THE TIWAHE FOUNDATION

Financial Trends

Organization Details

THE TIWAHE FOUNDATION, founded in 2009, is a community nonprofit in the Human Services sector that reported $1.3M in total revenue in fiscal year 2023. Revenue surged 85% from the prior year, signaling strong growth momentum. The organization ran a surplus of $218K, a strong 17% operating margin.

Mission

TIWAHE MEANS HAVING A RELATIVE WHEREVER YOU GO. AS A NATIVE-LED ORGANIZATION, WE ARE MORE THAN A COMMUNITY-RUN FOUNDATION. WE SERVE AS A CONNECTOR OF PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS, RESOURCES, KNOWLEDGE, AND OPPORTUNITY. TIWAHE CHALLENGES SYSTEMIC BARRIERS FOR AMERICAN INDIANS TO REACH THEIR GOALS, ON THEIR OWN TERMS. IN THIS CRITICAL MOMENT FOR NATIVE CULTURES, LANGUAGES, AND WAYS OF BEING WE INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THE COMING GENERATIONS. WE INVEST AND HONOR AMERICAN INDIAN PEOPLE IN MINNESOTA BY SUPPORTING THEM TO REACH THEIR GOALS IN THE AREAS OF EDUCATION, ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE, CULTURAL TRADITIONS AND LANGUAGE, HEALTH AND WELLNESS, AND LEADERSHIP GROUNDED IN SOVEREIGNTY AND INDIGENOUS WORLDVIEWS. WE DO THIS THROUGH OUR FLAGSHIP MICRO-GRANTING PROGRAM (AIFEP) AND THROUGH OUR OYATE LEADERSHIP NETWORK, A NETWORK WEAVING AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN RE-ENVISIONED TO PROVIDE OUR CURRENT AND FUTURE LEADERS WITH THE CULTURAL TEACHINGS, RELATIONAL TOOLS, AND SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO REACH SUCCESS AS THEY DEFINE IT. TIWAHE CHALLENGES SYSTEMIC BARRIERS TO THE GOALS OUR PEOPLE PURSUE. THE DOMINANT CULTURE APPROACH TO PHILANTHROPY IS ONE OF THOSE BARRIERS. TIWAHE OFFERS A NEW MODEL FOR PHILANTHROPY THAT CENTERS INDIGENOUS VOICES AND VALUES IN EVERY DECISION FROM PLANNING THROUGH EVALUATION, AND WE HELP OTHER ORGANIZATIONS LET GO OF DOMINANT CULTURE PRACTICES THAT HOLD THEM BACK. OUR PRIMARY TOOL FOR SUPPORTING INDIVIDUALS IS THE AMERICAN INDIAN FAMILY EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM (AIFEP). THIS MICROGRANTING PROGRAM SERVES PEOPLES FROM OVER 100 NATIVE NATIONS LIVING IN MINNESOTA BY PROVIDING DIRECT ACCESS TO FUNDS THAT HELP BRIDGE SYSTEMIC DISPARITY GAPS IN FOUR KEY PROGRAM AREAS: HEALTH AND WELLNESS, EDUCATION, CULTURE AND LANGUAGE, AND ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE. AIFEP FILLS A GAP LEFT BY WHITE PHILANTHROPY, WHICH RARELY MAKES DIRECT MICROGRANTS TO NATIVE INDIVIDUALS OR FAMILIES (THEY FOCUS ON OTHER NATIVE NON-PROFITS OR LARGER GRANTS). AND, EVEN IN THOSE SPACES, THEIR GIVING IS LESS THAN 0.4% OF THEIR DOLLARS TO NATIVE COMMUNITIES. 100% OF OUR ENDOWMENT GOES TO RE-GRANTING TO NATIVE INDIVIDUALS. SINCE 2022, WE QUADRUPLED OUR AIFEP GRANTMAKING THROUGH THIS INTENTIONAL CENTERING OF NATIVE CULTURE AND VALUES. OUR SUCCESS MEANS OUR SMALL COMMUNITY-FUNDED ENDOWMENT NO LONGER MEETS DEMAND FOR AIFEP REGRANTING, LET ALONE OPERATIONS, OR OUR OTHER PROGRAMS AND AMBITIOUS GOALS FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE. THIS IS WHY WE ARE BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF SUPPORTERS WHO SHARE AND HELP REALIZE OUR VISION THAT THE BRIGHTEST DAYS FOR NATIVE PEOPLE ARE AHEAD OF US. TIWAHE'S OYATE LEADERSHIP NETWORK (OLN) BUILDS ON TIWAHE'S EXISTING AIFEP GRANTMAKING PROGRAM BY OFFERING OPPORTUNITIES TO COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO ARE DEVELOPING INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP PRACTICES ACROSS DIVERSE PROFESSIONAL AND CULTURAL FIELDS IN MINNESOTA. OLN HAS BEEN REINVIGORATED TO RESPOND TO THE CALL FOR PROGRAMS CREATED WITHIN A FRAMEWORK THAT STARTS WITH OUR OWN DEFINITIONS AND PRACTICES OF LEADERSHIP, NOT ADAPTING THOSE FROM DOMINANT CULTURE. SINCE WE HAVE STARTED IN 2024 WITH OUR NEW SESSIONS, PARTICIPANTS HAVE SELF-REPORTED THAT THEY ARE "TRANSFORMED AND THAT THEY FEEL THEIR MENTAL HEALTH IS MUCH STRONGER, AS IS THEIR READINESS TO EMBODY OUR CULTURAL VALUES AS BUSINESSOWNERS AND LEADERS IN OUR COMMUNITIES. WE ALSO ESTABLISHED A WISDOM COUNCIL OF KEY NATIVE LEADERS WHO FOUNDED TIWAHE OVER 10 YEARS AGO TO ACTIVELY GUIDE US IN CENTERING CULTURAL PRACTICES AND NATIVE VOICES IN PROGRAM DESIGN SO THAT IT IS CONTEMPLATIVE