Contact us

Please consult our Frequently Asked Questions (below). Learn more about the future of the Prizes program here. For other questions about The E Pluribus Unum Prizes, please send a message to awardsinfo@migrationpolicy.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is there an application fee?
A: No, there is no cost to apply.

Q: What types of supporting materials can be submitted with an application?
A: Applicants are permitted to submit only one additional item with their application. Supporting items should be brief and, ideally, provide additional perspective on the initiative that might not have been captured in the application narrative.

Examples could include a newspaper/magazine article or tape/transcript of a radio or television program that featured your initiative; depending on length, a summary or results from a formal evaluation conducted of your initiative by an outside evaluator; or, a brief video that shows your initiative in action.

Please do not submit lengthy items such as a book or a brief published by your organization or a compilation of articles.

Q: If I do not submit an additional supporting document will my application be impacted negatively?
A: No. The option to submit an additional item was established to provide applicants with an additional opportunity to convey critical information about their work in the event that the narrative application format did not sufficiently allow them to do so. We expect that the five-page narrative will suffice for most applicants.

Q: Can persons who serve as volunteers supporting the work of the applicant serve as one of the three references required of each applicant?
A: Yes, unpaid volunteers may serve as references. Paid staff cannot serve as references.

Q: Can persons served by the applicant be one of the three references required of each applicant?
A: Yes, persons served by the applicant may act as one of the references.

Q: What types of specific and measurable results are appropriate for inclusion in the narrative portion of the application?
A: This will depend on the type of initiative you have undertaken and may include measurements obtained through internal tracking and evaluation, results measured by an outside evaluator, or use of administrative data or more general state and local statistics.

If the initiative was targeting individuals or families, indicators such as increased individual levels of educational attainment, health outcomes or civic engagement might be appropriate. For those targeting systems or institutions, evidence of changes in policies, programs, practices and associated client outcomes would likely be appropriate.

And for those targeting community relations or public sentiment, indicators of changes in individual beliefs and/or individual, community or institutional behaviors and practices would likely be appropriate.

The important thing is for applicants to convey, using the most objective measures possible, evidence that improved integration outcomes were experienced by immigrants, communities or the systems they targeted as a result of their initiative.

Q: When does the application period run?
A: The application period for the 2013 Prizes is open until 9 pm ET April 12, 2013

Q: Who will judge the applications?
A: An Advisory Board has been appointed to assist the National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy's staff in selecting prize winners. The Advisory Board is comprised of experts in program evaluation or immigrant integration and its various subfields.

Q: When is the awards reception?
A: The awards ceremony will be held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC on Wednesday, December 4. To RSVP and for more information, click here.

Q: Will awardee profiles be made available?
A: Yes, all awardee profiles will be posted on the integration awards website.

Q: Are there any restrictions on the use of the prize money?
A: Prize money must be used by each awardee to advance their winning immigrant integration initiative.

Q: Are international initiatives eligible to apply?
A: No. Initiatives must be operating in the United States in order to be eligible for consideration.

Q: Are initiatives targeting refugee integration eligible to apply?
A: Yes, refugee integration initiatives are eligible to apply.

Q: Are new proposals eligible for the awards?
A: No. The E Pluribus Unum Prizes are awards for exceptional immigrant integration initiatives that are already in existence and that can respond to the selection criteria (Significance, Impact, and Influence) based on their program operations to date. The awards are not intended to support the launch of new initiatives.

Q: Is the application process different for the Corporate Leadership Award than for the individual Prizes?
A: Yes, it is. People nominating businesses or businesses that wish to nominate themselves fill out a short, streamlined survey, not the online application required for organizations applying for the individual $50,000 prizes.