Impact Report
Foundation
This past year was one of significance for NGC. We expanded our programming and reach, resulting in two awards and affirming our commitment to impact. We completed the second year of our three-year strategic plan. We took our team on the road to spend a week immersing ourselves in community. And, we bade farewell to our inaugural Executive Director, Wayne Ducheneaux.
Wayne’s legacy is woven into the very fabric of our organization, ensuring that his spirit of collaboration and partnership will continue to guide us. As we move forward, we honor Wayne’s contributions – his impact on our organization and the broader community will be felt for many years to come.
Deepening our connections with the communities we serve has always been, and will continue to be, at the heart of our work, ensuring that our mission continues strong in this next iteration of NGC. With a renewed commitment to our values and an optimistic outlook, we are poised to build on our successes, embrace new opportunities, and drive meaningful change.
Cultivating A Rebuilding Movement
We’re working to cultivate a Native nation rebuilding movement so that all Indigenous people can thrive on their own terms.
In 2023, the Leadership Development program supported the 12th cohort of the Native Nation Rebuilders Program as they completed their action plans and graduated from the Rebuilders program.
The Leadership Development program team participated in more than 20 community events, such as powwows and Indigenous-led conferences. We also engaged with numerous individuals across our region for Native Nation Rebuilders cohort 13 through innovative outreach efforts such as “lunch and learn” webinars.
Our Tribal Governance Support (TGS) program engages elected Tribal leaders, administrators, and citizens in strengthening their governance systems through educational opportunities, technical assistance, and resources. TGS uses the Native nation rebuilding philosophy to empower leaders and citizens to create change that will impact the next seven generations and beyond.
In 2023, we provided our Tribal Civics program to 22 grassroots community leaders from two Native nations. We hosted a cross-cohort gathering that brought together Tribal Civics teams from four nations to share successes, challenges, and opportunities for growth.
The Tribal Finance program is a two-year, cohort-based experience that includes assessments, training, resources, and mentorship.
In 2023, our Tribal Finance program hosted two in-person and one virtual convenings and awarded grants to all participating Native nations. We brought representatives from each of the three teams to the annual RES Conference in Las Vegas for professional development and networking.
Three Tribal nations graduated from our first cohort of Tribal Finance.
Native Governance Center’s Community Engagement (CE) program brings accessible, educational content related to our mission to the broader community. Awareness is the first step toward action; we educate the community with the goal of seeing increased respect for Tribal sovereignty and better outcomes for Native people. An informed public is more likely to advocate for and support Native nations’ goals.
In 2023, we facilitated 28 sessions with 21 external partners, and launched a volunteer Community Committee who provided feedback and potential focus areas for our community engagement work. Our webinar series hosted over 340 people watching live and over 3,750 people watched the recordings after the event.
Wings with Wayne
The second season of our sovereignty-focused video series, Wings with Wayne, brought in outstanding guests Chief Marilynn Malerba, the 18th Chief of the Mohegan Tribe, and Unites States Treasurer; Dallas Goldtooth, Lakota writer, actor, and activist; and Giiwedin, Anishinaabe environmental activist. Wings with Wayne elevates Indigenous issues and contributes to Native narrative change while simultaneously aligning with our organizational value of “Embrace Fun, Unapologetically!” Our three episodes received over 136,000 views across platforms.
Community Impact
Award-winning Work
We are proud to note that we were the recipient of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits’ 2023 Mission Award for Anti-Racism Initiative. This award recognizes organizations that actively engage audiences in anti-racism activities. We are dedicated to bridging the gap between outdated learnings and authentic Indigenous narratives and providing ongoing free educational events and resources to the public. NGC staff accepted the award in person during the MCN annual conference.
Our team facilitated external presentations, created two animated explainer videos, and participated in media interviews to raise awareness about governance and sovereignty. We also released 12 original resources.
Original artwork created by Holly Young (Thizáptaŋna/Wičhíyena Dakota).
Support our work
Your donations help us continue the good work you’ve just read about. Consider giving today!
