Greetings

Fa-la-la-la-lahhh...Happy holidays from the Board and staff of Native Americans in Philanthropy! We invite you to take a moment, maybe with cup of hot chocolate, and look at our exciting news we've brought to you this season.

We're approaching the middle of our fiscal year, planning special events, and revamping our website to bring you more benefits, as members. Members should have recently received e-alerts regarding GrantCraft discounts on purchases, invitations to the Native Philanthropy Institute and Annual Meeting, invitations to nominate potential Board members and more. Now is a great time to get those memberships renewed and mark important dates on that 2006 calendar!

In this issue, you will find information to:

• NOMINATE a potential Board Member,
• PLAN to attend the Native Philanthropy Institute and Annual Meeting,
• WATCH your E-news for announcements of the Circle of Leadership Ambassadors,
• FIND more details on the Native Philanthropy Institute and Awards Celebrations and,
• LOOK below at the News in the Native philanthropy field.

Joy A Persall, Executive Director & Neely M. Snyder, Administrative Associate.

Minnesota Council on Foundations Presentation

Renee Gurneau - President - Red Lake Nation College,
Joy Persall - Executive Director - Native Americans in Philanthropy,
Gabrielle (Gaby) Strong - Program Officer - Grotto Foundation,
Tony Genia - Community Liaison - Northwest Area Foundation.

Gaby, Renee, Joy and Tony presented a session at the MCF Annual Conference, titled "Supporting Minnesota's Assets: Community, Capacity and Native Leadership," with record attendance and reviews last month. Native Americans in Philanthropy has also presented at NCAI and is in the process of distributing our DVD on Tribal and Native Philanthropy.

Native Philanthropy Institute & Annual Meeting

Native Americans in Philanthropy invites you to join us for the Native Philanthropy Institute & Annual Meeting on April 10-11, 2006 at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Enjoy collaborating with others, workshops, great food and attend our Annual Meeting. Watch our website and upcoming e-alerts regarding updates on the progress as we plan this event!

The Native Philanthropy Institute will build awareness and capacity for fund development and fundraising, marketing and communications, leadership development and skill-building for Native projects. Our goals are to provide the growing field of Tribal and Native philanthropy with tools for strategic grantmaking, while at the same time providing these foundations and other Native nonprofits tools to raise more funds - and together to "tell their story" more effectively - remaining grounded in their communities and strength of the cultures.

Costs for current members are $50. All others are welcome to attend at the rate of $190, which includes a membership! Reserve your hotel room now to get a group rate of $69 per night. Call 952.445.9000 and identify yourself as participating in the Native Americans in Philanthropy event, to get the special rate. Deadline for hotel reservations are March 14, 2006. Hotel costs are not included with registration. Deadline for registration is March 31st.

Renew your membership today to get the discounted rate to attend the Institute and recieveother member benefits!

For more information download the Registration Form.

Board Nominations

Native Americans in Philanthropy is seeking nominations for Board of Directors. Each year, Native Americans in Philanthropy seeks nominations from its membership for positions on the Board of Directors. This year, there are 4 seats up for election. Nominations must be received on or before March 1 to be included on the election ballot.

Download the Board Nomination Form.

First Nations Development Institute Executive Transition

FNDI - As 2005 winds to a close, we wanted to officially announce that Rebecca Adamson has retired from her position as President of First Nations Development Institute and Michael E. Roberts is the new President.

Mike officially assumed the presidency at First Nations 25th anniversary gala at the National Museum of the American Indian on October 22nd. He has served in a variety of roles at First Nations, including Research Director, Chief Operating Officer and board member while he was a Kauffman Foundation Fellow, a role that enabled him to learn the intricacies of being a venture capitalist. He is a member of the Tlingit Tribe and has held significant leadership positions over his 20-year career in Indian Country and in not-for-profit management. Michael also brings valuable experience to build Indigenous assets from the for-profit sector.

While we will miss Rebecca in First Nations day-to-day activities, she is not moving too far away from us in spirit. The board officially named Rebecca as First Nations President Emeritus and Founder. She also will maintain her board membership. Rebecca will serve as the first president of First Peoples Worldwide (FPW) which in 2006 will receive its 501(c)(3) status to become an independent organization. In 1997, she launched FPW as a First Nations program to apply First Nations lessons in targeted Indigenous communities internationally. Rebecca can still be contacted at First Nations Fredericksburg, Virginia office.

Institute for Indian Estate Planning and Probate Announced

(Little Canada, MN - press release 10/28/05)

Cris Stainbrook, President of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation, Douglas Nash, Director of the Institute, and Dean Kellye Testy, Seattle University School of Law, today jointly announced the creation of the Institute for Indian Estate Planning and Probate. The Institute is a project of the Foundation and is housed at Seattle University School of Law. We are delighted that the Institute has joined Seattle University School of Law. The Institute is a core part of our mission of training leaders for a just and humane world and we are dedicated to furthering its important work, stated Dean Testy.

View Press Release

GrantCraft Releases a New Guide for Grant Makers

GrantCraft, a project of the Ford Foundation, released a new guide (Personal Strategy: Mobilizing Your Self for Effective Grant Making) to help grant makers be more effective in their work. The guide draws on the wisdom of over 100 grant makers who attended workshops on this topic, and offers concepts and techniques grant makers can adapt to their own practice.

Members of Native Americans in Philanthropy can purchase GrantCraft products with a 20% discount! If you are a current member and have not gotten a prior e-alert regarding this special discount offer, submit a request to Neely at nsnyder@nativephilanthropy.org

Thank You...

We would like to thank the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and The Christensen Fund for their funding support to Native Americans in Philanthropy!