Over the past 34 years, First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) has funded a number of successful programs and projects geared toward strengthening Native American communities and their economies. Often, we are amazed and inspired by the lessons we learn from our grantees.

At First Nations, we are firmly committed to sharing these lessons and creating knowledge that will empower others to take action in Indian Country. To this end, we created and continually add to the First Nations Knowledge Center, an important online resource that provides tribes and Native organization with easy access to reports, fact sheets, manuals and other publications offering important, tribally-relevant information.

Valerie Segrest

For example, we recently released a new report by Valerie Segrest, a community nutritionist and Native foods expert, who helped develop the Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project’s Food-Purchasing Program. Through this program, Valerie helped organize a group of tribal cooks on the Muckleshoot Reservation who banded together to collectively leverage dollars and resources and get better access to prices, goods and services from vendors.

Valerie’s report details the steps she took to help establish this program, the challenges she faced along the way, and the practical advice she has for other tribes and Native organizations interested in developing a similar program in their communities.

Valerie’s full report, The Power of the Tribal Dollar: Highlighting the Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project’s Food-Purchasing Program, is free and available for download from First Nations’ Knowledge Center at this link: http://www.firstnations.org/knowledge-center/foods-health (Please note: you may have to create a free account in order to download the report if you don’t already have one.)

By Sarah Hernandez, First Nations Program Coordinator