For Immediate Release: July 21, 2022
Rapid City, SD – Today, NDN Collective announced the close-out of their community engagement survey for the Collective Abundance Fund, receiving a total of 5,325 completed surveys from Indigenous people residing in the tri-state region of Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Surveys will help to inform the design of the Collective Abundance Fund, slated to distribute nearly $50 million to Native individuals in the tri-state region in early 2023.
Over the course of 11 weeks, the NDN Collective team partnered with Kaufman & Associates, Inc.– an Indigenous-owned and operated consulting firm– to visit Tribal communities in the tri-state area, table at pow-wows, and conduct in-person focus groups where individuals surveyed were asked a series of questions about how they define wealth as an Indigenous person.
Kauffman & Associates, Inc. is now pulling together all the voices and information gathered to create a report for NDN Collective to inform the next phase of this project – the planning and designing of the Collective Abundance Fund.
“We’re so grateful to everyone who participated in this feedback and listening process,” said Gabrielle (Gaby) Strong, NDN Foundation Managing Director. “Thank you to all the tribal communities who welcomed us in, to the pow-wow committees who supported our outreach efforts, and to all the Native-led programs who provided space and forums. All of this provided our People with the chance to share their voice, their truths, and their thoughts – not only on their struggles, but also their dreams and aspirations. We look forward to the next phase of building out the funding resources that will support our People’s solutions for wealth building on Indigenous terms.”
“Wopida tanka eciciyapi! (Daktota translation: A big thanks of gratitude to you all!),” said Teresa (Terri) Peterson, Collective Abundance Fund Program Manager. “The community engagement phase was a success and we couldn’t have done it without all the community and Tribal partners, those that took the time to complete the Collective Abundance Fund Survey, and the guidance from our Regional Advisory Committee.
“This is the kind of process that other philanthropic groups should be modeling. Being in community and hearing from those most impacted by the issue – in this case, the wealth gap – on the barriers and challenges they face, as well as the solutions and strategies we can build to support their visions and dreams for an abundant future.”
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NDN Collective is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building, and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.