What is Potlatch Fund?

Potlatch Fund is a Native-led intermediary that supports Native individuals, Native-led and serving organizations, over 50 Native nations, and over 225 Alaska Native Tribal communities on the traditional and ancestral unceded territories of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Since our founding in 2002, Potlatch Fund has redirected approximately $11 million in grants to urban and rural Native/Alaska Native communities. We believe in the power of community-driven solutions and by providing trust-based, low barrier grants we empower Native communities to preserve their cultural teachings, promote economic growth, and create a brighter future for the next generation.

(Image: Tulalip Canoe Family at Potlatch Gala 2024)

(Image: Tulalip Canoe Family at Potlatch Gala 2023)

More About Us

  • Our History

    Learn how Potlatch Fund grew from humble beginnings in 2002 to become a major funder of Native culture, education, and community.

    Learn More

  • Our Impact

    Learn how our work to create a giftmaking economy has supported Native peoples in preserving and promoting traditional Native lifeways.

    Learn More

The Values That Guide Us

  • Reciprocity

    When we give, we all receive.

  • Generosity

    We measure wealth not in possessions but in shared abundance.

  • Honor

    We celebrate all our relations.

  • Culture

    We uplift cultural traditions and Native ways of life.

The Potlatch Board

  • A woman with long brown hair and fair skin is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a white top, hoop earrings with large fluffy feathers, and has a nose ring.

    Jordann Lankford

    President
    A’aniiih and Anishinaabe
    (she/her)

    Jordann (Bright Trail Woman) is an educator and Indigenous Education for All instructional coach with Great Falls Public Schools. She teaches American Indian Studies and Native American Literature at the high school level and assists educators throughout the country with infusing Indigenous content into their classrooms and learning spaces.

    Jordann serves on the Montana Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights and is Chairwoman of the Montana Advisory Council on Indian Education (MACIE). She has been recognized as Montana History Teacher of the Year and Montana Indian Teacher of the Year, and is a 2025 Lowell Milken Center Fellow.

  • A smiling woman wearing glasses, a black jacket, and a beaded necklace standing on an outdoor patio with trees and a railing in the background.

    Meredith Parker

    Vice President
    Makah
    (she/her)

    Meredith Parker is a passionate advocate for preserving and promoting cultural heritage through blending traditional values with modern-day practices. As a dedicated photo-documentarian, she captures the beauty and resilience of indigenous cultures, while also expressing experiences through poetry. Her work highlights the importance of maintaining cultural identify in a rapidly changing world. Committed to service, Meredith partners with non-profits that uplift and benefit Native communities, ensuring that their voices and stories are preserved for future generations. At home in Neah Bay, Meredith cherishes the time spent with her grandchildren sharing stories passed down from her own grandmother. Through art and advocacy she seeks to bridge the gap between past and present.

  • Close-up of a smiling woman with curly black hair wearing clear glasses and a yellow shirt with a colorful embroidered design. She is outdoors with green foliage in the background.

    tai simpson

    Secretary
    Nimiipuu & Black
    (she/her)

    tai simpson is a transformative leader and a passionate advocate for social justice, drawing from her rich heritage as a member of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce Tribe) to drive systemic change and decolonization. Deeply rooted in the heart of Idaho, tai embodies healing-centered liberation through the power of Indigenous storytelling and community empowerment. As Co-Stewarding Executive Director of the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence and co-founder of the Indigenous Idaho Alliance, she champions Indigenous voices and dismantles oppressive structures.

    tai's work involves drafting impactful legislation such as Indigenous Peoples Day recognitions and  addressing the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples. Her activism leverages her sociology and political philosophy background to build bridges between Black & Indigenous women, femmes, and community leaders, fostering equity and radical inclusion. Known as "The Storyteller" within her community, tai continues to protect the sacred and cultivate harmony, using her platform to uplift historically marginalized voices and advocate for liberation and restorative justice.

