October 2006 Edition

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Circle of Giving is a regular newsletter from Native Americans in Philanthropy. To complement our e-news, this printed edition will spotlight member news, trends, and promising practices.

Native Americans in Philanthropy was founded in 1990 as a national nonprofit membership organization with a mission to engage Native and non-Native peoples in understanding and advancing the role of philanthropy through practices that support Native values for current and future generations.

Primary goals:

• advocating for increased resources and Native leadership
• supporting the development of Native philanthropy
• advancing philanthropic competence of grantmakers and fundraisers committed to Native philanthropy
• expanding the network of institutions and individuals committed to the organization's mission
• In order to strengthen Native communities, Native Americans in Philanthropy builds bridges between funders and Native organizations, and it also supports development of emerging nonprofit leaders.

For more information
Visit: www.nativephilanthropy.org
E-mail: info@nativephilanthropy.org
Phone: (612) 724-8798
 

Circle of Giving in Action

Native Americans in Philanthropy celebrates the circle of giving recently demonstrated through our membership. Harvard's Honoring Contributions in the Governance of American Indian Nations (Honoring Nations) awards program selected the Hopi Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) as a recipient of "High Honors" and Ho Chunk Community Development Fund as a recipient of "Honors".

Fourteen tribal governments were honored and held up as examples of excellence. These programs and initiatives accepted the awards in recognition of their good governance achievements and will receive up to $10,000 for each to share their stories of success. Hundreds of guests attended the ceremony held in conjunction with the 63rd Annual Session of the National Congress of American Indians in Sacramento, California.

"The world is changing quickly and in major ways. The Native nations we are honoring are teaching us all how to succeed and lay the foundation for seven generations to come," said Chief Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Onondaga Indian Nation and chairman of the Honoring Nations Board of Governors. The Honoring Nations program identifies, celebrates, and shares exemplary tribal governance programs among the 560+ Indian nations in the U.S. This is the sixth year of the Honoring Nations awards program. Since the program's inception in 1998, more than one-quarter of the tribes in the U.S. have applied for an award and 92 initiatives have been honored. "Tribes are solving complex governmental issues in meaningful ways. Their work is inspiring, and each holds examples for other governments to learn from," noted Amy Besaw, director of the program.

The seven "High Honors" that will receive $10,000 and seven "Honors" that will receive $2,000, were selected from a pool of 86 highly competitive applications representing more than 60 tribes. At each stage of the selection process applicants are evaluated on the criteria of effectiveness, significance to sovereignty, cultural relevance, transferability, and sustainability. The final round of evaluations, also held in Sacramento, included public presentations followed by questions from the Board of Governors. Modeling ideals of good governance, the Board then deliberated in a session that reflects traditional councils of many Native nations by building consensus while weighing the most pressing issues today. In addition to the awards, the Harvard Project prepares reports, case studies, and instructional materials based on the honorees' successes.

Based at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, Honoring Nations is administered by the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. The Harvard Project's goal is to understand the conditions under which self-determined social and economic development is achieved among American Indian nations. Honoring Nations is funded by the Ford Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and private donors.

For more information about Honoring Nations, visit the Harvard Project's web site at http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/hpaied/.
 

Profile of Emerging Leader

Kelly has an undergraduate degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Minnesota, and has recently completed her Masters Degree in Philanthropy and Development at St. Mary's University of Minnesota.
 
Kelly joined Headwaters Foundation for Justice as a Development Officer in February 2004 and began her work with the Fund of the Sacred Circle endowment campaign the following fall. She has a deep passion to learn, explore and rethink traditional philanthropy. Kelly is implementing new models of philanthropy that are inclusive of all people through the ideal that each and every person can give a significant gift. One of the primary ways that Kelly is engaged in advancing community philanthropy is through Headwaters' The Fund of the Sacred Circle. The Fund of the Sacred Circle is a powerful resource for Native Americans in Minnesota and Wisconsin, supporting Native urban, rural and tribal groups addressing the root causes of injustice. Efforts focus on: Language and Cultural Revitalization, Land Restoration and Environmental Justice, Self-Determination and Human Rights, Sovereignty and Treaty Rights.

The Circle of Leadership has increased Kelly's connections with other emerging leaders in the Native community and has helped to create a strong Native network.
 

I have created stronger connections to Native people that have long-term experience in philanthropy and have increased confidence within myself and with other leaders in the community,

says Ms. Perkins. "Circle of Leadership has also been critical in the success of my current endeavor to organize Native and non-Native people to secure a $2.1 million endowment for Native social justice work. I am grateful for the support of this project and hope that it continues to engage new, young leaders in the Native community."
 

"New" Research Released

Native Americans in Philanthropy announces the release of its latest research: A Demographic Profile of Independently Incorporated Native American Foundations and Selected Funds in the United States. This report provides basic demographic information on sixty Native controlled philanthropic organizations: thirty-six Native foundations, fifteen nonprofit organizations, and nine tribal funds. The research was conducted to provide information on the various types of Native-controlled philanthropic organizations operating in Native communities across the United States, and the resources, grantmaking interests, and organizational structures that comprise that work.
 
Among the major findings are: the number of Native-controlled foundations and their average annual giving has increased substantially over the past ten years; the range of interest areas that are supported varies by foundation type; and greater importance is placed on establishing endowments to support this work well into the future. Other information contained in the report focuses on organizational longevity, staff size, size of boards, and geographical location.
 

We believe information contained in the report will broaden public understanding of the size, growth and structure of Native philanthropy, and will encourage greater interest and investment in the field,

says author Louis Delgado, Native Americans in Philanthropy Board Member Emeritus and primary researcher.

According to the report, "The growth in philanthropic leadership offers new promise and opportunity to target philanthropic resources in a manner consistent with the needs, values and aspirations of Native people." The report is available here.