Refugee and Immigrant Student Welcome Program

The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), through its Bureau of Refugee Services, has released a Request for Proposals for the Refugee and Immigrant Student Welcome Program (RISWP). This initiative, originally established under the 2019–2020 New York State Budget, is intended to support school districts with significant refugee and immigrant populations, including unaccompanied minors. The program seeks to address educational challenges faced by newcomer students, provide transitional support, and strengthen family and school partnerships. A total of $7,500,000 has been allocated for 60-month contracts beginning September 1, 2026, and concluding August 31, 2031, subject to the continued availability of funds through the state budget. The program’s objectives are to ease the transition of refugee and immigrant youth into New York State’s schools, to empower their parents as active partners in education, and to provide targeted assistance to districts with high numbers of English Language Learners. Allowable uses of funds include expanded community school activities, school supplies, training for staff on trauma and cultural sensitivity, hiring counselors and psychologists, and family engagement. Costs related to construction or renovation are not eligible. Funding will be distributed through a hybrid reimbursement model combining expenditure-based and performance-based reimbursements. Specific deliverables include a minimum of five Welcome Orientations, two School Staff Orientations, four Family Orientations, and four Family Activities per budget period, alongside the employment of Academic Coaches and provision of translation and interpretation services. Eligibility to apply is limited to school districts within one of the seven New York State Education Department Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network regions: Capital District, Hudson Valley, Long Island, Mid-State, Midwest, New York City, and West. Applicants must be registered in the Statewide Financial System (SFS) and prequalified under New York’s nonprofit grant contracting reforms. Only prequalified districts will have proposals reviewed. Program participants must be between the ages of 5 and 21 and meet specified immigration criteria, including refugees, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, certain Amerasians, Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants, victims of trafficking, lawful permanent residents with prior refugee status, and Ukrainian and Afghan parolees, among others. The procurement schedule sets a release date of August 26, 2025. Written questions must be submitted by September 9, 2025, to BRS.RFP@otda.ny.gov, with responses posted by September 23, 2025. Completed proposals must be submitted electronically through the SFS Vendor Portal by October 10, 2025, at 2:00 PM. Anticipated award notifications will be made by February 4, 2026, with contracts expected to begin September 1, 2026. OTDA may advance up to 25 percent of first-year funds once contracts are fully executed. Each contract period will last 12 months, and districts will be required to provide annual work plans. Applications will be evaluated based on program-specific questions (55 percent of score), statistical data regarding refugee and immigrant student populations (25 percent), and budget justification (20 percent). Proposals will be scored competitively within each geographic region, with a maximum of seven projects selected statewide. Awards will prioritize high-need districts, with $500,000 reserved annually for Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Successful applicants must comply with reporting, monitoring, and recordkeeping requirements through the New York State Refugee and Immigrant Data Portal, known as SUNDIAL. The designated contact for this program is Jeanne Sinzinkayo, Program Manager at OTDA, located at 40 N. Pearl Street, Suite 10C, Albany, NY 12243. She may be reached by phone at 518-408-6435 or by email at BRS.RFP@otda.ny.gov. Additional support resources are available through the Statewide Financial System help desk for registration and prequalification matters. This competitive procurement provides an opportunity for eligible districts to expand services that meet the educational and social needs of immigrant and refugee youth and their families in New York State.

Applicants must be registered and prequalified in SFS, submit via Vendor Portal, and include all required attachments as PDFs.