The Welcoming Center receives $1M Pa. grant

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The Welcoming Center will use a $1 million grant from the Pennsylvania Legislature to expand its work throughout the commonwealth.

The Philly-based nonprofit promotes economic growth through immigrant integration, offering a number of programs supporting immigrants in entrepreneurship and professional development.

Anuj Gupta, president and CEO of the center, said the state grant — supported by state Sens. Nikil Saval, Sharif Street and Anthony Williams, along with state Rep. Joe Hohenstein — will help the organization work with immigrant communities in Philadelphia’s collar counties and beyond.

“We’re excited to bring our workforce development models, our entrepreneurship models, our leadership development models, to more communities across Pennsylvania that see immigrant integration as part of their future,” Gupta said.

The grant, administered through the state Department of Community and Economic Development, will fund the organization’s work over a two-year period. Gupta said that though the funds and programming are focused on immigrants, the benefits of the center’s work are felt by all residents.

“The focus of our model has always been that by helping immigrants realize their full economic potential, we’re helping our entire community realize more economic opportunity,” he said. “The support that the legislature has demonstrated, I think it exhibits a trust in this model that we’re not looking to only serve one community as opposed to another. We’re trying to help a community uncap or leverage its full economic potential in a way that benefits everyone else.”