your ongoing partnership and for uplifting safety, empowerment and wellness for our South Asian communities. ever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”

— Former SABA Foundation Grantee