Why is the Immigration Civic Advocacy Network a business startup rather than a nonprofit? Does this not diminish accountability and reach? Not at all.
ICAN is a civic startup that partners alongside nonprofits, religious organizations, governments, school/library districts, and employers.
So, why is ICAN not a nonprofit if it does similar work to nonprofits?
ICAN serves nonprofits; it doesn’t seem to compete with them or replicate their work.
ICAN knows how to stay in its own lane. ICAN exists for three core reasons:
- To provide excellent preparation for immigrants wanting to become naturalized U.S. citizens.
- To effortlessly expand services, impact, reach, and capacity of immigrant-facing organizations.
- To advocate for expanded services, funding, care, and humane treatment of immigrants in the United States.
Beyond these three foundational reasons, ICAN does not go. ICAN does not provide other forms of social services and does not provide any legal assistance or advice. ICAN does not help immigrants with paperwork.
ICAN is established as a small organization, and that’s intentional.
With a small team, ICAN can quickly adjust to policy changes, nonprofit direction, and needs as they arise. Without a large governing structure or several departments, ICAN is agile and can be quick to produce outcomes that respond to changes that take more time for other organizations.
For example, when the USCIS completely overhauled the citizenship test in October 2025, ICAN was able to rapidly redesign its materials, offerings, structure, and support in a matter of days rather than the months it can take for larger organizations.
This agility allows for ICAN to more effectively serve organizational partners. It also allows for clear impact to be established and reported in grant applications and in conversations with funders.
ICAN releases progress reports that track student progress and shows clear outcomes as a result of budget spending.
For instance, ICAN partners can say “We spent $700 on 5 students, and we believe 4 are prepared to naturalize.”
ICAN’s clear, transparent pricing makes it valuable to organizations aiming to increase their scale and reach without adding more strain to full capacity.
ICAN as a business allows nonprofits to shine.
The relational aspect of ICAN to other organizations is fundamental to its trust. Immigration and a milestone as crucial as naturalization/citizenship are the driving force of ICAN’s mission as a business. While ICAN is not a nonprofit, it still has a clear mission and avoids mission creep or straying from its foundation.
With ICAN being agile and limited in its scope, business know exactly when and how to utilize ICAN as a tool to help them scale their impact and reach more immigrants on their journey to naturalization.
To learn more about how ICAN is available to help you and your organization scale its reach and impact, please email director@icancitizenship.com.
icancitizenship.com 