RefugePoint Celebrating 20 Years in 2025

The year 2025 marks RefugePoint’s 20th anniversary. Since our founding, we’ve helped over 179,000 refugees access resettlement and other pathways to safety, and thousands more to achieve self-reliance and inclusion in their host communities.

In addition, we’ve been successful in demonstrating new life-changing, refugee-centered approaches that have been adopted by other organizations and funders. These include innovations around self-reliance programming and measurement, and new pathways to safety such as economic mobility and family reunification. Our groundbreaking pilot programs have heavily influenced the direction these solutions have taken, and have reached millions of people around the world.  

Over the past two decades, a lot has changed for refugees. In 2005, when RefugePoint opened its doors, there were around 9.5 million refugees globally, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Today there are 43.4 million. 

At this time of increasing forced displacement, reduced immigration opportunities, and growing anti-refugee sentiment, RefugePoint is distinctly positioned to reach people who fall through the cracks of assistance. For example, since we work with dozens of receiving countries, if any one government reduces resettlement opportunities, we can help refugees in life-threatening peril get to another.

Funding cuts are already hitting refugee families and communities in devastating ways. Our private funding enables us to respond quickly and nimbly to the changing needs of refugees. While many organizations are shuttering their doors and operating on skeleton crews, RefugePoint is able to help even more refugees access safety and stability.

This year, we will share the story of where we came from, how we’ve adapted to new global challenges, and where we’re headed. 43.4 million refugees is more than a number –  each one has hopes, dreams, skills, aspirations, and a story. Throughout 2025, you’ll hear directly from those we serve, as well as our staff, partners, past clients,  and supporters, and you’ll learn more about what makes our approach to refugee response distinct. 

In celebration of this milestone anniversary, RefugePoint will host a gala on October 14, 2025, at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA. Click here for more information.