Defending Our Neighbors Fund
An urgent lifeline to local organizations providing legal and bond support to immigrant families and individuals who need it most.
The Defending Our Neighbors Fund is powered by everyday people, like you, stepping up and building a vital lifeline to support our immigrant neighbors, loved ones, and communities against injustice.
We all deserve to be treated fairly and with dignity. Yet every day, immigrant families are forced to navigate a complex and punishing immigration system alone, without access to legal counsel. Even young children, the most vulnerable members of our communities, are facing trained prosecutors without anyone by their side.
This is why the Defending Our Neighbors Fund exists.
Today, there are more than 6 million U.S. households who have a family member at risk of detention or deportation. Right now, the federal government is funneling $170 billion of our taxpayer dollars to dramatically increase enforcement in our cities, all while slashing funding for legal service organizations who provide critical support for immigrants and make sure they have access to a lawyer. The Defending Our Neighbors Fund is a rapid-response effort to meet this urgent need for legal representation head-on, working to ensure families have access to life-saving legal support, and when possible, bond assistance.
Access to legal representation makes a profound difference in whether families can stay together.
As people's due process rights continue to be violated — affecting tens of thousands of people who are immigrants, children, and even U.S. citizens and green card holders — the need for legal counsel is skyrocketing. Studies show that in 2024, there were more than 2.5 million cases in immigration court where people did not have legal representation. Having access to a lawyer is often the difference between a family staying together or being separated indefinitely.
To meet the ballooning demand in this moment, the Defending Our Neighbors Fund is quickly deploying high-impact grants to trusted organizations providing legal and, when possible, bond assistance to communities in need, this includes organizations that are:
- Serving communities with large immigrant populations
- Serving communities in legal deserts, and
- Serving communities near some of the country’s most active immigration detention and processing centers
In this moment of division, we must all come together to defend our neighbors.
Supported by United We Dream and the ACLU, the Defending Our Neighbors Fund is hosted by Abundant Futures Fund (a fiscally sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors), and aims to raise and deploy $30 million to grassroots organizations to meet this crisis with action and care.
We, the people, will power this movement with small dollar contributions. Your donation supports trusted organizations providing legal representation and, when possible, bond assistance, to communities in need.
Thank you for helping us defend our communities at such a critical moment. Your support makes all the difference.
Fundraisers
Fundraiser by All Ice Melts Fundraiser
All Ice Melts - Defending our Neighbors Fund
Melt the ICE & warm the future. Defending our Neighbors Fund is an urgent lifeline to local organizations providing legal and bond support to immigrant families and individuals who need it most. This is a community-driven fundraising effort to protect our family, friends & neighbors; to strengthen our community ties and help out those most vulnerable. On Saturday, March 21st we will be hosting a multi-platform fundraising event - the major event activities will take place at Gold Point with a silent auction, raffle, tattooing, drink specials, guest bartenders, special merch, games and information on how to protect yourself & your community. We are asking everyone to pitch in where they can - to stand up for each other & for humanity. Please check out allicemelts.com for more info
- Raised
- $2,830
- Next milestone
- $4,000
52 supporters
DonateFundraiser by Sonya Islam
Ramadan 2026 Charity
Ramadan Mubarak! For this year’s Ramadan charity, the focus is on supporting families and children who have been affected by immigration enforcement, whether through wrongful detentions, deportations without due process, or other unjust treatment. These situations can be incredibly difficult for families, and many individuals, including children, are left without the support and stability they need. This fundraiser will support Defending Our Neighbors, an organization that distributes funds to nonprofit organizations across the country working directly with vulnerable immigrant communities. These groups provide legal support, advocacy, and critical resources to families navigating complex immigration challenges. Any contribution, no matter the amount, is greatly appreciated and can help make a meaningful difference for families who need support during these difficult times. Thank you for your generosity and for helping work toward a more just world! Much love, Sonya Islam
- Raised
- $1,000
- Goal
- $1,000
16 supporters
DonateDonors
Laura Pinson 2It's time that we reclaim the dream of "send me your tired, your hungry, your poor," and creating a place where people can build a better life instead of treating people like criminals for being in the United States with the wrong skin colo...
Cailie Golden 3I want to be on the right side of history, and this nationwide xenophobia is fueling human rights violations. ICE agents shouldn’t have received carte blanche permission to racially profile, operate without body cams, or escape public accou...
Midge Epstein 1Thank you for starting this. It’s hard to know which immigration organizations to support. Donating to the ACLU defending our neighbors fund gives me confidence that my money will go where it is most needed.
Walton Burns 1We must do everything we can to fight against ICE's illegal, immoral, and unconstitutional actions and protect the rights of all Americans, including immigrants and refugees.
Tina Tessina 2America's strength lies in its diversity and inclusion. Let's not betray the American Dream.
Emily Bombardiere To the fundraiser: All Ice Melts - Defending our Neighbors Fund