Seattle, WA – From across Turtle Island, the 2026 Native Youth Grantmakers (NYG) convened for the first time on the homelands of our Coast Salish relatives, sharing community with speakers from the Suquamish, Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, Tulalip, and Stillaguamish tribes and beyond. Aside from gaining new relatives and networking at every turn, the retreat’s agenda included courses in personal development, cultural grounding, and exploring each participant’s role as members of their respective communities and their new place within the philanthropic sector.
The week-long visit took a community-centered approach to learning about the philanthropic sector and participatory grantmaking with intergenerational and cultural dialogue provided by NAP Staff and representatives from Native Voices Rising (NVR), Shash Yázhí Moreno Charley (Diné) and Rowen White (Akwesasne Mohawk).
“Being in circle with this cohort of Native Youth Grantmakers reminded me why intergenerational work is so sacred to our movements,” said White, who serves as NVR’s Strategic Director. “Each of them brought a sharpness of mind, a depth of heart, and a rootedness in community that moved me deeply. They are the future of our movement. Native Voices Rising is excited to bring members of this cohort into our 2026 participatory grantmaking process, so their perspectives and lived experience as Native youth can directly shape how we resource our communities. This is how our movements regenerate and sustain themselves, by inviting our brilliant young people into intergenerational mentorship and decision-making spaces.”
The year-long program will prepare the cohort’s members to become community grant reviewers for Native Voices Rising and the Indigenous Tomorrows Fund. Through this process, the Native Youth Grantmakers will have direct decision-making power to fund community efforts.
“My colleagues and I feel honored to be invited into this space with the Native Youth Grantmakers. Each of them brings a deep understanding of their community's needs and how philanthropy can be a better partner,” says Charlotte Basch-Lin (Puyallup Tribe) of Magic Cabinet of their time with the NYG participants. “Philanthropy can learn so much from their fresh perspectives! Magic Cabinet is excited to work alongside these young professionals throughout our 2026 collaborative grantmaking with Native Voices Rising."
Amongst the emerging first signs of spring and the distant faint sounds of sea lions, the group toured the grounds of the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. Inspiring endless possibilities, the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center staff showcased their community-based efforts of cultural learning, community events, on-site renewable energy sources, agricultural and ecosystem revitalization projects, and youth-centered programming.
“Now, it is this cohort’s time to exercise their minds, put their ideas together, and create solutions for their communities, and we as staff, are here to hold the space and back them up,” said Deanna Mousseau (Kul Wicasa Oyate and Oglala Sioux Tribe), reflecting on her journey as a graduate of the first cohort of Native Youth Grantmakers to now serving as NYG’s Program Lead. “Being an NYG alum, and being on [NAP] staff, has honestly been a big moment of reflection and appreciation, and it lets me offer real guidance on how the program can best support them.”
Additional community connections included visits with local partners like the Inatai Foundation to showcase the broad range of projects, opportunities, and networks found within the non-profit sector. At each gathering, the participants heard directly from board members, program directors, and support staff about their career pathways and backgrounds that guided their professional journeys.
Native Youth Grantmakers is rooted in building and encouraging young leaders, while incorporating culture, arts, knowledge-sharing, and networking to inspire their future careers and educational endeavors.
As the 2026 NYG in-person programming continues for the next year, the intention is to give the cohort important tools to assist their home communities and passion projects. Their next in-person retreat will take place at the NAP Conference on April 14–16, 2026 in Riverside, CA.
Native Americans in Philanthropy and Native Youth Grantmakers would like to thank our local Coast Salish relatives, area partners, and the Seattle community for being wonderful hosts that brought us much joy as we begin this new journey of encouraging youth empowerment.
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Native Americans in Philanthropy
Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) promotes equitable and effective philanthropy in Native communities. We have more than a 30-year presence in the field and work closely with our counterpart organizations advocating for Tribal communities. The cornerstone of our work is our relatives and our networks. We support several communities of stakeholders that work together to build knowledge, community, priorities, and power in the sector. These networks include Native professionals in philanthropy, elected Tribal leaders, Native youth leaders, Native philanthropic executives and board members, and Native nonprofit leaders.
Native Voices Rising is a Native-led participatory grantmaking intermediary fund rooted in the belief that our communities hold the solutions to the challenges we face. We facilitate resource mobilization and support capacity building directly for grassroots organizations driving lasting change. Founded in 2013, NVR has redistributed over $20 million to Native American and Native Hawaiian-led efforts across Turtle Island, working to shift power and center community self-determination at every step.
Magic Cabinet envisions a philanthropic sector that actively empowers and generously invests in nonprofits. We aim to better serve communities by centering their wisdom and needs. We partner with nonprofits and funders through a relational approach that builds trust, strengthens collaboration, and makes partnership more joyful and lasting. Since 2019, Magic Cabinet has awarded over $50 million to nonprofits in California, Washington, and Puerto Rico.
Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center
Founded in 1970, United Indians of All Tribes Foundation provides an extensive array of educational, cultural, and social services to the urban Native community of Seattle and King County. Our headquarters, the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, was completed in 1977 and serves as a vital intergenerational hub. It remains a center of activity for Native peoples of all ages and their supporters locally, nationally, and internationally.
Inatai Foundation is a 501(c)(4) philanthropy seeking to transform the balance of power to ensure equity and racial justice across Washington state and beyond. We are accountable to leaders and organizations building power in racially diverse communities in our state. With a team based throughout Washington, we work to advance four distinct areas of work: grantmaking, relationship building, policy and advocacy, and investment management.
For more information about the Native Youth Grantmakers program, please visit nativephilanthropy.org/NYG.