OF A FUTURE VISION THAT VALUES AND UPLIFTS NATIVE PEOPLE AND THEIR TALENTS. THESE VOICES HAVE ILLUMINATED A COLLECTIVE DESIRE FOR TIWAHE TO CONTINUE GROWING INTO A MORE ACTIVE HUB FOR INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP NETWORKS AND RESOURCES, AND TO FURTHER DEVELOP AN INDIGENOUS MODEL FOR EVALUATION THAT IS NOT SEPARATE FROM PROGRAM ACTIVITIES BUT FULLY EMBEDDED WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION, NURTURING LIVING FEEDBACK LOOPS BETWEEN TIWAHE AND COMMUNITY. IN MANY WAYS, TIWAHE IS A LIVING DATABASE OF THESE NEEDS AND TRENDS AND A CO-CREATOR, WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND PARTNERS, OF THE INNOVATIVE INDIGENOUS SOLUTIONS THAT ARE BEING DEVELOPED TO ADDRESS THEM. WE ALSO COLLECT DATA THROUGH INTENTIONALLY HELD COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS AND CEREMONIES THAT RAISE AWARENESS OF EMERGENT INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES. WE INCORPORATE THESE PRACTICES INTO OUR OWN ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN AND SERVE AS A KEY PATHWAY FOR TRANSFERRING THIS RELATIONAL KNOWLEDGE BETWEEN COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH ONE-ON-ONE CONSULTING WITH LEADERS, SHARING TEACHINGS THROUGH OUR NEWSLETTERS AND COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS, AND FACILITATING TRAININGS IN OUR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND NETWORK WEAVING PROGRAMS LIKE OYATE. WE LEAD BY EXAMPLE IN SUPPORTING OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, ESPECIALLY NATIVE ORGANIZATIONS, IN BREAKING FREE FROM THE DOMINANT CULTURE TRAPPINGS OF ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN THAT PERPETUATE SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION AGAINST MARGINALIZED PEOPLE. BECAUSE WE ARE NOT A DIRECT SERVICE PROVIDER LIKE MANY NATIVE ENTITIES, TIWAHE HAS A UNIQUE INSTITUTIONAL ROLE IN NATIVE MINNESOTA AND A REPUTATION FOR BEING A UNIFIER AND APOLITICAL. OTHERS SEEK TO ENGAGE US BASED ON THIS ROLE. TIWAHE GUIDES NATIVE ORGANIZATIONS IN OPERATIONALIZING NATIVE VALUES AND TEACHINGS IN STAFFING, PROGRAMMING, PARTNERSHIPS, EVALUATION, FUNDRAISING, DECISION-MAKING, AND GATHERINGS. THESE INCLUDE THE 7 GRANDFATHER TEACHINGS, HOW TO FORM GOOD RELATIVE AGREEMENTS WITH PARTNERS, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACCOUNTABILITY AND INTERDEPENDENCE, CONFLICT MANAGEMENT BASED ON RESTORATIVE PRINCIPLES, AND MORE. THE GOAL IS TO HELP OTHERS BREAK FREE FROM DOMINANT CULTURE PRACTICES THAT DO NOT SERVE THEM WELL. TIWAHE FURTHER RESOURCES OUR PEOPLE BY PROVIDING THEM COACHING AND NETWORKING WITH OTHER POWERFUL NATIVE AND POCI LEADERS IN THE TWIN CITIES, WHICH WILL INCREASE THROUGH OUR RELAUNCHED OYATE PROGRAM. WE UNDERSTAND THAT IN ORDER TO SHIFT THE DOMINANT SYSTEMS AND NARRATIVES, OUR COMMUNITIES NEED TO BE IN SOLIDARITY AND STRONG STANDING WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. THIS IS WHY TIWAHE IS LEANING IN AND TAKING MORE LEADERSHIP ROLES WITHIN LINKINGLEADERS SO THAT WE CAN HELP STRENGTHEN THESE CONNECTIONS AND GIVE VOICE TO NATIVE ISSUES WITHIN THE METRO AREA (WHICH ARE OFTEN ABSENT). LINKINGLEADERS BRINGS TOGETHER LEADERSHIP NETWORKS OF FOUR ORGANIZATIONS IN MN THAT COLLECTIVELY REPRESENT OVER 20,000 POCI LEADERS ACROSS THE STATE. TOGETHER, LINKINGLEADERS IS WORKING TO BUILD CAPACITY OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS AND ALL OUR LEADERS AND ALUMNI TO LEAD IN THE VALUES OF SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT WORK. WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOLIDARITY IS NOT THE SAME AS SUPPORT. TO EXPERIENCE SOLIDARITY, WE MUST HAVE A COMMUNITY OF INTERESTS, SHARED BELIEFS AND GOALS AROUND WHICH TO UNITE. SUPPORT CAN BE OCCASIONAL. IT CAN BE GIVEN AND WITHDRAWN. SOLIDARITY REQUIRES SUSTAINED, ONGOING COMMITMENTS, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE DEDICATED STAFF AND BUILT THIS WORK INTO ALL PARTS OF TIWAHE, NOT AS A SEPARATE PROJECT.

Program Service Accomplishments

Financial Overview (2023)

Year-over-Year Comparison

Governance

Special Practices & Reported Activities

Compensation of Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Historical Data