Potlatch Fund Receives $20,000 Grant For The 2010 InterTribal Canoe Journey
Potlatch Fund recently received a $20,000 grant from the First Nations Development Institute of Longmont, Colorado. This award will support the 2010 InterTribal Canoe Journey which will culminate in a weeklong celebration at the Makah reservation in Neah Bay, Washington.
The InterTribal Canoe Journey is an important multi-generational cultural renaissance event within Tribal Communities of Washington, Oregon and beyond. Since 2005, Potlatch Fund has provided support to Canoe Families for the purchase of safety equipment, for general support, and for ceremonial regalia. Canoes supported by Potlatch Fund are drug and alcohol free, follow traditional protocol, instill Native pride, incorporate language and environmental teachings, and provide leadership training. Historically the Tribes of the Washington Coast and Puget Sound have applied for funding as have a couple of Oregon Tribes. This year Native youth, who have participated in the Journey, again reviewed the grant applications received and, through a day long process, developed the docket for review by the Board of Directors. The review process provided additional leadership and development skills for Native youth as well as professional development as the participants learn about philanthropy, successful grant applications and grantmaking.
Ken Gordon, Executive Director Potlatch Fund, states: “The support we continue to receive from First Nations Development Institute is critical to the success of our participation in this annual event, which focuses on empowering Tribal youth and inspiring Native pride.”
For 2010 Potlatch Fund provided $35,000 in grants to support the following canoes:
|
Lakebay, WA |
$ 1,500 |
|
|
Blue Heron Canoe |
Kent, WA |
$ 1,500 |
|
Chehalis Tribe Canoe Family |
Oakville, WA |
$ 2,000 |
|
Chinook Indian Nation |
Bay Center, WA |
$ 2,000 |
|
Cowlitz Indian Tribe |
Longview, WA |
$ 1,500 |
|
Ha’y Tilixam Canoe Society |
Pendleton, OR |
$ 2,000 |
|
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe |
Port Angles, WA |
$ 1,500 |
|
Nooksack Indian Tribe |
Deming, WA |
$ 2,000 |
|
Ohileqw-sen Healing Center |
Bellingham, WA |
$ 1,000 |
|
Oliver Canoe Club |
Kingston, WA |
$ 1,500 |
|
Port Gamble S’Klallam Foundation |
Kingston, WA |
$ 2,000 |
|
Smith Canoe Family |
Kingston, WA |
$ 1,500 |
|
Squaxin Canoe Family |
Shelton, WA |
$ 1,500 |
|
Squwkeek Canoe Family |
Shelton, WA |
$ 1,500 |
|
The Tulalip Tribes |
Tulalip, WA |
$ 1,500 |
|
West Shore Canoe Family |
Bellingham, WA |
$ 1,500 |
|
Makah Nation |
Neah Bay, WA |
$ 5,000 |
|
Grand Ronde Canoe Family |
Grand Ronde, OR |
$ 1,000 |
|
Snoqualmie Tribe |
Snoqualmie, WA |
$ 3,000 |
Native youth will continue to be involved throughout the 2010 cycle and are currently working on the agenda for a one day funders tour that will visit the Lower Elwha Klallam and Makah reservations. The youth will also close out the grant cycle in October of this year.
For more information about Potlatch Fund or the funders tour, please contact Lawrence Leake, Director of Development and Communication, at 206.624.6076 extension 13.
Potlatch Fund
801 Second Avenue, #304
Seattle, WA 98104
www.potlatchfund.org
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Back to the office
Hello Readers,
Heather here finally back from a whirlwind travel schedule. In the last month I have been to four Tribal communities and offered three Journey to Successful Fundraising trainings. This crazy travel schedule is certainly not the noteworthy aspect of this blog. What is important from all these various travels and workshops are the INCREDIBLE participants who attend these trainings. Since many of these organizations are incredibly humble and would not brag about the good work they are doing, I will brag on their behalf.
At the start of May I was welcomed into the Cowlitz community in Puyallup. What was most impressive from this training was the fact that several of the participants travelled over an hour in some cases to attend. I love seeing this type of passion and commitment. Folks are eager and willing to learn all they can to strengthen their work and make a difference in Indian Country.
The desire to learn and strengthen their organizations is becoming even more clear to me a few weeks later. I have meetings with two groups in the upcoming days. One group would like me to review/ proofread a grant application and another group wants to discuss their mission and vision and further refine key elements of their work. I enjoy this type of technical assistance work because I feel that this is yet another way we here at Potlatch Fund encourage more Native nonprofits. As these organizations get stronger they are able to provide more services and meet more community needs.
