Statements
Mission
Our mission is to ensure refugees and immigrants achieve their full potential now and for generations to come.
We're creating a Nashville where everyone belongs, no matter how far you've come to get here. Every minute, 30 people worldwide are displaced from their homes due to war, unrest, or natural disaster. In a new place, with a new language and culture, and away from all they've ever known, they start again.
At NICE, we're empowering a more peaceful, tolerant world-a world where everyone belongs. So even if some of us have come a long way to get here, every neighbor is welcomed with open arms and given every opportunity to live the life they dream of. NICE helps our newest neighbors begin a new life in Nashville-through help with education, language learning, health, employment and everything they need to feel part of the community. Because inclusion is a human right. And while we may not be able to change the whole world all at once, we can change it little by little, starting within our own community, one new neighbor at a time.
The Nashville International Center for Empowerment is made up of a diverse group of staff and volunteers who have come together with a mission to ensure refugees and immigrants achieve their full potential now and for generations to come. We have developed a deep understanding of the needs and long-term aspirations of refugees and immigrants because of our own professional and lived experiences. NICE is an Ethnic Community Based Organization (ECBO), composed of a board and staff who are primarily refugees and immigrants. Through a multidimensional social services approach, we aim to make Middle Tennessee a welcome home for New Americans.
Background
Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE) is an Ethnic Community Based Organization (ECBO) providing essential social services for refugees and immigrants in Middle Tennessee. It is the only Ethnic Community Based Organization (ECBO) in the state of Tennessee founded and run by a former refugee and whose majority of staff are primarily from refugee and immigrant communities. Creating programs that meet the specific needs expressed by New Americans reflects a commitment to empower clients to become self-sufficient and interdependent members of the community. Since 2005, NICE has worked to realize its vision of integration, empowerment, and civic participation for New Americans by recognizing and equipping New American talent, labor, entrepreneurial spirit, and spending power in Tennessee.
Impact
In 2023, NICE opened a second location in Gallatin, TN in order to meet the needs of an additional 50 refugees annually. NICE is also in a chapter of record growth, with an staff of nearly 100 and a current operating budget of approximately $5.2M. Partnering with over 75 local organizations, NICE continues its commitment to serve Nashville with a community-centric approach through which our new neighbors can best write their next chapter in Middle Tennessee.
In 2024, NICE has been approved by the US Department of State to resettle 400 traditional refugees in the Greater Nashville area, and anticipated 100 more eligible Cuban and Haitian Entrants. In addition, we are approved to resettle 120 refugees in our Gallatin location. Our estimated 2024 impact is broken down by department below:
Additional Employment and Cash Assistance for traditional refugee and humanitarian parolees: 150
Health Education Outreach for refugees and immigrants: 4,000
Adult Education: 650
Youth Education: 225
Immigration Services: 700
Total Estimated: 6,245
Needs
1) Immediate transitional housing. With Nashville's cost of living skyrocketing, finding housing for newly-arrived refugees is becoming more difficult. Outside of the city, our communities do not have access to public transportation or critical social services. With additional funding, NICE will develop transitional housing for newly-arrived refugees until they are able to afford their own housing and vehicles.
2) Expand access to immigration legal services. Nashville is a trending destination for immigrants and refugees to reunite with families/communities from their home countries.Since Title 42 was lifted, a series of expanded pathways were announced for displaced people to seek temporary U.S. refuge. However, recent Afghan and Ukrainian refugees have exposed a lack of available asylum legal services, creating a situation where thousands of new Nashville residents become vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking, and homelessness.
3) In-house counseling service for new Americans. Many in our refugee communities, living through recent and current trauma, have expressed a need for mental health services. We welcome this development, as cultural stigma has historically prevented immigrant and refugee communities from expressing this need.
CEO Statement
Since its inception, NICE has been addressing the diverse needs of a global community thriving in Nashville. Our primary goal has been to provide services to refugees and immigrants in Middle Tennessee's urban areas and assist them in navigating the complex process of migration. Social inequality is at the root of the refugee experience, which in turn contributes to discrimination and generational poverty. While NICE recognizes these challenges facing our New American brothers and sisters, we also recognize the strengths that exist within these communities, and use these strengths to advocate on their behalf. Through NICE, refugees and immigrants who have lived through marginalization, exclusion, and entrenched discrimination in their homeland are able to rebuild their lives with dignity here in the United States. NICE's organizational framework is built on the core principle of social participation. From the beginning, we wanted to connect our mission with the city at large to build strong relationships between the refugee and native-born communities. Shared principles between a nurturing network of partners, community leaders, staff, and volunteers create a sense of belonging, inclusion, and recognition for our new clients. NICE brings people together around a common cause by putting humanity at the center of our work. I have seen different ethnicities and cultures come together in our office; reaching beyond identity to form relationships based on shared values and visions. NICE attributes its success to a myriad of factors, but we would not be here without your commitment. We have learned from our generous funders, individual donors, and volunteers that when we share our lives, we continue to grow and learn together. We look forward to our continued partnership with you in the upcoming year.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Ethnic/Immigrant Services |
| Secondary Category: | Education - Adult Education |
| Tertiary Category: | Employment - Employment Preparation & Procurement |
Areas Served
We serve the South Nashville area, Davidson County, and neighboring districts. Our primary focus is in Middle Tennessee.
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Rutherford |
