Press Release: Shapiro Foundation Invests $5.2 million USD to Expand Access to Education and Employment for Refugee Youth in Canada
CANADA (June 19, 2026)— To mark World Refugee Day, WUSC and The Shapiro Foundation announced a landmark partnership that will significantly expand refugee youth access to education, employment, and permanent protection in Canada.
Through a historic investment of $ 5.2 million USD, The Shapiro Foundation is deepening its long-standing partnership with WUSC to scale proven complementary pathways that help refugee youth continue their education, access meaningful employment, and contribute their skills and talents to enhance Canada’s economy.
The investment will support WUSC’s work in Canada and globally to strengthen partnerships, build capacity among key stakeholders, and remove barriers that prevent refugee youth from accessing opportunities to learn, work, and thrive.
Over the next four years, this investment will enable WUSC to expand its education-linked resettlement and labour mobility efforts, creating new opportunities for hundreds of refugee youth to build sustainable futures in Canada.
Scaling Labour Mobility Solutions
The investment will accelerate WUSC’s labour mobility efforts to facilitate pathways for skilled refugees to fill critical workforce needs in Canada. This work builds on WUSC’s existing labour mobility programming that has supported the arrival of 123 refugees to Canada through employer partnerships in the hospitality sector in Western Canada and the pharmacy sector in Nova Scotia.
Building on these successes, WUSC is launching the Global Skills to Work initiative, expanding labour mobility pathways into additional in-demand occupations across Atlantic Canada, including healthcare and skilled trades. The initiative will bring together employers, provincial governments, immigration partners, regulators, and settlement organizations to create coordinated pathways linking recruitment, immigration, credential recognition, and settlement support. Through this work, WUSC aims to create opportunities for up to 200 refugees in the program’s first phase, helping address labour shortages while unlocking the potential of skilled refugee talent.
Expanding Refugee Access to Education
This new investment will also help WUSC mobilize and strengthen its national Student Refugee Program (SRP) network with the ambitious goal to double the total number of sponsored students from 150 up to 300 per year by the 2029-2030 academic year. For nearly 50 years, WUSC’s SRP has provided life-changing opportunities for young refugees to pursue post-secondary education while rebuilding their lives in Canada. Since its launch, the SRP has supported the resettlement of more than 3,000 refugee students through Canada’s Private Sponsorship for Refugee Program, and a unique peer sponsorship model with universities, colleges, CEGEPs, and student leaders across the country.
This transformative investment advances WUSC’s 2030 Vision: a future where all young people—particularly refugee youth—can thrive and belong. On World Refugee Day, it serves as a powerful reminder that displaced youth deserve more than safety—they deserve opportunities to build fulfilling futures and contribute fully to their communities.
By expanding access to both education and employment, this partnership demonstrates that investing in refugee youth strengthens communities, grows economies, and creates lasting benefits for Canada and for those seeking a place to call home.
“For nearly five decades, WUSC has created sustainable opportunities for thousands of refugees while enriching the campus experience for millions of Canadians. As WUSC pioneers new labor mobility solutions that serve the interests of Canadian communities, it is a privilege to support the expansion of this vital mission.”
Ed Shapiro, Co-founder of The Shapiro Foundation
“This partnership represents a transformational investment in refugee youth and in Canada’s future. We are deeply grateful to The Shapiro Foundation for their confidence in WUSC’s mission and impact and their close partnership over the last decade. By expanding access to education and employment pathways, we can help more refugee youth realize their potential while supporting Canadian institutions, employers, and communities. Together, we are demonstrating that welcoming refugees is not only the right thing to do—it is an investment that strengthens us all.”
Steve Mason, CEO of WUSC
About WUSC: WUSC is a Canadian global development organization that works with partners around the world to catalyze positive education and economic opportunities for young people. Rooted in a legacy of supporting displaced students dating back to the 1920s, WUSC today works across more than 30 countries to help young people thrive and belong. In Canada, WUSC is a leader in refugee sponsorship and labour mobility pathways, working with post-secondary institutions, employers, and communities to create opportunities for refugees to rebuild their lives through education and employment. In 2025–2026, WUSC supported the resettlement of over 180 refugees to Canada through its programs and partnerships. Learn more at wusc.ca
About The Shapiro Foundation: Founded by Barbara and Ed Shapiro in 2000, The Shapiro Foundation began focusing on refugees and community sponsorship in 2016. The foundation focuses on resettlement in support of “win-win-win” community sponsorship models worldwide that benefit refugees, their sponsors, and host communities. Today in Canada, they support labour mobility pilots to match skilled refugees with Canadian employers and young promising refugees with post-secondary institutions through WUSC’s large network of Local Committees present on over 100 campuses. Visit theshapirofoundation.org to learn more.
For more information please contact:
Alizee Zapparoli-Manzoni-Bodson
Senior Manager, Communications
WUSC