First Nations Development Awards $180,000 to Six Native American Organizations

LONGMONT, Colorado (Oct. 30, 2014) – First Nations Development Institute (*First Nations* [ http://www.firstnations.org ]) today announced the awarding of six grants to American Indian organizations through its inaugural round of funding for its Native Arts Capacity Building Initiative (NACBI). The grants, which total $180,000, will help strengthen the organizational, managerial and programmatic capacity of Native organizations to serve the field of Native American arts and Native American artists through existing programs.

First Nations believes the continuing development of Native American art is an indispensable component of Native community economic development which supports the retention of Native cultures and languages. Simply put, art is and has been a vital economic force in Indian Country that cultivates entrepreneurship and cultural continuity. This First Nations initiative is part of a three-year project targeting Native nonprofits and tribal government programs serving the field of Native arts and artists in the four-state region of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. First Nations' NACBI is made possible through the generous support of the *Margaret A. Cargill Foundation* [ http://macphilanthropies.org/macfoundation/ ].

The inaugural NACBI grantees are:

* *Four Bands Community Fund (Eagle Butte, South Dakota) – Rediscovering Native Arts on Cheyenne River – $30,000.* This project will strengthen the arts sector on the Cheyenne River Reservation by building the capacity of communal art space, building the business knowledge and capacity of local Native artists, developing and implementing a reservation-wide arts marketing program, and developing and distributing a best practices guide for potential use and replication by other Native communities.

* *Minneapolis American Indian Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota) – Two Rivers Gallery – $30,000. * This program is designed to increase the organizational infrastructure of the Two Rivers Gallery and lead to its grand reopening along the American Indian Cultural Corridor in Minneapolis. The gallery will provide resources for local American Indian artists to exhibit their work. The gallery plans to hold six exhibits focused on emerging Native artists in 2015.

* *Sitting Bull College (Fort Yates, North Dakota) – Standing Rock Arts Capacity Building Project – $30,000.* The purpose of this project is to create community infrastructure that will more effectively market artist-relevant programs and services to community artists and increase the quality of these offered programs and services. Through this project, Sitting Bull College will develop a comprehensive list of local artists for marketing, build artists' financial and business capacity through workshops, and provide venues to exhibit and market the work of local artists.

* *The Lakota Fund, Inc. (Kyle, South Dakota) – The Lakota Fund Investing in Artists – $30,000.* This project will increase the number of Oglala Lakota artists who create and maintain art businesses that provide economic income for their families. This will be accomplished by increasing financial capital available to Native artists and enhancing marketing opportunities through business skill training. By the end of the project, an Artist Division will be created within The Lakota Fund to increase the long-term capacity of The Lakota Fund to assist Native artists and expand Native businesses on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

* *White Earth Reservation Tribal Council (White Earth, Minnesota) – Gizhiigin Art Place– $30,000.* The project will promote the development and visibility of local Native artists and entrepreneurs. Up to 12 artists throughout the year will be housed at the small business incubator facility with the goal of assisting them in growing or launching their business ideas. This business incubator will offer artists workspace, access to high-speed internet, business plan development, and access to local resources to assist them with any other business needs.

* *Woodland Indian Art, Inc. (Oneida, Wisconsin) – Woodland Indian Art, Inc. – $30,000.* This project will increase the organizational capacity and sustainability of Woodland Indian Art, Inc. (WIA) by building the managerial capacity of its board. The board will be trained in nonprofit management, funding and strategic planning in order to create an action plan for future growth and establish WIA as a Native nonprofit. By increasing WIA's infrastructure, the organization will be able to offer more services to Native artists and market artists' work to a larger general public.

*About First Nations Development Institute*

For 34 years, using a three-pronged strategy of educating grassroots practitioners, advocating for systemic change, and capitalizing Indian communities, First Nations has been working to restore Native American control and culturally-compatible stewardship of the assets they own – be they land, human potential, cultural heritage or natural resources – and to establish new assets for ensuring the long-term vitality of Native American communities. First Nations serves Native American communities throughout the United States. For more information, visit *www.firstnations.org* [ http://www.firstnations.org ].