IRAP Executive Director Becca Heller leans against a railing in Battery Park. She wears black jeans, a sweater, and sneakers.
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Becca Heller Awarded MacArthur Fellowship

Becca Heller, Co-Founder and Executive Director of IRAP, has been named one of this year’s MacArthur Fellows. The very prestigious award, commonly known as the “Genius Grant”, recognizes Becca’s work with IRAP on behalf of refugees and displaced people, especially in light of IRAP’s response to the Trump administration’s Muslim Ban.

The award reaffirms IRAP’s incredible success over its first ten years of mobilizing legal resources to advocate for refugees and displaced people to find pathways to safety.

Take a look at the official video from the MacArthur Foundation here:

In response to this incredible news, Becca Heller told The New York Times, “I’m hoping that this allows us to shine a spotlight both on the issues facing refugees and immigrants, and also specifically on the cool and innovative things we’re trying to do to address the issues.”