Updates on the Joint “Urban Native Project”

Posted on November 18, 2015 by rblauvelt

Representatives from the Native American Youth and Family Center (Portland, Oregon), Native American Community Services of Erie and Niagara Counties (Buffalo, New York), Little Earth of United Tribes (Minneapolis, Minnesota), the Chief Seattle Club and the National Urban Indian Family Coalition (NUIFC) (both in Seattle, Washington) met in Denver, Colorado, Oct. 20-21, 2015, to tap into the experience of nonprofit leaders, as part of First Nations Development Institute’s “Strengthening Tribal & Community Institutions” focus area and, specifically, the Urban Native Project.

Through a series of cohort meetings, participants utilize diverse areas of learning, build their professional networks, and gain valuable insights by talking with peers about the ways they have tackled particular challenges at their organizations. These meetings are sponsored by the Comcast Foundation and the Kresge Foundation. The meetings enable leaders to step back from the pressures of their jobs and to look at the big picture, learn new skills, strategize policy or action, leverage opportunities, and reflect on the unique perspectives of their organizations and their programs.

First Nations Senior Program Officer Montoya Whiteman and NUIFC Executive Director Janeen Comenote head up the Urban Native Project, which is a joint effort between First Nations and NUIFC.

Separately, on Nov. 9, 2015, the two organizations announced the newly-selected grantees for the 2015-2016 cycle, which is the third year of the Urban Native Project. Under the effort, First Nations and NUIFC, as partners, are working to build the capacity and effectiveness of American Indian and/or Alaska Native nonprofit organizations by providing project funding, training and technical assistance.

The project is made possible through a grant made to First Nations by The Kresge Foundation. It aims to help organizations that work with some of the estimated 78 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives who live off reservations or away from tribal villages, and who reflect some of the most disproportionately low social and economic standards in the urban areas in which they reside. Urban Indian organizations are an important support to Native families and individuals, providing cultural linkages as well as a hub for accessing essential human services.

The four projects selected for the 2015-2016 period are:

American Indian Child Resource Center, Oakland, California, $40,000, for the “Positive American Indian Directions” (PAID) program, which is an asset-building and self-sufficiency effort for urban Native youth. The target population is “disconnected” (out-of-school, out-of-work, and not served by any other agency) Native youth living in Oakland and surrounding areas, ages 14-21.
American Indian OIC, Minneapolis, Minnesota, $40,000, for the “Integrated Community Placement Project” that seeks to reduce unemployment for the Native community living in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area by training students for specific occupations such as web designer/developer, computer support specialist, and administrative professional, and providing related apprenticeships in the agency’s own social enterprises.
Hawaiian Community Assets, Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii, $40,000, for the “Building Stability in Housing” project. The goal of the Building Stability in Housing project is to establish an integrated asset-building system within five Native Hawaiian-controlled nonprofit organizations and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) that will increase access to affordable housing for Native Hawaiians residing in urban trust lands.
Little Earth of United Tribes, Minneapolis, Minnesota, $20,000, for a project to reform its corporate and governance structure in order to better support its mission through asset-based community development. By developing board and governance policies and improving its organizational structure, Little Earth intends to encourage the growth and expansion of the organization in a coordinated and integrated manner.

Tribes Convene for Native Asset-Building Workshop on IDA Programs

Posted on January 12, 2015 by rblauvelt

Native American tribal representatives from many parts of the U.S. converged on Denver, Colorado, in November 2014 to attend a state-of-the-art, two-day “Native IDA Training Workshop” sponsored by First Nations Oweesta Corporation (an independent subsidiary of First Nations Development Institute), Christina Finsel Consulting, and First Nations Development Institute. Attendance at the workshop demonstrated the broad and fast-growing interest in an effort that is helping Native Americans build their assets.

IDAs, or Individual Development Accounts, are matched-savings accounts that help people learn the savings habit. The training was designed to assist Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), tribes and other Native organizations that are hoping to establish or build their IDA programs. Nationally, there are more than 30 Native IDA programs serving their respective communities.

The more than 25 participants represented numerous tribes or reservation-based organizations, including Gila River, Santo Domingo Pueblo, Seminole, Seneca, Sisseton Wahpeton, Chickasaw and others. They attended sessions that covered designing a new program, growing an existing program, and how to capitalize an IDA program.

Because the programs represented were at different levels of evolution, the workshop modules were customized for different working groups. Topics were as broad as designing or modifying policies and procedures, data management and reporting, and program sustainability. All of the participants were interested in discussing marketing and recruitment strategies, and peer learning was supported as the more mature IDA programs were able to mentor young or start-up IDA programs.

Participants responded positively to the training, with one sharing that “facilitators took the time to listen and answer our questions … they were very knowledgeable.” All attendees agreed that the content presented was useful to them. Most participants (95%) also agreed they would recommend this training to others.

“We were honored to work with people to help them design IDA programs to meet the needs in their communities,” observed Krystal Langholz, Director of Programs at First Nations Oweesta Corporation. “New groups left with real plans for moving their IDA programs forward and existing IDA programs networked and received one-on-one technical assistance from the best in the industry.”

“I am so impressed with all the enthusiasm I have seen for the IDA program model,” noted Christy Finsel, a co-trainer for the workshop. “Tribes and Native nonprofits are finding their own paths forward, with programs that are reflective of local cultures and designed to help build assets.”

Final Meeting Held for 4 Tribes in Asset-Building Project

Posted on May 19, 2014 by rblauvelt

Representatives from all project partners at the final meeting, plus First Nations President Michael Roberts (far left) and First Nations Program Officer Lisa Yellow Eagle (fourth from right, back row)

On May 2, 2014, First Nations brought representatives from the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, the Hopi Education Endowment Fund (Arizona), the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe (Minnesota) and the Spokane Tribe of Indians (Washington) together in Denver, Colorado, for a final meeting of the Native Asset-Building Partnership Project.

The project was meant to strengthen tribal and Native institutions through peer learning and model development that will help improve control and management of assets for the Oneida Tribe and the Mille Lacs Band. First Nations found tribal mentors to help the Oneida and Mille Lacs design programs that will support, educate and strengthen the capacity of the youth of each tribe.

The Hopi Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) is an Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 7871 program that raises funds for Hopi students’ education. This means HEEF is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as being a division of a tribal government that can receive tax-deductible donations. HEEF has mentored the Oneida on designing and implementing an IRC Section 7871 program. Oneida has chosen to put together a framework for an Oneida Youth Leadership Institute to encourage, empower and provide leadership training to tribal youth. Oneida has chosen to use the IRC Section 7871 designation rather than the 501(c)(3) designation because it supports tribal sovereignty while still allowing donations to be tax-deductible.

The Spokane Tribe’s Department of Natural Resources has conducted a summer youth and mentorship program for more than a decade. The department incorporates traditions and culture into its summer programs and learning camps to teach youth how their ancestors used science to fish, hunt, build housing, etc. The department mentored the Mille Lacs on designing and implementing a summer youth program in Minnesota. The Mille Lacs designed a curriculum for high school students as extra-curricular science classes that will incorporate traditions and culture. The Mille Lacs also will implement a summer internship program at its Department of Natural Resources during June 2014. This will allow a tribal youth to work with the staff and learn about the different programs within the department as well as learning about career opportunities.

At the final meeting, all partners presented on their projects to First Nations and to the other partners involved in the project. First Nations also helped the two partnerships come up with action plans for the next year (after the grant is complete). The meeting was a success and the two projects developed more definite plans that will help them implement their projects in the upcoming months.

By Lisa Yellow Eagle, First Nations Program Officer