The training was held at the Fred Oldfield Heritage Center, located in the Puyallup Fairgrounds. If you haven’t taken the opportunity to visit this museum I suggest you stop by next time you are in the area. The art is beautiful and the organization supports other Native organizations on a regular basis. They even offer a summer camp for Native youth that teaches art skills to youth. It is really amazing to see the various services and activities that are happening across Indian Country.
Our next training took me to Spokane and tomorrow I will blog about some more organizations. Monday I will share a few highlights from our Fort Hall training. Until then keep up the good work!
Take care,
Heather
Cultural Tree for the Makah Tribe
Ahi ahi marie
On Wednesday Potlatch Fund President Jim Thomas and I attended a ceremony, hosted by the Makah Tribe, to dedicate an old growth Cedar Tree. The ceremony commenced with an introduction from Chairman Michael J. Lawrence, and there followed formal invocations, prayers and speeches from all the parties that had come together to enable this day to happen. I have included at the end of this blog an excerpt from a letter presented to Chairman Lawrence which explains Potlatch Fund’s involvement in the day.
Following on from the formal ceremony we all proceeded in the pouring rain (this is a rain forest) to the site of the tree. A further blessing and prayer was held to thank the tree for giving itself for this project. The first two images here show the tree standing in the forest. The tree was so tall that I was unable to get the entire trunk in one image.
The next photo shows the tree as it started to fall. Everyone present was awed at the sight of this mighty warrior from the forest laying down. There is an old question that is sometimes used to prove the existence of god. It goes something like “if a tree falls down in the forest, and there is no one to observe it, then does it make a noise?” Philosophers have argued that the tree must make a noise because god observes everything.
I don’t know about all of that stuff. What I do know was that even if a person had no hearing then they would know that the tree had come down because the sense was visceral. You can see in the image the slowly widening crack at the base. At first the tree moved really slowly and then as gravity caught it “whooshed” to the ground, with the surrounding trees and shrubs helping to slow down the descent. The ground beneath our feet shook as the tree completed its fall and then there was a moment of perfect stillness. Watching the tree fall was a bit like watching those huge ocean liners moving across the ocean. You know what you are seeing but it is hard to believe that something so big can move, and in this case, move so quickly.
We gathered around to see the tree and wish it all the best for the next leg of its journey. The last two images give you a sense of the scale with the diameter being at least 10 - 12 feet, and the stump being easily large enough to accommodate several people standing on it.
We headed back home last night with mixed feelings. We, of course, were sad to see the Tree give up its life. And at the same time we are excited that Makah can use this resource as a way of keeping its vital traditions alive.
The following excerpt from our letter to Chairman Lawrence explains some of the background to this project:
Tena koe Chairman Lawrence
It is with considerable pleasure that we gift to the Makah Tribe the old growth Cedar Tree that stands before us.
Potlatch Fund has purchased this tree from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources with the intention of this gifting to your Tribe. This tree will be used by the Makah Tribe for cultural purposes.
On this historic occasion it is worth acknowledging the long road that has brought us all here to today. Potlatch Fund through its involvement with the Inter Tribal Canoe Journey was aware of the need for accessing old growth Cedar Trees for carving into ocean going canoes.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the US Forest Service own a number of these trees and both entities have been the recipients of requests from Tribes for trees for cultural purposes. In the case of the DNR the organization was open to the idea of making these trees available however it was constrained as its own governing legislation required that the trees be sold.
There was a concern on behalf of Tribes that they should not be forced to purchase a resource where they felt there was an existing Treaty protected Usual and Accustomed gathering right.
The two different world views led to an impasse. Over three years ago Mr Rodney Cawston from the DNR came to talk to me to see whether there was anything that Potlatch Fund could do to help with this impasse. This led to many many meetings with DNR. A listening circle was also held at the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) and this was followed by a resolution of support from ATNI. The Trust that oversees timber sales for DNR also agreed to a process to facilitate the bringing of this important resource to Tribes.
Very importantly a private foundation that heard about this project sent Potlatch Fund $20,000 to support this work. This money has been instrumental as we have been able to say to all parties “lets not worry about the dollars as thanks to this grant we have that component covered – lets just worry about the principles”.
So here is what we are doing. This magnificent tree that stands before us has been purchased by Potlatch Fund. We now gift this tree to you. The tree and the right to harvest it now belongs to the Makah Tribe. We know that you will honor the tree which is giving up its life in the forest to become a vessel to transport future generations of Makah on the open ocean and within the Puget Sound. But that is not all, Makah has committed to using this entire resource, the tree, the bark, the branches and even the roots for different cultural purposes.
