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 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 distances to them is an issue for many residents. Despite CARES Act funding, I.H.S. remains ill-situated to respond to a healthcare crisis, and 19% of Native Americans lack any form of health insurance for outside care. Thus, Tribal health and wellness programs often take the lead on preventative health care, as well as efforts to support healthier diets. PWNA RESPONSE: Through new initiatives in 2023, PWNA highlighted the need for coats on #GivingTuesday, raising funds to provide coats for K-12 children. Meanwhile, PWNA continued supporting Tribal programs that offer preventative care, home visits, and health screenings, helping 295 health and wellness partners address diabetes at epidemic levels, obesity even for youth, tuberculosis seven times higher than for Whites, and more cancer-related disparities than any minority group in the U.S. Through these partners, we supported healthy lifestyle programs and education for approximately 54,071 people, including COVID check-ins, pre- and post-natal care, parenting and behavioral health, screenings and education for diabetes, high blood pressure, TB, cancer, and heart health, suicide awareness and prevention, immunizations, medication monitoring, and care for the homebound or others unable to access services. In addition, 70 of these partners focused on adult and youth development, such as suicide prevention and language/culture preservation through community events. On the healthy nutrition front, the modern diet is detrimental - especially in the face of poverty and limited food access. Through our Train the Trainer (T3) service, PWNA conducted healthy food demonstrations and food tastings with 480 participants from 4 reservations, including Pine Ridge, Standing Rock, Navajo, and Tohono O'odham. We accomplished this with support from Olo for Good and Tides Foundation, along with 10 former graduates of our 4D program who helped our partners cook and serve the food. We also gathered 4D alumni for a food demo, with support from Bank of America. *DBA programs of PWNA for Health services: Southwest Reservation Aid (SWRA), Northern Plains Reservation Aid (NRPA), Southwest Indian Relief Council (SWIRC), Navajo Relief Fund (NRF), 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 college and career readiness. 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. Much like the Indian Health Service, these federally run schools are understaffed and underfunded, leaving students with the lowest reading scores in America. Students who graduate high school then face barriers to higher education, such as poverty and racial discrimination - even while many people believe 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 2023, PWNA's American Indian Education Fund (AIEF) program invested in Native students from cradle to college and career. Approximately 13,280 K-12 students at 52 partner schools received school supplies and backpacks, with support from the Brad Lemons Foundation and the Walmart Foundation. In addition, 603 children from the Lake Traverse, Omaha, Pine Ridge, and Rosebud reservations benefited from books and other supplies, motivating reading and parent-child reading time and supporting reading comprehension. On the college front, many 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 $550,000 in undergraduate and graduate scholarships, prioritizing scholars in the middle range of the academic ranking who may not be considered by other providers despite their serious drive. The academic-year completion rate for students who receive our scholarships is 90-95%, much higher than the national average. PWNA credits this success to individualized mentoring provided by the PepsiCo RISE Native American employee workforce group and selecting candidates with a likelihood of overcoming the first-year challenges unique to Native students. This award level was made possible with support of the Grow With Google Indigenous Career Readiness Program, which also helped us award 58 vocational scholarships and provide free digital training to 1,520 students. The Walmart Foundation helped us provide laptops to first-year students. 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 in 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. With the support of General Motors and the Walmart Foundation, we conducted 3 adult cohorts and 4 alumni events with youth and/or adults. Across the Northern Plains and Southwest regions, we graduated 33 new 4D participants in 2023 and regathered 61 prior grads for a refresh and networking. *DBA programs of PWNA for Education: American Indian Education Fund (AIEF)
