Program areas at PWNA
Health: purpose of the program: to support preventative care and health education initiatives of reservation programs serving tribal citizens, and to help them motivate involvement in healthy lifestyles and community service situation: a legacy of healthcare disparities and high disease rates persists across Native america. For instance, Native adults are nearly 300% more likely to have diabetes and 50% more likely to have obesity than non-hispanic whites. Yet medical care is still inadequate and limited to the indian health service (i.h.s.). There are only 500 of these federally run i.h.s. Clinics to serve 574 recognized tribes (less than 1 per reservation), and transportation for the long trek to access these facilities is an issue for many residents. Despite cares act funding, i.h.s. Remains (continued on Schedule O)
Food & water: purpose of the program: to ease food insecurity by increasing the local food supply for Native american elders, children, and families, and supporting food sovereignty through gardening and local access to healthy foods on the reservations we serve situation: food on the table is a basic human right, but it's not that simple for the people pwna serves. with more Americans now experiencing food insecurity and food hardship, they are realizing for the first time what Native Americans have been up against since the reservations began in 1851. Low food security - defined as insufficient food quality or variety for dietary health - has impacted reservations for decades, fueling high rates of nutrition-related diseases such as diabetes and obesity because less expensive foods tend to have more fat and carbohydrates. (continued on Schedule O)
Emergency services: purpose of the program: to provide winter warmth, seasonal services, shelter supplies, and disaster relief, and to support tribal readiness to respond when disaster strikes situation: with climate change driving more frequently and damaging disasters such as flooding, forest fires, blizzards, and tornadoes, pwna is a critical first responder for the reservations. We also build capacity of Native communities to plan, train, and respond to such events when they strike locally. Winter warmth is always a concern for the elders too. Homelessness is rising disproportionately among tribal citizens. Native Americans face overcrowding 8 time more often than whites. 40% of Native Americans live in substandard-homes, and on any given night, more than 21,000 are homeless (sheltered, unsheltered). In addition, lack of access to clean drinking water (continued on Schedule O)
Holiday: purpose of the program: to help our reservation partners spread community cheer, engagement, and active involvement at times when families may be experiencing more disenfranchisement and seasonal stress situation: the holidays can be an extra hardship for Native families in our service area. The elders and children on the reservations pwna serves are certainly aware of holidays celebrated across the u.s., but so often, families cannot afford holiday gifts or celebrations. Native child poverty rates have consistently exceeded 40% for the past 30 years. In fact, compared to whites, Native children are over three times as likely to experience deep poverty. About half of Native grandparents are raising grandchildren while living on social security - and Native joblessness is twice that of whites. The overall rate of impoverishment across the hundreds of tribal communities pwna serves ranges from 15% to 54%. Pwna response: happy holidays contribute to overall well-being. During the 2025 holidays, pwna helped program partners spread holiday cheer by delivering stockings and holiday gift bags filled with practical items. These gifts delighted 11,131 children and elders across 25 reservations in the northern plains and in the southwest. *dba programs of pwna for holiday support: southwest reservation aid (swra), northern plains reservation aid (nrpa), southwest indian relief council (swirc), sioux nation relief fund (snrf), and Native american aid (naa ).
Education services: purpose of the program: to increase resources for Native american education, support access and retention of Native students from pre-kindergarten through college, and support leadership development situation: education is a cornerstone of economic mobility. However, due to systemic failures and unrealized treaty promises, half of Native american students are not finishing high school. About 8% of Native students attend reservation schools operated by the bureau of indian education (bie) or operated by tribes with bie funding. Like the indian health service, federally run bie schools are understaffed and underfunded, leaving students with the lowest reading scores in america. Native students who graduate high school then face barriers to higher education, such as poverty and racial discrimination - even while the general, non-native public believes college is free for Native Americans. Only 19% of Native Americans aged 18-24 start college, and only 16% of Native Americans hold a college degree (compared to 40% of whites). The digital divide is also a barrier, as 65% of all jobs in the economy require post-secondary education or training beyond high school, including technology, and soft skills. Pwna response: in 2025, pwna's american indian education fund (aief) program invested in Native students from cradle to college and career. Approximately 13,361 k-12 students at 44 partners received school supplies and backpacks, with support from the brad lemons foundation, and edward t robinson jr family foundation. On the college front, Native students need equitable access to resources for a 21st-century education, from school supplies to laptops, software, and internet access. So, pwna's strength-based services help fuel self-sufficiency. Pwna awarded $255,670 in 137 undergraduate, graduate, and vocational scholarships, prioritizing scholars in the middle range of the academic ranking while other scholarship programs might not consider despite their serious drive. The academic-year completion rate for students who receive our scholarships is more than 95%, much higher than the national average. Pwna credits this success to individualized mentoring provided by the synchrony Native american