POTLATCH FUND

Seattle, Washington, 98104 United States

Mission Statement

Potlatch Fund, a Native-led nonprofit, provides grants, capacity building training, and leadership development opportunities to Tribal communities and Native nonprofits throughout the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Our work takes us across the Pacific Northwest where we witness the reality that many of the non-governmental services taken for granted in mainstream communities are unavailable in Indian Country. Our mission is to inspire and build upon the Native tradition of giving and to expand philanthropy within Tribal nations and Native communities in the Northwest. Our three core goals are to: • Provide leadership development and capacity building services to Tribes and Native nonprofits. • Educate the non-Native and funding communities about the needs, issues and structures that exist within Indian Country. • Run granting programs that further Potlatch Fund’s mission through the support of new, emerging and exciting initiatives.

About This Cause

THE CHALLENGE Native Americans receive less than one percent of philanthropic dollars in the United States. Yet these communities continue to experience disproportionately high rates of poverty, unemployment, and disease. The absence of a vibrant and healthy nonprofit sector in Native communities, many of which are located in isolated areas, means that services and organizational opportunities taken for granted in non-Native communities do not exist. Within Northwest Native communities there is only one 501(c) (3) nonprofit for every 5,000 to 6,000 people. This compares to a national average of one nonprofit for every 200 people in the non-Native world. The lack of Native nonprofits is a major cause of the low level of grants from mainstream foundations to Native communities, and a lack of infrastructure for other types of philanthropy. OUR SOLUTION Since 2002, the Native-led Potlatch Fund has worked to increase philanthropy in Northwest Indian Country. Our work recognizes and respects the sovereign status of Tribes, and supports and complements the work of Tribal governments and Tribal community initiatives. We have a commitment to raising awareness about the inequitable distribution of philanthropic dollars. Our organization’s name and philosophical foundation is centered on the potlatch, a traditional ceremony unique to Northwest Native Tribes. Before colonization Native communities lived a life of abundant wealth in the resource-rich Northwest. The laws of the potlatch addressed redistribution of wealth and acts of reciprocity. Returning to the way of the potlatch is intrinsic in our mission. We do this work through the following strategies: 1) The Grantmaking Program provides grants in five categories. • Community Building - supports initiatives that impart values, histories, and knowledge across generations to make our communities stronger and healthier. We focus on initiatives that address the root causes of social, economic, racial, or environmental injustices. • Language Preservation & Education - supports initiatives involving language preservation and documentation efforts, educational enrichment and after-school youth programming, and educator professional development. We focus on the inclusion of cultural identities in educational environments through language learning and engagement across generations. • Native Arts – supports organizations and individual artists working to revitalize art forms and practices, share knowledge from Elders and cultural practitioners to a new generation. • NEW! Healthy Pathways for Native Youth - supports initiatives that assist Native youth in their development from childhood to young adulthood by equipping them with resilience, strength, and health and wellness. • Native Student Success (NSS), is the result of our long partnership with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. NSS focuses on implementing best practices of Indian Education in Washington State. 2) The Capacity Building Program gives Native leaders tools to create successful nonprofit organizations. Through an intensive 10-month training program a cohort of grantees and emerging leaders develop sound strategies in nonprofit management and fundraising to increase organizational capacity in Native-led organizations. We know that increased nonprofit development catalyzes the expansion of philanthropy, which is our organization’s mission. THE IMPACT Since 2005, the Grantmaking Program has awarded 2.5 million dollars to support Tribes, Tribal nonprofits, Native-led nonprofits, and Native initiatives in Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho. Since 2013, the Capacity Building Program has helped a total of 51 individuals representing 35 Native-led nonprofits, Native arts organizations, or individual Native artists to strengthen their knowledge, skills, and professional networks.

POTLATCH FUND
800 Fifth Ave 101-257 Pmb 308 800 Fifth Ave 101-257
Seattle, Washington 98104
United States
Phone 206.445.4714
Unique Identifier 731712905