Who Does Welcoming America Work With and Why Does Belonging Matter?

Welcoming America is a nonprofit that works with nonprofits and local governments to help communities become more inclusive and prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs, including immigrants. Its stated aim is to build "a nation of neighbors"—connecting a broad network of organizations and local governments and supporting them in becoming truly welcoming places. Belonging matters in this framing because inclusion is treated as a driver of community prosperity, not just a social good.

Who Welcoming America Works With

The organization describes its core partners in two groups:

• Nonprofits — community organizations that join a broad network and draw on shared resources and guidance.
• Local governments — municipal and county agencies that want to embed welcoming practices into how they serve residents.

These partners are connected through the Welcoming Network, which the site lists as the primary way to get involved. The network is the structure through which Welcoming America supports communities "in becoming truly welcoming places."

What the Partnership Looks Like in Practice

The site's impact stories show how this plays out locally. One example is Gunnison, Colorado—a rural mountain county of about 16,000 residents that is described as a hub for seasonal workers. Despite its small size, local organizations and leaders there are building "growing efforts for connection and belonging." The takeaway for other communities: welcoming work is not limited to large, diverse cities; rural and small-population places can use the same network model.

Why Belonging Matters

Welcoming America frames belonging as connected to prosperity: inclusive communities become "more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs, including immigrants." The logic is that when all residents—longtime and newcomer alike—can participate fully, the whole community benefits.

The organization also publishes a Welcoming Standard, which sets out how it defines a welcoming place. Communities that want a concrete benchmark can start there rather than inventing their own criteria.

Recognition: Certified Welcoming

Communities can pursue a Certified Welcoming designation, and the site's news shows the program in active use:

The star levels indicate that certification is tiered, though the homepage excerpt does not detail the criteria for each level. Communities interested in the specifics should consult the Certified Welcoming program materials directly.

Ways to Get Involved

The site lists four entry points:

1. Join the Welcoming Network — membership for nonprofits and local governments; the site offers a "Learn about membership" link.
2. Participate in Welcoming Week — an annual event; the site points to a "Learn more" page. A related blog post, "The Courage to Connect: How #WelcomingWeek2026 Brought People Together," describes the 2026 edition.
3. Donate — support the mission financially.
4. Use the resources — including the Welcoming Standard and a toolkit titled Narrative in Action: A Toolkit for Framing, Messaging, and Storytelling in Welcoming Communities (dated September 28, 2026), which offers step-by-step guidance on building narratives of local belonging.

If You're Deciding Where to Start

• A local government or nonprofit ready to formalize the work: start with Welcoming Network membership, then consider the Welcoming Standard as your benchmark and Certified Welcoming as a possible goal.
• An organization that wants to communicate better before committing: the Narrative in Action toolkit is the lowest-commitment starting point, focused on framing and storytelling.
• An individual who wants to participate: Welcoming Week is the public-facing entry point.

Note that the site does not publish pricing or membership cost details on the pages summarized here, so confirm any fees or requirements with Welcoming America before planning around them.