At least four of the richest foundations in the United States have been identified as major donors to a national campaign to reform the country's immigration system.

In the last 10 years, they jointly contributed more than $300 million to immigration organizations, most of which are backing President Barack Obama's plan to initiate the reforms ahead of Republican action despite threats from GOP leaders.

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The New York Times identifies the four as the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Open Society Foundations and Atlantic Philanthropies.

Their donations helped finance the various activities of the immigration organizations such as protest marches, fasts, rallies, bus tours, vigils and voter education campaigns. Their decision to band together for a common cause was the result of Congressional rejection in 2007 of an immigration bill sponsored by President George W. Bush.

The defeat of the bill resulted in the crafting of a plan, made during retreats sponsored by the foundations, which would serve as the core values of immigration groups that formed a coalition. The coalition pushed for a change at all levels, explained Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, one of the key members of the coalition.

"We were really talking about a movement that could win the grand prize: legislation that puts 11 million people on the path to citizenship," he told The New York Times.

On Friday, Obama announced he was defying GOP leaders as he disclosed a plan to unveil a 10-point program that would not only stop the deportation of immigrant children but open a road to legalizing their stay in the U.S. as well as opening work opportunities for parents of citizens and permanent residents. The measures are expected to benefit almost 5 million immigrants.

In response to the president's threat to resort to executive action, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said on the same day that the GOP leaders have all its options on the table to stop Obama from his move, including a government shutdown since the midterm elections resulted in Republicans dominating Congress,

Immigration advocates, however want Obama to do more and held a protest in front of the White House to push the president to use his powers to its full extent.

"We expect the president to be big and bold. This is his opportunity to make sure we are going to remember him as the president who made a difference for Latino and immigrant communities," said Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA de Maryland and one of the immigration coalition's leaders.

TagsImmigration Reform, Barack Obama