Monday, October 11 is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a time to celebrate and honor Native communities, culture, and histories. It’s also a time to acknowledge the historical – and ongoing – harm experienced by Indigenous communities in our state, across our nation, and throughout the world. As philanthropists, it’s especially important to recognize that Native communities receive less than 1% of philanthropic dollars and that our funding history at Washington Women’s Foundation reflects this very disparity.
In acknowledgment of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we encourage you to uplift Indigenous communities by supporting Native organizations here in Washington State. Below, we’ve compiled a non-exhaustive list of resources and nonprofits that we’ve engaged with in our work. We want to highlight the Potlatch Fund and the Native Action Network, partners we’ve worked alongside in grantmaking and in support of the Native Grantmakers Forum, who are doing important work to promote equity in philanthropy and beyond.
Join us in celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day by learning about and investing in Native communities.
Organizations
Chief Seattle Club is dedicated to physically and spiritually supporting American Indian and Alaska Native people.
Inchelium Language & Culture Association
The Inchelium Language & Culture Association is dedicated to the revitalization and preservation of Salish languages and culture.
Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative is an Indigenous survivor-led nonprofit organization based in Olympia, WA that combats all forms of human trafficking and supports those impacted by the crime.
Na’ah Illahee Fund is an Indigenous women-led organization dedicated to the ongoing regeneration of Indigenous communities through grantmaking, capacity-building, and community-based intergenerational programming.
Native Action Network (NAN) is a nonprofit organized to promote Native women’s full representation, participation, and leadership in local, state, tribal, and national affairs.
Potlatch Fund is a Native-led nonprofit organization that provides grants and leadership development to Tribal Nations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.
Quinault Indian Nation Education Department
The Quinault Indian Nation Education Department is a department of the Quinault Indian Nation that provides a seamless system of excellence in education for enrolled Quinault members.
The Salish School of Spokane is a Salish immersion school offering childcare and elementary school for families in the City of Spokane and surrounding areas.
Ttáwaxt Birth Justice Center provides pregnancy and birth-related support, care, and advocacy rooted in traditional practices and Indigenous wisdom on the Yakama Nation Reservation and in hospitals.
Western Washington University’s Office of Tribal Relations
The Office of Tribal Relations at Western Washington University (WWU) advocates for the support and success of Native American students on campus, and represents the WWU President and Board of Trustees as liaison to American Indian, Alaska Native, and First Nation governments.
Learning Resources
We Need to Change How We Think: Perspective on Philanthropy’s Underfunding of Native Communities and Causes (Report by the First Nations Development Institute)
Potlach Fund: Opportunities and Challenges in Relation to the Funding of Northwest Native Communities (Report by the Potlach Fund)
Investing in Native Communities (A joint project of Native Americans in Philanthropy and Candid)
Funding Native Arts: Empowering the Center of Tribal Life (Report by the Potlach Fund)
Foundation Funding for Native American Issues and Peoples (Report by The Foundation Center in cooperation with Native Americans in Philanthropy)