employee workforce group and selecting candidates with a likelihood of overcoming the first-year challenges unique to Native students. Support from the synchrony foundation made this award level possible. We provided laptops to first-year students and assisted with classroom supplies and certification fees, thanks to the support of synchrony foundations. We also provided student care packs and holiday gifts to scholars and their family members. Our four directions development program (4d) trains emerging leaders who want to make a greater impact on their tribal communities. The curriculum for a six-month cohort of experiential learning may encompass cpr and self-defense, healthy ancestral food as medicine, leadership development, personal branding, and more. Our 4d capacity building programs supported 35 participants throughout the northern plains and southwest regions in 2025 on five different reservations. We have graduated 242 4d participants since its inception. *dba programs of pwna for education: american indian education fund (aief)
Animal welfare: purpose of the program: to support programs concerned with animal welfare and related human health risks in remote, underserved tribal communities situation: indigenous peoples have a long history of relationship with animals; more than just pets, they are regarded as relatives in Native cultures. But today, as families struggle with poverty, so too do the animals, and the problems arising from strays and overpopulation are immense for some reservations. Peta cites that, in just 6 years, one female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 pups; in just 7 years, one female cat and her offspring can produce 370,000 kittens. The reservations we serve are unable to care for that many animals, so some partners hold spay/neuter clinics monthly. Still, about 88% of pets living in underserved communities have not been spayed/neutered, and 69% have never seen a veterinarian. On top of this, reservation shelters are congested because people who adopted during the pandemic brought the dogs back when they returned to work. Our reservation partners still hope to find homes for each one. Pwna response: pwna's reservation animal rescue (rar) program supports groups that rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome animals, ensuring they have what they need for quality of life. Supporting potential foster families is often a key to rehoming, so we supplied more than 59,000 pounds of supplies to six animal welfare partners in the northern plains and southwest regions on the Colorado river, lake traverse, omaha tribe, navajo nation, white mountain apache, and zuni pueblo reservations. with the support of our donors, reservation animal rescue also awarded grant support of $57,200 for more than 700 pets on eight reservations. *dba programs of pwna for animal welfare: reservation animal rescue (rar)
Public education: purpose of the program: to provide accurate information about Native american history, modern-day life on the reservations, and pwna programs and impact, while addressing persistent misconceptions that hinder opportunity and equity for Native peoples situation: the need for america to become more nativeaware has never been greater. Harmful stereotypes and lack of accurate information about Native people, history, issues, and funding contribute to racial/social inequity and inadequate support for tribal communities. Many Americans believe Native Americans receive free housing and healthcare, go to college for free or receive a government check every month just for being Native. So, for all the billions given for philanthropy in the united states, less than one-half of 1 percent is aiding Native american causes. Meanwhile, tribal nations face challenges that stem directly from broken treaties, a census undercount that limits federal funding to tribes, and systemic failures in the education system that are detrimental to Native students. Amidst the rich culture and unity of tribal communities, Americans quickly forget the spotlight that covid-19 shined on food and water insecurity, lack of health care and housing, and education and technology barriers - challenges that have persisted for decades. And now inflation is stacked on top of all these needs. Pwna response: increasing public education to help individuals and organizations in the u.s. Become more nativeaware is a crucial step toward positive change. Pwna reached a potential reading, listening, and viewing audience of about 672 million people with news media about current challenges and realities on the reservations. We achieved this through 167 news articles, press releases, social media engagement, fresh content on our website, and timely original content on our blog. In addition, our president & ceo continued public education through these and other efforts in 2025, including: * panel moderator: 'redefining Native Americans in media: progress, visibility & authenticity' at sie's impact + profit 25 conference. Los angeles, ca * fireside chat with pathward regarding pwna's american indian education fund and emergency preparedness & response aed certification program. Virtual * Native american heritage month presenter for pepsico/frito lay's rise employee resource group on pwma's american indian education fund. Virtual * speaker for ralph lauren's employee impact group about Native american history not taught in schools. Virtual * presentation to arizent's erg and bipoc employee organization. Virtual * presenter to kiwanis club of allen (tx) on how to become Native aware. * pre conference workshop facilitator: national tribal health conference on the power of partnerships: disaster preparedness plans & indigenous food security * 2025-9: presenter at the Arizona department of emergency and military affairs (dema). Phoenix, az * 2025-9: present to the Colorado river indian tribes health board: power of partnerships. Parker, az * 2025-5: 3rd annual tribal emergency managers summit, presenter 'how to lead during adversity'. Rapid city, sd * 2025-4: national diversity leadership conference, panelist. Los angeles ca * accepting d ceo magazine's leadership excellence award for 2025 * accepting the 2025 anthem award in diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging (nonprofit leader)