At Potlatch Fund we see this as such an important project. It is important that we have been able to find a way to help Tribes obtain a resource that meets a historical and cultural need. It is important to continue to support Tribes with the Canoe Journey.
But most importantly this tree is giving its life so that the next generation of Makah can be taught the traditions, so that this important knowledge about trees, canoes and carving can be passed on. This project is part of a renaissance that is allowing the traditional knowledge to be remembered, honored and shared with future generations.
We are so excited to be involved in this project and want to thank everyone that has helped. In particular we want to thank the Makah Tribal Council, the Makah Forestry Department, Rodney Cawston, the staff and Trustees of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the anonymous family foundation and lastly the team that has worked on this project since its inception, including Jim Freed and Gary Harris.
Thank you all.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
Executive Director
Back in Town
Morena
Heather and I are back in town today for the first time in a week. On Tuesday last week we drove to Forks, WA (yes the much over-hyped “location” for those vampire movies) to meet with representatives of the Quileute Tribe to discuss our Cedar Tree project. An elder who is also a master carver mesmerized us with stories of about both his life and carving.
On Wednesday morning (very early) we were at SeaTac to travel to First Nations Development’s Lead Institute in Albuquerque. This conference had three tracks looking at non-profit capacity building, philanthropy and financial empowerment. We came home on Friday, but due to delays finally got home very early on Saturday morning.
After a few hours sleep we were meeting with Canoe Families on Saturday morning to discuss our Canoe grants program and the potential new non-profit for the Canoe journeys.
Now it is back to work and a week of catch up.
Have a great day.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
Cedar Trees
Morena
Yesterday Heather Miller and I drove out to the Makah Reservation to meet with their Tribal Council. We were joined by Rodney Cawston the Tribal Liaison from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
We were there to talk about Cedar Trees. Particularly we were there to talk about a way in which Potlatch Fund can help Tribes to access Old Growth Cedar Trees for cultural purposes such as for carving canoes, totem, story and memorial poles.
Potlatch Fund has reached an agreement with DNR where we can facilitate the attainment of these trees for Tribes. We have been authorized to purchase three trees from the State which we will in turn gift to three Tribes. The Makah Tribe is one of the Tribes that we are working with.
Our meeting yesterday was to let the Tribal Council know about the arrangement, and they will now go and source a tree that will work for a large dugout canoe. The hope is that once all of the protocols have been observed this tree can be harvested and carving can be commenced to showcase this project at the final landing of the 2010 Canoe Journey which happens at Makah this year.
The Tribal Council was excited by this concept and we are now really hopeful. This was my first trip to the Makah Tribe and Heather’s first real visit to the Olympic Peninsula. Even in the heavy rain and fog the Peninsula is beautiful and very clearly a place of significant cultural and spiritual heritage.
We will be out there again next week to meet with two further Tribes. We can’t wait.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
Back At Work
Ahi ahi marie (good afternoon)
I am back at work this week after taking a small break with friends and family over the Christmas season. We stayed for a few days in Hansville on the Kitsap Peninsula, which is very close to the Port Gamble S’Klallam Reservation. On Christmas day we woke up to amazing views of both Mt. Rainier and the Olympics. It stayed clear and warm and we actually had lunch outside. On Boxing day a few of us got brave enough to take a swim, all I can say is that it was substantially warmer than the polar beer dip that I took on January 1, 2009 at Marrowstone Island.
The full team is back at work today, and we took time to regale each other with stories from the last week or so. I think that it is really important to do this as for most of the year we are just at full speed and we (I) sometimes forget that there are all these other parts of our lives that swirl around our professional work here at Potlatch Fund.
I have spent the last two days tidying up some grant files. We have over 20 grants at any one time, with some requiring monthly grant reports. We have to stay on top of all of this work otherwise the funding pipelines dry up very quickly. I have got one small grant report to finish tomorrow and then we will be all up to date again for the year.
The big news here is that we are now also recruiting for a new position at Potlatch Fund. Full details are on our website. However in summary we are seeking a person to manage development and communications. This role will work directly with me to ensure the success of this vital part of our operations. If you wish more information then check out the website in the first instance and then by all means touch base with me for a confidential discussion.
We are having a short day tomorrow, in preparation for the new year. On Monday Heather and I are heading out to the Makah Tribe at Neah Bay. We are meeting with the Tribe to try and bring to conclusion an arrangement where Potlatch Fund can purchase a Cedar Tree and then gift it to the Tribe for a canoe.
