Supporting Tiwahe through #GiveAtHomeMN

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[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″][vc_column_text]#GiveAtHomeMN is a celebration of Minnesota’s generosity during tough times, a call to give back as we’re able to help the organizations that make our state a great place to live, work and play.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The Tiwahe Foundation is a place for giving — and giving back — that benefits the well-being of American Indian people and communities in Minnesota. We are a community foundation of friends and supporters — Indian and non-Indian — who have resources, time, and talents to share. Together, we all work to unleash more philanthropy and generosity that are not only held within every person but also embodied collectively.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]We think of this as the Circle of Giving — a continuous cycle of success grounded in indigenous culture that recognizes that giving benefits both giver and receiver. The Tiwahe Foundation is a trusted community partner, connector and resource. Our core work involves:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Oyate Network Alum Writes Cookbook

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[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column width=”2/3″ column_padding=”padding-3-percent” column_padding_position=”right” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″][vc_column_text]What do you get when you start with a heart full of Indigenous knowledge, pages of Anishinaabe language graphics, big heaping handfuls of generational knowledge, and armloads of food to nurture our relatives? A pinch of humor? An Anishinaabe cookbook, right?[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Derek Nicholas’s Eating with the Seasons is more than a cookbook, it’s a cultural resource. Derek is a student at the University of Minnesota Morris and was a member of the Oyate Leadership 2019 Cohort. He’s a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]“My grant was to create a project to strengthen communities,” Derek writes. Through his work Derek’s extends the movement for language revitalization to Indigenous food sovereignty with how we eat and take care of our relatives and ourselves, “I created a seasonally cookbook with the addition of Anishinaabeg language and cultural lessons. This book gives the tools to eat healthy while teaching language and traditions.”[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]And, all that delicious, hard work is also shifting the narrative of Native communities from peoples living in a bygone past to resilient communities living in the here and now. Yes, this is ancestor work created for the modern foodie and budding chef in all of us. Ever thought about how you might cook suckerfish – Namebin – for the first time ever? Ever wanted to try your hand at venison chili? Brew maple cinnamon ice – Niibish? How about curry squash soup? You’ll find that not only is Derek telling our story but he’s telling it in a way that tells a story of Native peoples in our collective present – through language and food – in abundance. Chi-mii gwech Nicholas! Wiisinidaa! Let’s Eat![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Tiwahe Foundation Receives COVID19 Funds

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The Tiwahe Foundation was one of 22 place-based community foundations awarded grants through the Minnesota Council on Foundations’ Minnesota Disaster Recovery Fund.
“This grant will be added to our current programs funded by the F. R. Bigelow Foundation through the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation, the Bush Foundation and the Blandin Foundation. We will increase the grant dollars available to American Indians in Minnesota through three different programs,” Tiwahe Foundation Executive Director Shirley Sneve said, “We are truly grateful for this support in challenging times facing our relatives”.
There are two deadlines for proposals: May 6 and September 6.

Board of Directors is also redirecting some of its funds to increase Family Empowerment Program and Oyate Leadership Network grants to address needs brought on by the COVID19 pandemic. Nonetheless, how can these limited funds have lasting impact in this new reality? There are many folks who have lost their jobs, many who are struggling at home—juggling work and children—just trying to stay safe and healthy. How can Tiwahe’s values of family, respect, trust, generosity, the circle of giving and the Indigenous World View be a beacon of hope in trying times?

We are storytellers. Let’s use the opportunity to hear from each other and listen. The lessons and stories of our ancestors resonate more now than ever. Grants of $1,000 will be awarded to Twin Cities Minnesota American Indian artists who submit stories of healing and resilience. Proposals will be accepted in any artistic genre, such as prose, poetry, traditional arts, visual arts, performance, video or audio. The content will be housed on the website, www.tiwahefoundation.org and actively promoted through social media. Artists will retain copyright to their work.

Tiwahe Foundation will fund individuals through the Family Empowerment Program’s four impact areas of education, culture, economic independence, and health and wellness—both regular applications and needs created by our current health crisis. Alumni of the Oyate Leadership Network may apply for up to $5,000 project-based grants through a fiscal sponsor.

Melissa Olson Joins the Tiwahe Foundation Staff

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Boozhoo Relatives,

I am excited to join the Tiwahe Foundation as the newly hired Program Director. First, I want to say thank you to everyone who has taken time to welcome me to the Tiwahe Foundation. I look forward to working with our Tiwahe team, our community partners, our grantees, and our Oyate leaders to strengthen our Circle of Giving. A little bit about myself – I am a mixed-heritage Anishinaabekwe, a proud tribal citizen of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe at Leech Lake, with relatives also from White Earth and Lac Courte Oreilles communities. I am graduate of the University of Minnesota, and I’ve worked in the Twin Cities Native communities for the past two and a half decades in various roles. I live in Minneapolis with my longtime partner John, and our dog Bronson. I come to my work with the Tiwahe Foundation having divided my time over the past two years between my role at KFAI Fresh Air Radio as the co-managing editor of our audio storytelling program and my role as the Director of Creative Evaluation at Inspire to Change, a consulting firm in St. Paul, Minnesota. I feel both roles have prepared me to help tell the stories of our relationship to our land and to one another as we tell the stories of Tiwahe’s Oyate Network Leaders and Family Empowerment grantees. My own story would not be possible without the love and support of the Tiwahe Foundation. As Program Director, it’s my intention to give back to our communities by building on the trust and support shown to me over the past decade. The value that we place in giving and sharing with one another is vital to keeping the Circle of Giving strong, and I am committed to do my very best to strengthen and build our individual and collective capacity. I look forward to working with you all!

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Tiwahe Foundation Announces COVID19 Initiative

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[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][image_with_animation image_url=”4636″ alignment=”center” animation=”Fade In”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]The Tiwahe Foundation Board of Directors is redirecting some of its funds to increase Family Empowerment Program and Oyate Leadership Network grants to address needs brought on by the COVID19 pandemic. Nonetheless, how can these limited funds have lasting impact in this new reality? There are many folks who have lost their jobs, many who are struggling at home—juggling work and children—just trying to stay safe and healthy. How can Tiwahe’s values of family, respect, trust, generosity, the circle of giving and the Indigenous World View be a beacon of hope in trying times?

We are storytellers. Let’s use the opportunity to hear from each other and listen. The lessons and stories of our ancestors resonate more now than ever. Seven grants of $1,000 will be awarded to Twin Cities Minnesota American Indian artists who submit stories of healing and resilience. Proposals will be accepted in any artistic genre, such as prose, poetry, traditional arts, visual arts, performance, video or audio. The content will be housed on the website, www.tiwahefoundation.org and actively promoted through social media. Artists will retain copyright to their work.

In addition, $13,000 to respond to COVID19 needs–$5,000 for Oyate Leadership Network alumni project-based grant and $8,000 towards the four impact areas of the Family Empowerment Program.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1586873347939{padding-top: 30px !important;}”]

[button color="accent-color" hover_text_color_override="#fff" size="large" url="https://tiwahefoundation.org/aifep-fund/" text="Apply Here" color_override=""]

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