Foundation Grants Support Native American Nonprofit Leadership
Development
Released
on: December 18, 2008, 8:09 am
Press
Release Author: Sarah Vermillion, Vice President
Industry:
Non
Profit
Press
Release Summary: Longmont, Colorado- The next generation of Native
American nonprofit sector leaders will receive a significant boost
from a leadership training program organized by First Nations
Development Institute (First Nations) and funded by a consortium
of private foundations as well as contributions from individual
supporters.
Press
Release Body: Foundation Grants Support Native American Nonprofit
Leadership Development
Media
Contact: Sarah Vermillion, Vice President
Phone: 303-774-7836 e-mail: svermillion@firstnations.org
Longmont,
Colorado- The next generation of Native American nonprofit sector
leaders will receive a significant boost from a leadership training
program organized by First Nations Development Institute
(First Nations) and funded by a consortium of private
foundations as well as contributions from individual supporters.
Grants
of $300,000 over three years from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, $400,000 over two years from the
Ford Foundation and $25,000 from American Express
will support the Leadership and Entrepreneurial Apprenticeship
Development (LEAD) program for up-and-coming, nonprofit
executives serving Native American communities in Oregon, Washington
and Colorado. In all, 60 Native American nonprofit professionals
will be trained during the three-year grant period.
LEAD
will develop a new pool of nonprofit leaders to meet the needs
of the growing Native American nonprofit sector. LEAD
Fellows are employed by a nonprofit organization or planning a
career in the nonprofit sector, are committed to a career working
in Native communities, and are affiliated with a tribe. In fall
2008, LEAD graduated 12 Fellows. For information
about the 2007 – 2008 LEAD graduates and
the 2008 – 2009 class of LEAD Fellows,
visit www.firstnations.org.
In
Oregon, Washington and Colorado, respectively, partner organizations
– the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA),
the Potlatch Fund and NVision–
will organize and host the training sessions for the Fellows with
facilitation and support from First Nations.
“We
are so pleased to expand this program that builds the capacity
of Native nonprofit organizations,” said First
Nations’ President, Michael E. Roberts. “By
concentrating resources on our communities’ most important
asset – our people – we can build strong communities
and tribal institutions.”
The
one-year mentorship program will train participants in areas critical
to successful nonprofit leaders, including financial management,
factors affecting Native or reservation-based nonprofit organizations,
fundraising, program evaluation and service leadership.
About
First Nations Development Institute
Through a three-pronged strategy of Educating Grassroots Practitioners,
Advocating for Systemic Change, and Capitalizing Indian Communities,
First Nations Development Institute is working to restore Native
control and culturally-compatible stewardship of the assets they
own - be they land, human potential, cultural heritage, or natural
resources - and to establish new assets for ensuring the long-term
vitality of Native communities. First Nations Development Institute
is a national, nonprofit, Native American-led organization.
For
more information about this program, contact Sarah Vermillion,
Vice President of First Nations Development Institute, at 303-774-7836
/ svermillion@firstnations.org.
###
Web
Site: http://www.firstnations.org
Contact
Details: First Nations Development Institute
703 3rd Ave, Suite B
Longmont, CO 80501
303-774-7836 (tel)
303-774-7841 (fax)
svermillion@firstnations.org
2012