Take care everyone and be really careful out there. A good friend of my wife was recently seriously hurt by flying debris from a car crash as she and her husband were taking a stroll. This kind of completely random accident reminds us just how careful, observant and lucky we all need to be.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
Executive Director’s Annual Report
Tena Koutou Katoa
My mother always warned me not to do too many things at once. I was never very good at taking her advice – which is one of the reasons that the Emergency Room became my home away from home as I was growing up. However, here I am inviting you to our Annual Meeting, once again asking for money and also reporting on the year. So here goes ….
This report is my reflection on the last year at Potlatch Fund, and is being prepared as I get ready for the Annual Meeting that will take place here at Potlatch Fund (on the third floor of the Norton Building – 801 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA 98104) at 1.30pm on Tuesday, September 8th.
Members of our wider community are always welcome to attend our Annual Meetings.
I am also using this report to alert our wider community to the fact that we now have four weeks left to meet a challenge grant that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave to us last year. They will give us $100,000 in November if we can raise $100,000 ourselves from individuals and Tribes by September 30th, 2009. As of today’s date we have raised $82,520.42 which leaves us with $17,479.58 to raise in a month. So even though this is an annual report I open with a plea for your support. I would love to meet this challenge from the Gates Foundation. We also honestly need the money – fundraising has been tough this year and if we can meet this target we will be well positioned as we head into our Gala and then into the new year.
In terms of our core work we remain 100 percent committed to our mission of inspiring the Native tradition of giving and expanding philanthropy in Northwest Indian Country.
We have five core external Goals that we pursue in support of this mission:
1. We provide capacity building and leadership development services to Tribes and Native non profits.
2. We educate non-native and funding communities about the needs, issues and structures that exist in Indian Country.
3. We broker relationships between funders, Tribes and Native non profits.
4. We work to build and improve Native philanthropy, and
5. We run our own modest granting program in support of all of the above.
Here are some highlights of the last year:
· In the year to July 31, 2009 we have held 37 trainings with 545 participants.
· In addition to this we have also run another year of the LEAD leadership development program. This has involved at least one training session being held each month for this cohort of 12 members over the year.
· First Nations Development Institute is the main funder of the LEAD program and they have just recommitted to funding this important work for another year. We are currently advertising for new cohort members to commence the program in November 2009.
· We have run/facilitated funders tours to three reservation communities.
· We have provided key note presentations at a range of philanthropic and grantmaking conferences.
· We have facilitated briefing sessions for Native groups to meet with funders on important issues (for example the need to remove the dams on the Elwha River).
· We have convened a series of meetings of Seattle’s Native non-profits to see how we can all work better together so that we can all survive and also support each other.
· With the help of the Taproot Foundation we have completely redesigned our website and we have well and truly entered the 21st century with a daily Potlatch Fund blog.
· We have continued our work with Oregon Tribes to measure the impact of their giving, and
· We are on track to give out about $200,000 in grants for the year – a record level for Potlatch Fund.
This has also been a difficult year for us as some of our long term funders have faced their own challenges. Notably the Paul G. Allen Foundation, WAMU, Ford and Boeing have all experienced significant change. The overall economic climate has also meant that the growth that we had been experiencing in income from donors and our Gala has also flattened out.
We have had to cut our own cloth to fit. We have moved 20 feet down the hall into a much smaller and cheaper office, we have squeezed out improved deals for photocopying, insurance, telephones and travel. In this instance a penny saved is definitely a penny earned.
The hardest decision of the year was to delay the replacement for Justin Finkbonner when he resigned in April. The existing staff team pitched in and covered Mr Finkbonner’s work for six months and we scrimped and saved in order to ensure that we could afford his replacement.
The really exciting news is that Heather Miller (Wyandotte Nation) will join us in September to become our Program Coordinator. We are all excited about Ms Miller’s appointment and we will send more information out about her in the next few days.
On other staffing matters Dana Arviso will reduce her hours slightly in September so that she can spend more time on her Ph.D. Bibiana Ancheta is still working part time for us and often brings her baby Echo into the office which completely changes our culture. Lawrence Leake has spent a huge part of the summer remodeling his basement and is now in full on Gala mode as we set out to match last year’s $100,000 surplus.
In relation to my own position the Board has recently confirmed an extension of my term for two years and I am incredibly humbled and honored to be able to continue to have the role of Potlatch Fund’s Executive Director.
Looking forward we already know that 2010 will be a tough year. We also know that we are going to be here – continuing to do the work of expanding philanthropy. This is important work, made even more urgent by the current economic crisis, the needs in Indian Country and the seemingly endless core of hope for a better future.
I want to thank you all for the support you provide. I also want to especially thank all of the staff for their dedication, perseverance and commitment. Lastly I want to thank the Potlatch Fund Board for the provision of clear leadership and direction.
