What Vermont Asylum Assistance Project does

Vermont Asylum Assistance Project (VAAP) is a Burlington, Vermont-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2021, incorporated in 2023, and first staffed in 2024. It provides no-cost immigration legal representation to Vermont-located noncitizens at risk of detention or deportation, including asylum seekers, mixed-status families, and undocumented individuals. Core service offerings include direct legal assistance (asylum applications, removal defense, work authorization, status regularization), a 12-section Resource Library, weekly Case Rounds for cross-organizational legal collaboration, an ICE Tracker for real-time enforcement visibility, Know Your Rights education in multiple languages, lawyer and community referral services, and the Immigrant Emergency Minor Guardianship Project in partnership with Vermont Legal Aid.

VAAP is funded primarily through grants — most notably from the Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund (VILDF), from which it has received at least three awards totaling $110,000+ and a separate $60,000 fourth-round grant — supplemented by individual donations processed through United Way of Northwest Vermont. The organization has trained more than 100 Vermont attorneys as volunteer defenders and operates within a coalition of roughly 20 partner organizations spanning legal aid (Vermont Legal Aid), advocacy (Migrant Justice, AALV), state government (Agency of Human Services, Department of Labor, State Refugee Office), municipal bodies (City of Winooski), academia (UVM, Vermont Law & Graduate School), and private law firms (Downs Rachlin Martin, Tarrant Gillies, Fenwick). It also engages in policy advocacy, including an emerging "Office of New Americans" equivalent initiative (S.194).

The underlying technology stack is conventional: Squarespace-hosted website with intake forms, Microsoft Teams for internal collaboration, YouTube (@VTAsylum) for training content, Google Forms for surveys, and Microsoft Copilot used narrowly to anonymize and summarize weekly Case Rounds notes. There is no public API, no proprietary platform, and no native AI/ML infrastructure. Reach is statewide across all 14 Vermont counties, with named service concentrations in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, Rutland, and Windham counties. The organization has served over 300 individuals since founding and over 100 clients in its first 100 days of staffing.

Name

Vermont Asylum Assistance Project

Legal name

Vermont Asylum Assistance Project

Website

https://vaapvt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vermont Asylum Assistance Project is a Burlington, Vermont-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free immigration legal representation, asylum application support, and Know Your Rights education to Vermont noncitizens at risk of detention or deportation, funded primarily through grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Services

NAICS

All Other Legal Services (541199), Social Assistance (624)

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), Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Asylum case preparation
• Removal defense representation
• Nonprofit legal aid
• Immigrant advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding & Donations: VAAP operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded primarily through grants (including Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund awards, VILDF third award of $50,000) and individual donations. The United Way of Northwest Vermont provides administrative support for donations. VAAP has received three VILDF awards totaling over $110,000 and a $60,000 grant in the fourth round of VILDF grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

VAAP provides no-cost immigration legal assistance to Vermont-located noncitizens at risk of detention or deportation, including asylum applications, removal proceedings defense, employment authorization, and status regularization. The organization supplements direct representation with a comprehensive Resource Library, weekly Case Rounds for legal collaboration, Know Your Rights community education, an ICE Tracker, lawyer and community referrals, and policy advocacy initiatives such as the Immigrant Emergency Minor Guardianship Project.

Product overview

VAAP (Vermont Asylum Assistance Project) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal organization founded in 2021 and staffed in 2024, offering a comprehensive suite of immigration legal services and resources. The organization's core offerings include direct legal assistance for Vermont noncitizens facing detention or deportation, a resource library with 12 topical sections, weekly Case Rounds for professional collaboration, ICE tracking, policy advocacy, and volunteer coordination. Services are integrated through a Get Legal Help intake system, with additional support through newsletters, Know Your Rights education, lawyer and community referrals, and the Immigrant Emergency Minor Guardianship Project partnership with Vermont Legal Aid. VAAP operates as a unified legal services organization without modular products, providing end-to-end support from intake through representation and advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Get Legal Help (Direct Legal Representation) No-cost immigration legal assistance for Vermont-located noncitizens at risk of detention or deportation or seeking to regularize their immigration status. Includes asylum applications, removal proceedings defense, work authorization, status regularization, and intake prioritized by legal urgency.
• Resource Library

