Native American Asset Watch Initiative
The cultural survival of our community partners is undeniably linked to securing strategies for economic improvement in tandem with protection and revitalization of traditional resources and the environment as a whole. The Native American Asset Watch Initiative (NAAWI) is a comprehensive strategy for systemic economic change, which seeks to provide a range of support for efforts by Native communities to reclaim direct control of their own assets and reestablish sustainable approaches to the use of land and natural resources. Under the Asset Watch Initiative, FNDI staff and grass roots community partners research and map the allocation and control of assets and monitor and expose the mechanisms by which Native assets are valued and turned into revenue. This process will help to provide credible and timely information for Native communities, organizations and government entities on the current status of Native assets—information that is key to advocacy for greater community control and a return to more sustainable use of those assets. The goal is for the Asset Watch Initiative to become a leading data resource to inform policy development and promote sustainable, culturally compatible economic development in Native communities.
Current and former Grants under the Native American Asset Watch Initiative
Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation
$25,000
To research and document the steps taken by the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation
$25,900
Support the creation of a Tribal community foundation, including activities related to fiscal management, board recruitment and development, Executive Director recruitment and resource development.
Browning, MT
$40,000
To establish a Tribal community youth council to map the assets of the reservation and to support the development of youth economic development strategies.
$30,000
To support the computer based modeling tool for tracking, valuation and management of tribal water assets and to educate tribal members about the importance of water assets.
$20,000
To support the development of a business incubation program and evaluate existing Individual Development Account (IDA) program.
Window Rock, AZ
$2,500
To support the development of a national Native American nonprofit organization under existing Navajo Nation law.
$24,000
To support community outreach activities, including website development and to support board development and resource development activities.
$10,000
To support various program initiatives, fiscal policy, and board development activities.
$24,000
To support ongoing development and training of homeownership program and staff. In addition, to support the development of database for homeownership reporting and tracking needs.
La Push, WA
$23,000
To support tribal capacity building activities, including program review, drafting and updating of tribal policies and to support the development of a long-term economic development plan.
Northwest Native Asset Building Coalition
$20,000
To support the development of various programmatic efforts of the coalition, including tax voluntary income tax assistance, financial education, and earned income tax credit education.
$20,000
To support various coalition needs, including community outreach initiatives, workshop development and other needs related to supplying financial education to the twenty-two American Indian tribes in
Running Strong for American Indian Youth
$6,000
To host a “Daniel Pennock Democracy School” for 20 attendees on the Great Sioux Nation treaty area to create awareness and increase action around uranium mining and water protection.
$25,000
To develop better control over tribal land records to enable them to utilize their land more effectively for housing, food production and/or economic development. In addition to obtaining much needed technology to store the database, the association will conduct extensive research on the land base and provide education to tribal members on their rights.
$20,000
To support an asset mapping project that pairs Shoshone youth and elders to map the cultural, spiritual and economic assets of Newe Sogobia (Western Shoshone homelands) in an effort to retain cultural knowledge and protect Shoshone homelands.
Sacaton, AZ
$14,948.51
To support tribal control of water by indexing and digitizing records of legal and historical significance.
New Town, ND
$43,000
To develop water protection policies and systems in order to better control and protect tribal water resources.
$25,000
To convene a series of meetings with tribal members, the tribal legislature and the tribal enterprises board of directors to discuss the elements of an annual review & reporting format in an effort to retain third party forest certification and to create a plan for maintaining the sustainability of funding sources for ongoing annual determinations.
