The International Institute of New England was founded in 1918 in Lowell, Massachusetts by a group of passionate and dedicated women at the local YWCA, who wanted to support immigrant women and girls. From the very start, they saw the value of welcoming newly arriving women and girls and helping them to integrate into their communities, all while honoring and celebrating their unique cultures and backgrounds.  

Today, we honor our founders’ legacy through the WILLOW Fund. 100+ years of history have shown us that by investing in refugee and immigrant women and girls, we invest in our communities, our society, our economy, and our future.