MCF Member Briefing: Improving Equity and Accountability with Native Communities

MCF, in collaboration with WASH-MN*, will host a practical conversation to understand and implement the findings of the report, Indigenous Centered, from Native Americans in Philanthropy.

This report examines the current relationship foundations have with Native Americans across the United States while also highlighting ways in which foundations can improve their accountability to Native communities.

The primary goals of this project were to:

1. Center the voices of Indigenous leaders and provide them a platform for candid and honest guidance to foundations and funders.
2. Obtain a deeper understanding of what equity and accountability means within philanthropy and particularly between community foundations and tribal communities.
3. Design a framework that will offer recommendations in building stronger partnerships between foundations and tribal entities.

While much of the report is focused on relationships between Native communities and community foundations, the majority of the findings will feel relevant to any funder, regardless of foundation-type.

Presenters

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Winoka Yepa (Diné), Director of Education and Research, Native Americans in Philanthropy
Winoka(she/her/asdzaan) is Diné originally from Shiprock, New Mexico, which is located on the Navajo Nation, also known as Dinétah. Winoka brings a wealth of experience from the arts, museum, and education fields. Most recently, she was the Senior Manager of Museum Education at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. Winoka continues to participate in the arts and culture field with her new role as the City of Santa Fe Arts Commissioner. Winoka was also a graduate researcher for the University of New Mexico, in which she collaborated to develop a national study of Indigenous language immersion programs that identified Native communities’ efforts to strengthen their language education through immersion teaching methods. Winoka is a doctoral candidate in education at the University of New Mexico, in which her dissertation focuses on the development of a pilot program titled “The Reflection Project: A Study on Indigenous Identity and Storywork”.

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Brian Barlow (Cherokee Nation), Data and Research Administrator, Native Americans in Philanthropy
Brian (he/him/his) is Cherokee from Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He is the son of Bridget Shea Sanders and Thomas Raymond Barlow and the Grandson of Thomas Raymond Barlow Sr. and Betty Ballinger-Smith. Brian is a 2012 graduate of Tahlequah High School, a 2012 Gates Millennium Scholar, a 2015 PPIA Alumnus, a 2015 Udall Scholar, and a 2016 graduate of George Washington University in Washington, DC where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Brian brings with him experience working in adminstration of a federal grant program, development of program evaluation measures, and analysis of instituional data. Brian currently serves as Secretary for the American Indian Resource Center (AIRC) Board of Directors and Community Outreach Coordinator for 4Next7, both organizations are headquartered in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In his spare time Brian enjoys planning piano, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying the outdoors.

Event Details   

Log-in details will be provided in your confirmation email. This event is open to MCF members and others interested in funding Minnesota's Native organizations. Contact Paul Masiarchin, [email protected] with questions.

*We Are Still Here - Minnesota (WASH-MN) is a collaboration fiscally sponsored by Indigenous Roots, an arts organization that supports a coalition of people, organizations, and small businesses dedicated to the Reclaiming Native Truth research and its findings.