First Nations Development Institute and the National Urban Indian Family Coalition: Urban Native Project

First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) and the National Urban Indian Family Coalition (NUIFC) will support organizations that increase the availability and effectiveness of comprehensive community programming in urban Indian centers and communities. The project also supports new and expanded activities in urban Indian environments with the goal of improving opportunities that can be attained in all Native American urban communities.

With Kresge Foundation support, First Nations and the NUIFC will work directly with three urban Native American nonprofits to help them improve their management and leadership skills. Capacity building grants will be awarded to organizations whose core mission is to serve and engage with urban American Indian populations through a mix of housing, child welfare, employment, food bank, workforce, youth development, culture, language, and financial education.

Grant making priorities include:

• Capacity, ability, and interest in providing, or expanding on existing integrated asset building programs that include Native American-controlled Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), housing programs, Individual Development Account (IDA) programs, financial education programs and financial service programs (e.g., Earned Income Tax Credit and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)) that are conduits for building their communities’ ability to improve management of and access to (primarily financial) assets
• Actively engaging American Indian community members in future changes to the urban environment
• Serving as an information center and resource for the community while realizing cultural preservation and leveraging cultural assets
• Engaging American Indian community members in thinking about long-term outcomes and the ways in which to engage productive processes to hold institutions accountable to best practices and policy as the urban landscape grows and changes
• Highlighting the urban experience and expertise of the nonprofit and acting as a model of good planning, infrastructure, community organizing, and leadership
• Naming individuals/leaders to engage in an organizational assessment and/or on-site training, and share practices, exchange information, and explore strategies with American Indian urban projects/centers/nonprofit organizations. These leaders will have interest and ability to discuss, debate, and analyze the current and future social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental landscape in the urban environment
• Offering innovative programs and services that reflect evidence-based solutions, and/or that represent creative, effective approaches to addressing persistent needs or challenges
• Supporting additional local and/or regional partner organizations and leaders
• Receiving support from other foundation and corporate funders
• Ability to meet the specific needs of partners and funders
• Ability to carry out the logistical and practical preparations for a two-day meeting in selected grantee city (secure facility for the meeting, provide audio-visual equipment, arrange for field trip or tour)
• Intention and readiness to implement actions emerging from training and technical assistance activities

Eligibility: Nonprofit, tax exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Organizations can also submit applications through a sponsoring organization if the sponsor has 501(c)(3) status. Collaborative program proposals are accepted. Applicants can be national urban American Indian centers or Native nonprofits based in urban settings.

Amount: Three grants of $40,000 will be awarded.

Link: http://www.firstnations.org/grantmaking/2015UNNHSF

Note: First Nations will host a technical assistance call on May 14, 2015 at 11:00 am.

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