Watch for Our TV Spots on Comcast/Xfinity in December

Posted on November 18, 2015 by rblauvelt

A scene from one of the PSAs

First Nations Development Institute’s two TV public service advertisements (PSAs) will be running on Comcast NBCUniversal’s Xfinity cable TV service in several market areas between Nov. 30, 2015, and December 27, 2015. The airtime was generously donated by the Comcast Foundation and Comcast NBCUniversal, who have donated production funds and significant airtime to First Nations since 2013. (The Comcast Foundation also has supported other projects of First Nations, most notably providing $150,000 over three years toward First Nations’ Urban Native Project.)

The PSAs will air in 30 Comcast market areas. If you live in one of these areas and subscribe to Comcast/Xfinity, please keep an eye out for our spots:

Albuquerque, NM
Portales/Tucumcari, NM
Atlanta, GA
Baltimore, MD
Boston, MA
Champaign, IL
Chicago, IL
Colorado Springs, CO
Denver, CO
Las Cruces, NM
Eugene, OR
Ft. Myers, FL
Hartford, CT
Houston, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
Monterey-Santa Cruz, CA
Northern New Jersey (NYC area)
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Portland, OR
Rockville, MD
San Francisco, CA
Sarasota, FL
Savannah, GA
Seattle, WA
Spokane, WA
Tallahassee, FL
Washington, D.C.
West Palm Beach, FL

First Nations’ PSAs can also be viewed on our website at this link: http://www.firstnations.org/psa/psa.html

Separately, in August 2015, Comcast NBCUniversal featured an article about First Nations in its 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. Here’s a direct link to the story: http://corporate.comcast.com/csr2015/raising-awareness-with-real-stories

Comcast Foundation Donates $2 Million in Airtime

Posted on May 19, 2014 by rblauvelt

A scene from one of the First Nations PSAs, shot at Santo Domingo Pueblo in New Mexico

The Comcast Foundation has donated $2 million in airtime on Comcast’s Xfinity cable TV system to run First Nations’ public service announcements (PSAs) during June and July 2014.

This is the second year that the Comcast Foundation has made a significant contribution of broadcast time for First Nations’ 30-second television spots. During 2013, the foundation and Comcast Corporation donated more than $1.5 million in airtime, which resulted in the airing of First Nations’ announcements more than 113,000 times in 13 market areas around the United States. The Comcast Foundation also donated $20,000 in cash for production of the two TV spots. For 2014, the First Nations spots will run in 30 market areas from coast to coast. The spots can be seen online here: http://www.firstnations.org/psa/psa.html.

“This generous gift of airtime will go a very long way toward building awareness of the critical economic development and asset-building needs of struggling Native American communities, and how First Nations plays a key behind-the-scenes role in that,” said First Nations President Michael E. Roberts. “We are deeply grateful to Comcast for continuing its significant support of our efforts.”

Bill Black, vice president and executive director of the Comcast Foundation, said, “We are excited to partner with First Nations on this important initiative for a second year. At Comcast, we are committed to leveling the playing field so that everyone, regardless of income, has an opportunity to improve their life.”

Recent Grants Give Big Boost to First Nations’ Mission

Posted on March 19, 2014 by rblauvelt

Over the past couple of months, First Nations has received several grants that will go a long way toward fulfilling our mission of strengthening American Indian economies to support healthy Native communities.

In March, we received a $1.2 million grant for a project that aims to build the sustainability and vibrancy of Native American organizations that are specifically targeting Native artists and Native cultural institutions. Under the project, we expect to award between 18 and 55 grants ranging from $500 to $30,000 each over the next three years. The grants will help develop the effectiveness and capacity of reservation-based and select non-reservation-based Native museums, cultural centers, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), nonprofit organizations, tribal programs and Native chambers of commerce that have program initiatives in place to support Native art and Native artists. There also will be additional grants, scholarships and travel stipends awarded for professional development opportunities, conferences and related convenings.

The grant was awarded by the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation of Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

In February, we announced that AARP Foundation granted us $250,000 to expand a project that addresses hunger, nutrition and food security of Native American tribal elders. The new grant expands work that began in 2012 when AARP Foundation provided First Nations with a $187,660 grant to begin the Native American Food Security project.

Under the first grant, First Nations awarded funding to four projects that have been successfully completed and evaluated. They were to the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, the Pueblo of Nambe and Santo Domingo Pueblo in New Mexico, and Sipaulovi Development Corporation (Hopi) in Arizona. Under the new grant, First Nations will award funding to additional Native American projects.

Earlier in February, we announced that the Comcast Foundation provided a $50,000 grant to supplement a 2013 grant of $1.1 million from The Kresge Foundation. Together, they are being used to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of American Indian nonprofit organizations located in urban settings, as well as providing training and technical assistance services.

This is just the latest from the Comcast Foundation. Last year the foundation gave First Nations funds to produce television announcements along with more than $1.5 million in donated airtime on the Comcast Xfinity cable TV system. This allowed First Nations to run its public service advertising spots more than 113,000 times on various channels. In turn, these announcements helped build awareness of First Nations and the work we do to address pressing issues in Indian Country.