Celebrating our Spring 2022
American Indian Family Empowerment Program Grantees!

It is our pleasure to announce the Spring 2022 American Indian Family Empowerment Program Grantees and uplift the incredible talent and innovation within our urban Native community.

This spring, Tiwahe Foundation awarded 25 grants to individuals in the areas of Culture & Language, Economic Independence, Health & Wellness, and Education.

Below you will find grantee stories from each impact area, as well as a full list of this round’s grantees and the tribal affiliations. We look forward to sharing more grantee stories with you as they complete their projects.

Tiwahe Foundation is incredibly proud of each one of our grantees. All our applicants have such beautiful and unique individual stories and goals. Ideally, we would share each one of their stories with you, but for length we have chosen one from each of our impact areas to give you a little more insight into what we are recommending funding for.

Congratulations again to all of our grantees! Welcome to our Tiwahe.

Culture & Language: Linda Azure will use her grant to research her family history, write her personal history, and publish a shareable family booklet.

Economic independence: Tonya Flower Miettinen’s grant supports her during a transition in her life. Her goal is to provide a good solid home, anticipating a new home purchase or refinancing her existing payment.

Health & Wellness: Alisha Gehlert is using her grant to establish a hydroponic growing environment within the city to reduce individual grocery expenses, while also working to establish a cottage food business selling various dried herbs and sustainably produced produce. Her goal is to reduce food waste personally while also increasing access to fresh foods for community members for low to no cost.

Education: Nicholas DeShaw would like to create a Physical Education curriculum based around traditional Anishinaabe games and sports as well as create kits of these games in order to teach community members. His grant will support this, as well as make these materials available to tribal schools and families who seek to incorporate these games along with their teachings into their programs.

All of our Impact Areas: 
Culture & Language

• • Linda Azure 
  • Pamela Johns 
  • Natasha Demarrias 
  • Francisca El Zeenny 

Economic Independence

• • Relentless Feather 
  • Tonya Flower Miettinen 
  • Abby Sunde 
  • Melody Passmore 
  • Lena Geshick 
  • Amy Puschinsky 
  • Jose Rodriguez 
  • Brendan Kishketon 

Health & Wellness

• • Kerry Buckanaga 
  • Alisha Gehlert 
  • April Thompson 
  • Derek Nicholas 
  • Jane Zamora 
  • Jennifer Adams 

Education

• • Juan Lucero 
  • Amalia Galvan 
  • Nicholas DeShaw 
  • Melissa Olson 
  • Hapistinna Graci Horne 
  • Ben Swankier 
  • Angelique Morgan 

The Tribal affiliations of the Grant applicants are as follows:

Bois Forte, Dakota Sioux, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Fort Peck Assiniboine, and Sioux Tribes, Ho-Chunk, Isleta Pueblo, Karuk Tribe of California, Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma Kul Wicasa Oyate – Lower Brule Sioux, Lac Courte Oreilles, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Pillager, Red Cliff, Red Lake, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, White Earth.

If you or someone you know is interested in applying for funding from AIFEP, please note that the next grant round will be open from October 1 through November 15, 2022. To learn more and apply, please visit our website at www.tiwahefoundation.org.