First Nations-NUIFC Partnership Awards Second-Year Grants to Four Urban Indian Centers

LONGMONT, Colo. and SEATTLE, Sept. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) and the National Urban Indian Family Coalition (NUIFC) today announced they have selected four organizations as second-year grantees under their joint urban initiative for Native Americans. Under the project, First Nations and NUIFC, as partners, are working to build the capacity and effectiveness of American Indian and/or Alaska Native nonprofit organizations over a three-year period 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 2014-2015 period are:

• Chief Seattle Club, Seattle, Washington: $40,000 for the "Asset-Building for Homeless/Low-Income Urban Indians" project.
• Little Earth of United Tribes, Minneapolis, Minnesota: $20,000 for the "Focusing on the Future: Leadership Development & Organizational Structure" plan.
• Native American Community Services of Erie and Niagara Counties, Inc., New York: $40,000 for the "Sustaining Programs, Achieving Results through Capacity – SPARC Project."
• Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), Portland, Oregon: $20,000 for the "NAYA Volunteer Coordinator" position.

"We're proud to announce these second-year grantees, and we look forward to supporting the exceptional projects they have planned that will greatly benefit the urban American Indians and Alaska Natives they serve," said Montoya Whiteman of First Nations and Janeen Comenote of NUIFC, who manage the program.  "We had many worthy applicants – including tremendously strong proposals from urban Indian centers in Oakland, California; Chicago, Illinois; and San Antonio, Texas – but were unable to fund all of them, unfortunately."  

About First Nations Development Institute

For 34 years, using a three-pronged strategy of educating grassroots practitioners, advocating for systemic change, and capitalizing Indian communities, First Nations has been working to restore Native American control and culturally-compatible stewardship of the assets they own – be they land, human potential, cultural heritage, or natural resources – and to establish new assets for ensuring the long-term vitality of Native American communities.  First Nations serves Native American communities throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.firstnations.org.

About the National Urban Indian Family Coalition

NUIFC advocates for American Indian families living in urban areas by creating partnerships with tribes, as well as other American Indian organizations, and by conducting research to better understand the barriers, issues and opportunities facing urban American Indian families. One of the primary intentions of creating the NUIFC is to ensure access to traditionally excluded organizations and families, and to focus attention on the needs of urban Indians. The National Urban Indian Family Coalition is dedicated to remaining an access point for the exchange of ideas and dialogue regarding Urban Indian America. For more information, visit http://nuifc.org/.

PROGRAM CONTACTS:
Montoya Whiteman, First Nations Senior Program Officer
(303) 774-7836 or [email protected]

Janeen Comenote, NUIFC Executive Director
(206) 551-9933 or [email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT:
Randy Blauvelt, First Nations Senior Communications Officer
(303) 774-7836 or [email protected]

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SOURCE First Nations Development Institute