Building a Movement for Native American Justice
This year, First Nations embarked on a new initiative to lead research and advocacy in line with a broader, national discussion about racial equity. As part of this work, we collaborated with Nonprofit Quarterly to share voices from Native American leaders about what Native justice, both environmental and economic, means to their communities. The groundbreaking collection of stories, Invisible No More: Voices from Native America, highlights the resilience of Native people and their fight to maintain their distinct identities, protect land and the environment, and advance Tribal Sovereignty.
The book offers a new narrative—one grounded in Native history and Native values. It is one that gives Native people and Native practitioners visibility, and one that suggests a strong call to action.
Reconvening in Person for our LEAD Conference
After three years of virtual and small-group meetings, in 2023 we brought back our Leadership & Entrepreneurial Apprenticeship Development (L.E.A.D.) Conference. This event has been held annually or biannually since 1995, first launching as the L.E.A.D. Institute to build the entrepreneurial economy and bolster Native entities, such as community development financial institutions. The event evolved into a major component of First Nations’ innovative L.E.A.D. fellowship program, designed to provide training, mentorship, and networking opportunities to a select cohort of emerging and existing Native American nonprofit professionals.
The tradition continued this year at the Isleta Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with sessions and workshops focused on strengthening Native food systems and traditional ecological stewardship, along with storytelling through cultural practices, film, and digital media. Themed “Together: Stories of Our Land,” the conference convened more than 150 community partners and colleagues dedicated to reclaiming our rights, restoring our lands, and returning to our ways.
Mapping to Our Mission – A Five-Year Strategic Plan
This year, we invested time and resources in creating a new functional and operational five-year Strategic Plan for First Nations. The plan clarifies our mission and purpose, aligns our programs and development efforts with our core values, and establishes plans to strengthen both human resources and systems and processes to implement the plan. Working with consultant John Hendrix over a series of onsite and virtual convenings, we designed the plan to be continually revisited and revised as a living document to build a resilient organization prepared internally, programmatically, and financially for a strong and vibrant future.
A Year of Greater Capacity, Greater Potential
This year, with the support of funders, donors, and allies, we continued to invest in internal capacity to best position First Nations for long-term success and to better identify and respond to needs and opportunities of our community partners. First Nations’ team now makes up more than 50 staff members, including full-time employees and interns at three offices and remote locations throughout the country.
The growth of our organization has been responsive and intentional with simultaneous building of infrastructure and processes to accommodate teamwork, collaboration, transparency, and efficiencies. We are honored to have so many talented professionals beginning and continuing their careers at First Nations.
