2020 Silent Auction

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The Potlatch Fund Board and Staff raise our hands to our sponsors, supporters, donors, guests, volunteers, and all those that embraced the spirit of Potlatch at our 18th Annual Virtual Gala this year. We also wish to express our deep gratitude and admiration to the gifted performers and presenters that made this virtual event truly magical. If you didn’t get a chance to attend the event you can still participate by donating here: https://zurl.co/GEjp Also, stay tuned for information about an encore watch-party viewing event. #PF2020Gala #RezCarpet DONATE HERE   Support Indigenous Artists! All Proceeds from the Silent Auction will help support the 2021 Native Arts Grant Cycle. This year’s annual Potlatch Fund Gala Silent Auction is virtual. The Potlatch

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A Celebration of: Indigenous Resilience. Colonial Resistance

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Native communities know about philanthropy. “Philanthropy in Indian Country is more important than ever, to reclaim what is lost and to build our communities,” says Potlatch Board President Amber Schulz-Oliver. “Whether you call it give-away or potlatch, we have always practiced systems to be able to redistribute wealth.” Join us for our 18th Annual Gala on November 7 to find out how Potlatch Fund has been affirming and advancing the Native traditions of giving and generosity at a time when Native communities are grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.  Register here. While the pandemic has highlighted deep inequities in how Native communities are funded by traditional philanthropy, it has also provided an opportunity for Potlatch Fund to further advance a model

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Se-ah-dom Edmo – Spirit of Reciprocity Award Recipient.

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SE-AH-DOM EDMO 2020 SPIRIT OF RECIPROCITY Award Recipient The Spirit of Reciprocity Award was established by Potlatch Fund to recognize emerging leaders from the local community who have demonstrated significant promise of leadership, participation, and accomplishment within Northwest Indian Country. This year’s winner of the award is Se-ah-dom Edmo of Portland, Oregon. Se-ah-dom (Shoshone-Bannock, Nez Perce and Yakama) is currently the executive director of MRG Foundation and a founder of the Northwest Justice Funders Collective, a group of eight foundations including Potlatch Fund that intentionally fund communities of color, LGBTQ+ people, women, immigrants, and refugees, and grassroots groups working for justice. Se-ah-dom comes from a background of advocacy and organizing work on behalf of tribes and LBGTQ justice. She is

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Meet James Jaime – Potlatch Fund Grant Recipient.

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Quileute Language Preservation Project  James Jaime has a passion for preserving the Quileute language. He grew up in La Push, Washington, and watched over the years as the number of fluent Quileute language speakers decreased from 2,000 to just one, while at the same time the tribe’s population more than doubled. With help, James began cataloging and indexing materials and resources. And although the Quileute language is now considered “extinct” by some, James isn’t going to let it die. With help from Potlatch Fund, he participated in a Language Cohort with 14 other members, an experience he says gave him the energy and hope to persevere in his quest. Today, James and his team have produced four out of six

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Meet Celeste Whitewolf – Potlatch Fund Grant Recipient

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Núun ken’ witnéewit – Our Way of Weaving. Using natural materials gathered from the land.  Celeste Whitewolf practiced law for 20 years until a diagnosis of breast cancer changed the direction of her life. Since then, she’s founded an organization to help other Native people and their caregivers thrive through cancer, and seven years ago she decided to become a weaver. Celeste’s journey embodies the spirit of generosity and reciprocity we celebrate here at Potlatch Fund. Join us for our 18th Annual Gala on November 7 to support Native Artists like Celeste in her journey to preserve and renew the traditional Native art of weaving through her project “Núun ken’ witnéewit – Our Way of Weaving.” REGISTER FOR THE 2020

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Lawrence Leake – A Tribute to His Service

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Lawrence Leake – A Tribute to His Service Recently, Potlatch Fund honored one of its longtime employees with a blanketing ceremony to acknowledge his many contributions and to wish him well as he moves on to many more great endeavors. We wrap him in our love and appreciation for his work in our Native Community. This is not goodbye, Lawrence is a part of our community and we look forward to appreciating his success ahead. After serving Potlatch Fund for more than 14 years, Lawrence Leake will join the development team at the Museum of History and Industry. During his time with Potlatch Fund, Lawrence wore many hats, most recently as the organization’s managing director. His first position with the

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Welcome to Shannon Kopelva, Administrative Manager.

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Potlatch Fund’s third new team member is Shannon Kopelva who will serve as our new Administrative Manager. Shannon comes most recently from Seattle Foundation, where she worked in development and operations, and from the Seattle Public Library, where she worked as the project coordinator for Beyond the Frame, a community-wide initiative revisiting the photographs of Edward S. Curtis. Shannon grew up in Arizona and received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Arizona in Tucson before traveling north to Seattle to obtain her master’s degree in museology from the University of Washington. We hope you will enjoy getting to know Shannon a bit better through the following article. Meet Shannon Kopelva An interest in law school first brought

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Book Launch Event and Special Celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

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A Conversation About Indigenous Identity & Solidarity Today A Book Launch Event and Special Celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day Presented by: Potlatch Fund and Culture Story Moderated by: Brian Tanner, Potlatch Fund – Director of Philanthropic Partnerships Date: Monday October 12, 2020 Time: 3pm PST – 4pm PST The event is free to the community, no pre-registration required. You can let us know you’re attending and join the event at: Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/edit/657941051774385 The community is invited to a book launch event and a special celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, October 12, when author Alyssa London will be joined by illustrator Monica Ricker-Bolter, Northwest formline artist Preston Singletary, and Debra Yepa-Pappan, Community Engagement Coordinator at Field Museum to

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Welcome to Katherine Paul, or KP, as our Interim Relationship Manager.

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Katherine Paul, or KP, joins Potlatch Fund as our interim Relationship Manager. KP grew up on the Swinomish Reservation here in Washington and attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore., where she received her bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology. For most of her life, KP has been involved in music in one way or another. She attended the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls in Portland as a teenager and later became the first camper to become a member of its board of directors and board chair. She is an accomplished musician and songwriter with two full-length albums to her credit, and she gained experience in various event planning, fundraising, customer service and promotional positions while working for

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