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Vermont Legal AidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVermont Legal Aid collaborates with VAAP on family preparedness planning and emergency minor guardianship projects, coordinating legal clinics and volunteer attorneys to help immigrant parents protect parental rights and prevent family separation due to ICE arrest.
• Migrant JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMigrant Justice is a Vermont-based advocacy group that documents immigration detentions, organizes rapid response networks, and advocates for immigrant rights. VAAP works in solidarity with Migrant Justice and jointly addresses issues including the Newport 10 detention case.
• Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAALV is a grant recipient of the Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund (receiving $188,700 in VILDF's fourth round) and a key community organization partner in VAAP's statewide service coordination and ONA equivalent advocacy efforts.
• Center for Justice Reform Clinic at Vermont Law & Graduate SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA grant recipient of VILDF ($67,500 in fourth round), this clinic is part of VAAP's collaborative ecosystem providing immigration legal services and training the next generation of immigration attorneys in Vermont.
• Vermont Language Justice ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVermont Language Justice Project provides Know Your Rights videos and language access resources in multiple languages (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Haitian Creole, Farsi), supporting VAAP's multilingual community outreach.
• UVM Bridges to HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUVM Bridges to Health partners with VAAP and Vermont Legal Aid on the family preparedness and emergency minor guardianship initiative, providing healthcare and support coordination for immigrant families.
• Downs Rachlin Martin, Tarrant Gillies, and FenwickmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThese law firms support VAAP's virtual legal clinics by enabling their staff attorneys to volunteer, contributing to single-day clinics that served 35+ asylum seekers across Vermont counties.
• Vermont State Refugee OfficemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAAP works with the Vermont State Refugee Office on RISPNET coordination and ONA equivalent planning, collaborating on statewide immigration services sector development and planning.
• Connecting CulturesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnecting Cultures is a Vermont immigrant services organization. VAAP's Executive Director serves as Legal Director for Connecting Cultures, creating a direct organizational linkage.
• Common Good VermontmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Good Vermont partnered with VAAP and other organizations to launch the Federal Impact Survey in May 2025 to document how federal actions are impacting Vermont nonprofits and communities.
• Vermont Kin as Parents (VKAP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVKAP participates in the ONA equivalent steering committee alongside VAAP, contributing to advocacy for centralized immigration services coordination.
• The Family RoomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Family Room participates in the ONA equivalent steering committee alongside VAAP, providing family services coordination for immigrant communities.
• Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDCC participates in ONA equivalent planning alongside VAAP, bringing southern Vermont economic development and immigration services coordination perspective.
• Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCVOEO participates in ONA equivalent planning alongside VAAP, contributing community economic opportunity and services coordination expertise.
• City of WinooskiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Winooski participates in the ONA equivalent steering committee alongside VAAP, representing a municipality with significant immigrant population.
• Vermont Department of Human Services / Agency of Human ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAAP collaborates with AHS and its sub-agencies including the State Refugee Office on immigration services coordination, ONA equivalent planning, and access to state services for Vermont immigrants.
• Vermont Department of Labor and Department of Economic DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAAP has engaged with DED leaders including Commissioner Joan Goldstein and Director John Young to discuss how immigration legal services create pathways to work authorization, contributing to workforce development pipelines.
• Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough DED introduction, VAAP connected with VBSR, opening doors to private-sector collaboration around workforce development and immigrant labor.
• Vermont State House (Sen. Martine Laroque Gulick, Rep. Leonora Dodge)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAAP works with Vermont legislators including Senator Gulick (lead sponsor of S.194 ONA bill) and Representative Dodge on immigration policy including Act 105 (professional licensure) and ONA equivalent legislation.
• Syracuse University TRAC (Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAAP connected with TRAC to explore implementing data tracking tools customized for Vermont's ONA equivalent to provide insights into immigrant subpopulations and legal service needs statewide.
• Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAAP Executive Director Jill Martin Diaz presented at CARL's Spring National Conference (Montreal) on the 'Refugee Law and Lawyers in the U.S.' panel, establishing cross-border collaboration and receiving a referral tool from the Canada-US Border Rights Clinic.
• National ONA State Network (American Immigration Council)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAAP engaged with the national ONA State Network led by Mike Zimmer, receiving an ONA toolkit and advice from successful ONA organizers from Maine and Massachusetts for Vermont's ONA equivalent planning.
• Refugee agencies (USCRI-VT, ECDC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSCRI-VT and ECDC are key refugee resettlement agencies participating in ONA equivalent planning alongside VAAP, representing essential stakeholders in Vermont's immigration services ecosystem.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Immigration Council: National nonprofit that advocates for fair and just immigration policy, including operating the ONA State Network that VAAP engaged with for Vermont's ONA equivalent planning. Comparable in combining policy advocacy with capacity-building resources for state-level immigration legal services infrastructure.
• Immigration Legal Resource Center (ILRC): National nonprofit that provides training, education, and policy advocacy on immigrant rights, including resources for legal practitioners. Comparable to VAAP in combining direct service support, training, and advocacy, but at national scale.
• HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society): One of the oldest global refugee resettlement and immigration legal services organizations, providing legal aid, resettlement, and advocacy. Comparable in combining refugee/asylum legal services with policy advocacy, though at significantly larger scale and with global footprint.
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC): National nonprofit network of 400+ immigration legal services programs that provides training, technical assistance, and capacity-building to affiliated immigration programs. Highly relevant as a model and potential resource partner for VAAP's network-building approach, though it operates at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Kids In Need of Defense (KIND): National nonprofit providing pro bono immigration legal representation, particularly to unaccompanied children. Comparable in pro bono attorney mobilization and asylum/immigration defense focus, though KIND specializes in children's cases and operates nationally.
• Vermont Legal Aid: Vermont's statewide legal aid organization that partners with VAAP on the Immigrant Emergency Minor Guardianship Project and refers immigration cases. Both provide free legal services to vulnerable Vermont populations, though Vermont Legal Aid is a general legal aid org rather than an immigration specialist.
• Migrant Justice: Vermont-based immigrant advocacy organization that documents ICE detentions, organizes rapid response networks, and partners with VAAP on legal defense. Highly comparable as a Vermont immigrant-services organization with overlapping community base and joint case coordination.
• Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP): National nonprofit providing legal representation and community support to asylum seekers, with a volunteer-driven model. Highly comparable in mission (asylum-focused legal aid), target population (asylum seekers), and volunteer mobilization approach.
• Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON): National network of volunteer-driven immigration legal services clinics providing free or low-cost representation to immigrants. Closely comparable in operating model — volunteer attorney mobilization, faith-rooted funding, direct representation for low-income immigrants — though at a larger network scale.

Regional players

• Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV): Vermont-based immigrant services organization and major VILDF grant recipient ($188,700 in fourth round). Highly comparable as a Vermont immigrant-services partner in VAAP's referral and coordination ecosystem, though AALV focuses on broader immigrant integration services rather than legal representation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@VTAsylum
• Instagraminstagram.com/vtasylum
• Facebookfacebook.com/vtasylum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vermont-asylum-assistance-project-vaap

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Vermont Asylum Assistance Project