Support the Center
In addition to those listed below, we rely on the financial contributions of many individuals who believe in our mission.
Continuing Supporters
Since our founding, we have benefitted from the financial support of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, the Office of Outreach and International Affairs, and the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment. Other funding has come from the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention and other university partners.
The Cranwell Family Foundation has been a steadfast supporter, helping fund our first Displaced Scholar and providing scholarships for students from Elimisha Kakuma to attend VT.
The Melon Foundation currently funds the Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia (MAAV) program, a joint initiative between the Center and the VT Appalachian Studies Program, MAAV is part of Mellon’s Monuments Project. Mellon’s Monuments Project is an initiative to transform the “commemorative landscape to ensure our country’s collective history is more completely and accurately represented.”
An anonymous donor generously supports our research, including our Faculty Research Fellowship and our Spring 2026 Symposium on Refugee and Migrant Education.
Past Supporters
National Endowment for the Humanities and the Social Science Research Council, “Converging Displacements: Sustaining Humanities Approaches to Displacement Studies” (the basis for The Critical Displacement Reader.
4VA, “Collating Refugee Resources and Initiatives at Virginia Higher Education Institutions: Strengthening Virginia’s Ability to Provide Migration Support and Improve Refugee Population Outcomes” with JMU’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery.
American Council For Learned Societies, “Towards Digital Justice: Developing US Citizenship Application & Website with Refugees & Immigrants.
Rural Education Seed Grant, “Prison promises, prison failures: An exploratory study of what happens when we tether rural schools to the prison economy.”
US Department of State, Campus Catalyst Grant, in support of Welcome Corps on Campus partnership.