    Connect with tai simpson on Instagram @taisimpson and learn more about her vision for a more equitable future atwww.taisimpson.com.

  • A woman with curly brown hair smiling outdoors, wearing a dark button-up shirt with small red pattern and colorful beaded earrings, with a blurred green and yellow background.

    Jennifer S. Vickers

    Compliance Officer
    Nipmuc
    (she/her)

    Grounded in Indigenous values and community accountability, Jennifer S. Vickers is a Compliance Officer within Grants & Contracts Services at the Gates Foundation, where she brings more than a decade of experience supporting equitable, compliant, and high-impact grantmaking. She is known for translating complex legal and regulatory requirements into practical guidance that enables teams to advance bold ideas with confidence.

    Jennifer extends her leadership through board service with The Potlatch Fund and Native Americans in Philanthropy, advancing Indigenous-led philanthropy and systems change. A citizen of the Hassanamisco Band of the Nipmuc Nation in Massachusetts, she brings a lifelong commitment to advocacy, stewardship, and community well-being to both her professional and personal life. She lives in the Seattle area with her family.

  • An older man with gray hair and traditional patterned vest standing with arms crossed in a partially constructed building with exposed metal framing.

    Antone Minthorn

    Emeritus Board Member 2004-Present
    Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR)
    (he/him)

    Elder, CTUIR 

    Former Chairman, CTUIR 

    Founding Board Member, Confluence Project 

    Board Member, Ecotrust 

    Master Language Teacher 

    US Marine Corps from 1957-1963

The Potlatch Team

  • A woman smiling outdoors, standing in front of tall green corn plants.

    Eileen Hall

    Communications & Marketing
    Peruvian (Quechua)
    (she/her/ella)

    Eileen brings more than 15 years of nonprofit experience to Potlatch Fund, with a focus on storytelling, communications, community engagement, and resource gathering. Her work is rooted in relationships and in helping share the stories, voices, and impact of the communities Potlatch serves.

    A bilingual Spanish speaker and first-generation college graduate, Eileen earned her B.A. in Psychology from Sonoma State University. Her commitment to community began as a founding sister of Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc., where she volunteered alongside Latino farmworker and migrant communities. Throughout her career, she has worked to strengthen relationships, connect people with resources, and create spaces where people feel seen and valued.

    Originally from the Bay Area, Eileen now calls Seattle home and enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest, spending time with her pup Cleo, reading, and a good matcha latte.

  • Woman sitting at a table in an office with green plants and a cityscape visible through large windows behind her.

    Shannon Kopelva

    Internal Organization-Wide Coordination & Grantmaking
    Hopi/Hualapai/Paiute
    (she/her)

    Shannon supports the pack in setting direction, listening for what communities are calling in, and stewarding Potlatch Fund’s giftmaking program while assessing needs, strategy, and opportunities across the organization. She also helps tend the seasonal rhythms that shape Potlatch Fund’s work. Her work helps hold care, connection, heart, and accountability as resources move into community.

    Shannon joined Potlatch Fund in 2020 and earned her M.A. in Museology from the University of Washington.

  • Smiling woman with curly hair pulled back, wearing hoop earrings, a patterned red and white top, and beige pants with a bow, standing near a large green plant in front of a window with city buildings visible in the background.

    Jessica Juarez-Wagner

    Fundraising & Development
    Mexican American, Yaqui descendant 
    (she/her)

    Jessica is an avid learner and explorer. Jessica is 4 years in to her time at Potlatch Fund, after coming from a career of Native Nonprofit work. Her favorite part of the work is being in community with our Potlatch Fund Family- meeting our grantees, sharing stories, learning new things and building greater connections. Growing up in Seattle and going to school at Western Washington University (‘15 Human Services and Cultural Anthropology), Jessica has rooted herself in the Pacific Northwest for good. As a harvester, forager, gardener, learner, friend and relative Jessica sees the beauty and bounty of the Northwest and loves to share that with all who will share.