Ka mau te wehi – you are all awesome.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
Executive Director
Potlatch Fund
Native Art Grants
Morena
Our Native Arts grantmaking committee met for four hours yesterday and worked through all of the 43 grant applications that we had received.
We had requests for four times more money than we actually had to give away. As the Committee worked through the list they were initially looking to exclude some requests. Requests that came through late, or were incomplete or where the Committee did not feel that the request met the arts guidelines were first placed in the pile that were recommended to be declined.
We then went through the remaining applications and ranked then as High, Medium/High, Medium and Medium Low. Depending on the ranking the application was recommended to receive between about 85 percent and 25 percent of their original request. We then went back through those groups that were recommended to receive only a small portion of their request to see if the actual project could make progress with the reduced amount. This fine tuning of the recommendations took some time and finally we were able to make a recommendationof just over $40,000 (the budget was $37,500). The Committee would have love to give away more money - but we are limited by the amount that we can fund raise ourselves. These funds came from a grant received from the Boeing Foundation, the proceeds from our 2008 Gala and a challenge grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
We have just recently heard that we have received a series of mid sized grants to support our Gala. These grants have been received from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Boeing Foundation, the Squaxin Island Tribe and the Siletz Tribe. Thank you all.
These recommendations now go to the Potlatch Fund Board which meets on September the 8th. The applicants will be advised of the decisions following the Board meeting and most likely during the week of September 14th.
In relation to the Seattle Marathon my program has me doing the fartlek training that I love so much (NOT) again today and on Thursday. Montoya Whiteman who works for the First Nations Development Institute also pledged $26 which now brings us to $1,743. Thank you.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
Busy Week!
Morena
Our Native Arts Committee will be meeting later today to look at the 43 grant requests that have been received. In total the 43 groups and artists have requested $181,781 and we have about $40,000 to give away. This $40,000 includes funds received from Boeing for re-granting and also includes funds received at our 2008 Gala.
We also are also getting ready for out Finance and Technical Assistance Committees which meet tomorrow. These Committees always meet a week prior to our quarterly Board meeting which takes place on September the 8th.
Dana and I will also be heading out early on Wednesday morning to drive to Lummi to run a two day introduction to Financial Management program. So I have to sign off and start getting some stuff processed for this week.
I was able to complete my required training over the weekend running 6.4 miles on Saturday and around 14.5 miles on Sunday. Today is a day of rest. Sarah EcoHawk Vermillion from First Nations Development Institute has pledged $26 to our Seattle MarathonFundraiser bringing the total to 1,717. With the match from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation we are now at $3,434.
Have a great day.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
Funder’s Tour to Suquamish
Today the Potlatch Fund staff together with Chandra Hampson, one of our Board Members, are leading a Funder’s Tour to the Suquamish Tribe to witness the final landing of this year’s Annual InterTribal Canoe Journey.
We will be travelling in a bus with about 20 funders. Initially we will travel north from Seattle and then head to the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe. We will have lunch with Port Gamble and then head back to the Suquamish Reservation in time to see the landing. It is expected that up to 110 canoes will ask for permission to land at Suquamish and each landing will be proceeded with a formal welcome. The day will wrap up with feasting and cultural performances. Cultural performances and activities will also continue throughout the week.
I need to acknowledge my thanks to both Lawrence Leake and Shelley Means for their help in organizing this Tour.
Potlatch Fund provides grants to both the canoes and to the host Tribe to assist with each year’s Journey. This year those funds came from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, from the First Nations Development Institute and from the donors at our Annual Gala. On Wednesday we will head back to Suquamish to discuss the idea of forming a 501(c)3 non-profit to help the future management of the canoe journeys.
The Seattle Times had a story today about the journey with a great photo of Emmett Oliver and Cecile Hansen.
I recently attended a meeting with Cecile Hansen and the Duwamish Tribe, and Cecile Hansen, Cindy Hansen, Louise Jones-Brown and Jolene Hansen all agreed to sponsor me on the Seattle Marathon. With these pledges we are now at $1,040. THANK YOU.
The even better news is that we have just confirmed that all of these pledges will be matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, so the $1,040 has now been doubled to $2,080.
I did a 6 mile and a 10 1/2 mile run in the weekend. All is on target and I am slowly getting to see all of the parts of the actual Marathon course. Some people have asked me about running gear. I have always run in Asics Shoes. At the Gym I use Asics Foundations. On the road I swap a bit depending on how my feet are feeling between 2140’s which give great pronation control and Kayano’s which help with feet pain. More importantly than the shoes I am also receiving a lot of great support and advice from Sound Sport which is just two blocks from the office here.
I hope you all have a great day.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon