Three American Indian Tribal governments enter into Unique partnerships with the Northwest Area Foundation to reduce poverty long term
Northwest Area Foundation to Fund 10-year Strategic Plans at Cheyenne River Sioux, SD; Lummi Nation, Northwest WA; and Turtle Mountain Chippewa reservations, ND
St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 31, 2006 – Today, the Northwest Area Foundation announced that three American Indian reservations have each agreed to enter into a 10-year partnership directly with the Foundation. Each of the three Foundation-Reservation agreements is distinct and is based upon a strategic plan each reservation created to reduce poverty long term. Each partnership begins with a one-year grant of $1M or more. Additional disbursements will be made as each partnership meets set milestones. The Foundation will support each partnership with a total of $6 to $10 million.
The three American Indian nations entering into an agreement with the Foundation are: Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe reservation in central South Dakota; the Lummi Nation reservation in Northwest Washington, near the city of Bellingham; and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa reservation, North Dakota. These partnerships come after nearly two years of planning during which leadership groups on each reservation received Foundation support to develop a 10-year strategic plan to reduce poverty.
The Foundation worked with each reservation separately and evaluated each strategic plan independent of the others. During the first year, each reservation will refine the linkages between its strategic plan and long-term poverty reduction within its community.
“We are very honored and very excited to form this unique relationship with three distinct American Indian nations,” said Karl Stauber, president and CEO of the Northwest Area Foundation. “We are eager to join each reservation community in implementing strategies that will go long and deep in an effort to reduce poverty for the long term,” he said. “Our intention is to gather the lessons learned from these efforts and offer them throughout Indian Country, so that other tribes can make lasting inroads against poverty and for prosperity across their communities.”
The Cheyenne River reservation will receive an initial $2.5 million grant to support its strategic plan which focuses on workforce and economic development, promoting income-generating opportunities in remote settlements, youth leadership internships, improving cross-reservation communications, establishing financial literacy, and individual savings account programs. As agreement milestones are met, the 10-year partnership would be supported by an additional $7 million over the life of the partnership.
“The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe would like to thank the Northwest Area Foundation for expanding their Ventures initiative to include tribal reservations,” said Tribal Chairman Harold Frazier. “We appreciate their respectful approach that promotes tribally designed strategies. This approach allowed our plan to be holistic; connected to our cultural values and targeted at stimulating sustained growth for our economy. The Tribe is looking forward to strengthening our families, our communities and our partnerships as we implement our Tribal Ventures Ten Year Poverty Reduction Plan. Our partnership with the NWAF will help us direct resources toward meaningful strategies moving our people toward prosperity,” he said.
The Lummi Nation Reservation’s initial grant is for $1 million to support its strategic plan which focuses on small-business and micro-enterprise development to create jobs and business ownership opportunities, support for rejuvenating the fishing industries, daycare expansion, improving transportation for workers, and promoting financial literacy. Up to $5 million in additional funding will be disbursed over the 10-year partnership as it meets agreement milestones.
“We recognize what a wonderful opportunity this is for the Lummi, and we are excited for this chance to reduce poverty in our community,” said Tribal Chairman Darrell Hillaire. “This project represents a long-term commitment to address the symptoms of poverty our people face. It lies at the root of many of Lummi’s problems, and we see this funding as a chance to help our people become self sufficient,” he said.
The Turtle Mountain Reservation’s first grant is for $2.9 million. As it meets its milestones, the Foundation will provide up to $7.1 million in additional funding to support the 10-year partnership. Turtle Mountain’s strategic plan focuses mobilizing the reservation for poverty reduction, youth leadership, making full use of income supplements such as EITC, establishing an Enterprise Center to spur business ownership and jobs, revitalization of downtown Belcourt, and using Tax Credits to develop housing, utilities, and tourism economic engines.
“I have always thought that American Indian tribes needed the equivalent of the Marshall Plan in which the United States rebuilt Europe after World War II,” said Tribal Chairman Ken Davis. “I see this project as that type of effort. With the three pathways our strategic plan covers, we look forward to planting the seeds necessary for us to grow and build not only a self-sustaining economy, but also our most valuable resource, the members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa,” he said.
The Northwest Area Foundation has established seven 10-year partnerships to date: BuRSST, in King County, Washington; Partners for Prosperity in Eastern Idaho; The North Central Montana Community Ventures Coalition; NorthWay Community Trust, in north Minneapolis, Minnesota; Miner County Community Revitalization, South Dakota; Central Oregon Partnership; and the Indian Land Tenure Foundation, headquartered in Little Canada, Minnesota.
The Northwest Area Foundation is dedicated to helping communities reduce poverty for the long term. It does this by sharing lessons learned from its programs and from the work of other communities and organizations. The Foundation provides financial resources and technical assistance that help communities create a climate and build the capabilities to achieve: asset identification and development; expanded economic opportunities that create living-wage jobs; increased community skills for planning, teaching, leading and implementing poverty reduction initiatives; and decision making that incorporates the voice and vote of broad segments of the community, including those of people in poverty.
The Foundation works on strategic efforts with a small number of rural, urban, and American Indian reservation communities, and organizations supporting these efforts, in its eight-state region: Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. These states were served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill. In 1934, Hill’s son, Louis W. Hill established the foundation. Foundation assets were approximately $452.5 million as of March 31, 2005. For additional information, visit www.nwaf.org, or call 651-224-9635.
Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation
Central South Dakota
Contact: Sharon Vogel, 605-964-4265, #132, svogel@lakotanetwork.com
• 2.8 million acres of rolling prairie reservation
• 43% owned by non-Indians who also lease large plots of tribal land for cattle grazing
• Population: 14,4000 enrolled tribal members
• 46% below poverty level
• Tribal members are distributed across four Lakota bands, in 19 remote communities
• Individual average income: $7,026
• Major occupations: government services, farming and ranching
• Governed by three elected tribal officials and six districts with 15 council reps
Lummi Nation Reservation
Northwest Washington, near the city of Bellingham
Contact: Rena Priest, 360-384-1489, RenaP@lummi-nsn.gov
• 12,500 acres extending into Puget Sound, and 8,000 acres of tidelands.
• Population: 4,650 enrolled tribal members
• 3,900 live on the reservation
• 28% below poverty level
• Individual average income: $10,785
• Employment is now mostly government, services and light industry in nearby towns. Once thriving fishing industry – of several hundred fishing boats, seafood processing plant and an aquaculture farm – has dramatically diminished due to foreign competition, factory fish farms, and disappearing supply due to damming of rivers and a change of fish migration away from Lummi shores.
• Governed by 11-member Lummi Indian Business Council
Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation
North Dakota, near the Canadian border
Contact: Jeremy Laducer, 701-477-2650, Jeremy@tribalresources.com
• 68,000 acres, of which 40% is lakes and sloughs
• Pop. 28,650 enrolled tribal members
• 8,100 live on the reservation, making it one of the more densely populated in US
• Additional 3,300 live nearby towns and use tribal services
• 36% below poverty level
• Average individual income: $8,855
• Employment: government, a few tribally-owned businesses, a casino, light industry in near-by towns. Many jobs are sporadic – depending on government contracts.
• Governed by slate of elected officials and four district representatives
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