The City of Boston is offering $575 scholarships to immigrants – including illegal immigrants – who complete a city-sponsored leadership course.
The Immigrants Lead Boston program is run by the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement. The city describes it as a program for immigrants who want to become community leaders.
Applicants must live in Boston, be at least 18 years old, and be immigrants. The city says applicants may apply “regardless of their immigration status.”
The program’s rules do not require participants to be legal residents of the United States. Native-born Boston residents are not eligible unless the city considers them immigrants.
Selected applicants will complete a 10-week course from September 21 through December 5. Applications are due August 17.
The course will cover civic engagement, community organizing, public speaking, immigration history, racism, and equity. Participants will meet Boston officials and learn how to work with city government.
Candidates must speak English, Spanish, or Haitian Creole.
The city will partner with the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition to run the program. The organization supports legislation strengthening protections and increasing taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal immigrants in Massachusetts.
Not everyone who applies will receive a place in the program. Only selected participants will receive the $575 scholarship.
The city will distribute the full payment at the end of the course. Participants must attend the required sessions and take part in the program’s projects and activities.
The city has offered Immigrants Lead Boston since 2020. Eighteen people participated in the first class. The 2024 class had 27 participants, while the 2025 class had 28.
The city’s website does not state how many people it will select this year or the total amount it expects to spend on scholarships.
The fall 2026 program will include both online and in-person sessions. Selected applicants are expected to receive decisions between September 7 and September 11
