News on the Latest Native American Philanthropy Funding Report

Native American Philanthropy has made large efforts to empower Native communities through philanthropic practices, making us a proud partner. Recently, they have published a funding report in conjunction with the Foundation center with shocking information.

Native American Philanthropic funding has slipped from 0.5% of total overall grant dollars to 0.3% as of 2009-- with Native American health amongst those receiving the fewest funding!


Our NACH program is committed to lessening the gap and has taken steps to relieving funding obstacles. Ana has created a Native Philanthropy Directory as a means to share more resources to those seeking grants. Stay tuned for this directory to be published on the website!

For more information on Native American Philanthropy and Foundation Center's report, check out: http://www.nativephilanthropy.org/news/foundation_funding_native_american_issues_and_people

New NACH Faces

Since May of this year U.C. Berkeley School of Public Health graduates, Colleen Lynch and Lauren Baehner joined Seva's Native American Community Health Program as invaluable evaluation team members. We recently came back from South Dakota where Lauren worthily proved herself in gathering numbers and stories among our partners on Ihanktonwan tribal land and gardens.

Collen Lynch who has been steadily spending hours among our local Oakland partner, Intertribal Friendship House will be leaving shortly to assist in documentation of Ilinniagvik Attautchikun cultural activities at Camp Qalhaq, 12 miles north of Kotzebue on the Noatak River in north west Alaska. We wish her good luck on her travels!

Meet our newest edition, Tamara Joy from Albany New York. She has come in through a masters program at Brandeis University where she is studying sustainable international development. She's also off to visit our partner in Alaska alongside Colleen Lynch and Bonney Hartley, NACH program manager. We hope Tamara enjoys her 8 month stay!

Squash Blossoms, Corn Stalks, Gooseberry Tomatoes Vines!

NACH team member, Daniel Rodriguez stands proudly behind a slew of young thriving plants. A local lumber man, Kingman greatly assisted in the creation of their redwood beds and soil transfer. They grow up so quickly.

On the road: Porcupine Health Clinic & Brave Heart Society

Bonney, Jack and Daniel of Seva left for South Dakota mid June to conduct interviews and listening sessions with Porcupine Health Clinic board and staff in addition to visiting our Ihanktonwan partner, Brave Heart Society in the south east of the state. Historically our Native American Community Health program originated with Seva partnering with local Pine Ridge Indian Reservation community to create the first 100% Native run rural health clinic in the US. We met several founding members, of Porcupine Health Clinic, among them, Velma Kills Back and Lorelei De Cora who shared a great deal of amazing stories and historical anecdotes on our humble beginnings. The start of our program started with Porcupine in 1982, so our anniversary is coming up next year!

Shortly after reacquainting ourselves with our Porcupine Health Clinic roots we went on to our Ihanktonwan partner, Brave Heart Society. The nights were muggy with heavy showers flooding the Missouri River and surrounding farm towns. We stayed with our community partners and friends in the town of Lake Andes. It was here that we witnessed direct community involvement in food sovereignty work that catalyzed 13 community gardens across varied traditional Ihanktonwan land and families. Our project partner and brave grandmother, Faith Spotted Eagle took us out to her grandfathers land and garden where we witnessed 600 year old preserved corn seeds sprout and thrive alongside, radishes, tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon and so much more! We interviewed many families including promising young farmers who were there to bring energy and promise to the continuation of traditional planting societies. Pictured above is Wakiya or Thunder posing with a fresh harvest of red-pink and blue-white hot radishes we picked in the warming South Dakota summer.

Welcoming Ana D'Abreu

Ana D'Abreu joined NACH ranks this summer to focus her expertise on a Native Philanthropy Directory that will be made available for grant seekers. In addition she is managing a World Diabetes and Native American Heritage month awareness fundraising event scheduled for November 14 2011. Mark your calenders!

Ana is a recent Santa Clara University graduate with a Psychology major and Public Health Minor. We look forward to working with her throughout the coming year!