Political Asylum Immigration Representation Project (PAIR Project)

Name

Political Asylum Immigration Representation Project (PAIR Project)

Legal name

Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project

Website

https://pairproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Asylum representation
• Pro bono legal aid
• Detention legal orientation
• Immigrant advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: PAIR relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with EIN 22-3003501. Donations are fully tax-deductible.
2. Foundation Grants: PAIR receives grants from foundations including Cummings Foundation (Sustaining Grant), Open Avenues Foundation ($25,000), Rippleworks ($50,000 Community Grant), Barr Foundation (Fellowship), and Rowland Foundation.
3. Government Grants: PAIR received Immigrant Legal Service Grant from MA Attorney General's Office to expand community engagement and Know Your Rights Education Initiative.
4. Pro Bono Partnership Value: Pro bono attorneys donate legal services; PAIR reports $14 million+ in donated legal services and expenses in FY 2024-25, and $18.7 million in FY 2022-23.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PAIR Project provides free immigration legal services to indigent asylum seekers and detained immigrants in Massachusetts. The organization recruits, mentors, and trains attorneys from private law firms to represent asylum seekers pro bono, delivers legal orientation and representation at ICE detention facilities, and conducts statewide Know Your Rights community education presentations. PAIR's asylum program has a 95%+ success rate and the organization has assisted more than 17,000 clients since 1989.

Product overview

PAIR Project is a nonprofit legal services organization offering a portfolio of interconnected immigration legal programs. The core offerings include the Pro Bono Asylum Program (recruiting and training volunteer attorneys for asylum representation), the Justice for Immigrant Families (JFF) Program (specialized family unit legal care launched 2018), the Detention Program (providing access to all MA detention facilities), and the Community Know Your Rights Program (outreach presentations). The organization also operates an Attorney Training Program that trains over 500 volunteer attorneys annually, supporting the delivery of services across all programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95% success rate in asylum cases
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• City of Chelsea Department of Housing and Community DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023New program focused on providing high-quality legal services to low-income Chelsea residents in partnership with the City of Chelsea.
• Metta Health Center of Lowell Community Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023Launched Passage to Healing program providing holistic legal representation to survivors of torture in conjunction with primary and behavioral health care.
• Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Pro bono partner highlighted for COVID-19 SIJS work by Pro Bono Institute; Eduardo Gonzalez ran Boston Marathon for PAIR.
• Ropes & Gray LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Pro bono partner representing asylum seekers including Zaroon case; attorneys trained on detention intakes.
• WilmerHale LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Steven D. Barrett serves as Treasurer on PAIR Board of Directors; pro bono partner.
• Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Elizabeth Badger returned to PAIR after four years as Senior Attorney at KIND Boston office.
• Nixon PeabodycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Hannah Bornstein ran Boston Marathon for PAIR; pro bono partner.
• Boston Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2018Anita P. Sharma serves on steering committee of BBA's Delivery of Legal Services Section; extensive partnership on ICE Detention Training Series.
• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) NE ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2018Anita P. Sharma appointed as 2018-19 Co-Chair of Asylum Liaison Committee; extensive partnership on trainings and roundtables.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services): Texas-based nonprofit providing free and low-cost immigration legal services to underserved immigrants. Comparable to PAIR across asylum, detention, and family representation, with a similar donor and volunteer attorney model but at significantly larger scale.
• International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP): Nonprofit that recruits and trains volunteer attorneys to provide legal services to refugees and displaced people worldwide. Closely comparable to PAIR's Pro Bono Asylum Program in model — pro bono attorney recruitment, training, and mentorship — though operating at an international rather than Massachusetts-only scope.
• National Immigration Law Center (NILC): National advocacy and legal support organization defending the rights of low-income immigrants. Comparable to PAIR on the advocacy and impact-litigation side, though NILC focuses primarily on policy and federal litigation rather than direct client representation.
• Americans for Immigrant Justice: Florida-based nonprofit providing legal representation to immigrant survivors of crime, domestic violence, and human trafficking. Closely comparable to PAIR's detention, asylum, and family programs in service mix and pro bono model, operating in a different but functionally analogous single-state footprint.
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC): Largest U.S. nonprofit immigration legal services network, providing training, resources, and direct representation across affiliated agencies. Directly comparable to PAIR in mission and pro bono model, but with a national footprint and affiliated-agency structure rather than PAIR's single-jurisdiction model.
• Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA Coalition): Massachusetts statewide umbrella organization for immigrant-serving agencies, advocating for immigrant rights and providing legal service referrals. Directly comparable to PAIR in Massachusetts focus, with complementary roles — MIRA focuses on advocacy and coalition-building while PAIR provides direct legal representation.
• Kids in Need of Defense (KIND): National nonprofit providing pro bono legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children. Directly comparable to PAIR's Justice for Immigrant Families Program — KIND is named as a former employer of PAIR's JFF Program Manager, and both organizations serve indigent immigrant populations through private law firm pro bono partnerships.

Emerging players

• Immigration Equality: National nonprofit providing free legal services to LGBTQ and HIV-positive immigrants seeking asylum and other immigration status. Comparable to PAIR's asylum work, particularly cases like Zara and Oscar, with overlapping client populations but narrower LGBTQ-specific focus.
• Justice Action Center: Nonprofit providing impact litigation and legal services for immigrant communities, including detained individuals. Comparable to PAIR's detention program on litigation and access-to-justice dimensions, but with a litigation-heavy rather than direct-representation model.

Regional players

• Centro Legal de la Raza: Bay Area-based legal services nonprofit providing free immigration, housing, and civil legal aid to low-income communities. Comparable to PAIR as a multi-program legal services nonprofit with a strong pro bono model, but operating in California rather than Massachusetts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PAIRProject_Bos
• Facebookfacebook.com/pairproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pair-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Political Asylum Immigration Representation Project (PAIR Project)