EMERGENCY SERVICES: PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM: To provide winter warmth, seasonal services, and critical supplies for reservation Elders, communities, and shelters, and to support Tribal readiness to respond when disaster strikes. SITUATION: As global warming increases disasters such as floods, forest fires, blizzards, and tornadoes, it is critical that PWNA continue to serve as a first responder for the reservations and equip Native communities to plan, train, and respond to such events when they strike locally. Winter warmth is always a concern for the Elders too. On any given night, 68,000 Native Americans are homeless (sheltered, unsheltered) or living in overcrowded conditions, and 40% of Native Americans live in sub-standard homes. In addition, 75% of Hopi residents rely on water contaminated with arsenic, and 30% of Navajo families haul water due to 521 abandoned uranium mines. In a 2023 case, the Supreme Court ruled that "Tribes have rights to as much water as they need to establish a permanent homeland, and those rights stretch back at least as long as any given reservation has existed." Yet they ruled there is no promise or obligation on the part of the U.S. government to aid tribes in securing water access. So, while clean drinking water is a basic human right, water access remains a hardship for 48% of homes on the reservations. PWNA RESPONSE: PWNA can't predict every emergency, so we give seasonal aid to help prepare for them. In 2023, this included year-round aid to 56 shelters for the aged, homeless, disabled, and domestic abuse victims, aiding approximately 6,673 people. We also provided firewood, coal, or winter fuel vouchers to Northern Cheyenne and Navajo Elders with support from the Black Hills Community Foundation, as well as winter and/or summer emergency boxes to 29 partners on 16 reservations. These emergency kits equipped Native Elders with supplies such as blankets, batteries, candles, water, nonperishable food, and other items helpful during winter storms, and water, sunscreen, bug spray, fire extinguishers, and other items helpful during the summer heat, storms, and outages. PWNA rotates its seasonal readiness services to different Tribal communities each year to avoid creating dependency, but the level of need suggests increasing these services as funding permits. Life on the reservation often means less access to outside aid when disaster strikes - and it struck 5 times for the Oglala Sioux and the Navajo in 2023. PWNA provided disaster relief for a water shortage, winter storm, flooding incident, heat emergency, and COVID, infusing over 266,740 pounds of staple foods, bottled water, hygiene kits, diapers, blankets, PPE, and other essentials to assist about 1,737 people. This was done with support from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, Boeing, Freeport-McMoRan, Levi Strauss, and AT&T. PWNA also invests in emergency planning and training with Tribal communities. With support from the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, we facilitated training on smoke safety, mental health, shelter, search and rescue, First Aid/CPR, CERT, FEMA instructor, and other first responder skills so that Crow Creek, Cheyenne River, Lake Traverse, Lower Brule, Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Santee, Standing Rock, Turtle Mountain, and Yankton reservations can better respond to disasters. With additional support from Boeing, Freeport-McMoRan, and Levi Strauss, PWNA facilitated emergency preparedness cohorts with the White Mountain Apache and San Carlos Apache communities, focusing on asset mapping, First Aid/CPR, active shooter, 72-hour survival, CERT training, and more. With support from Feeding America, PWNA facilitated the Natives Prepared project for asset mapping and emergency planning with Sisseton Wahpeton and Hualapai community leaders and citizens. Altogether, 1,211 Tribal citizens were trained and/or engaged around disaster readiness in 2023. *DBA programs of PWNA for Emergency services: Southwest Reservation Aid (SWRA), Northern Plains Reservation Aid (NRPA), Southwest Indian Relief Council (SWIRC), Navajo Relief Fund (NRF), Sioux Nation Relief Fund (SNRF) and Native American Aid (NAA).
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 many Native families. The Elders and children on the reservations PWNA serves are certainly aware of holidays celebrated across the U.S., but many families cannot afford holiday gifts or celebrations. About 38% of Native American children live in poverty or low-income households, but this impacts up to 61% of Native children. In fact, compared to Whites, Native children are over three times as likely to experience deep poverty. Many Native children are being raised by grandparents 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 2023 holidays, PWNA helped program partners spread holiday cheer by delivering stockings and holiday gift bags filled with practical items. These gifts were given to 13,894 delighted children and Elders across 14 reservations in the Northern Plains and 12 reservations 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), Navajo Relief Fund (NRF) and Native American Aid (NAA).
FOOD & WATER: PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM: To ease food insecurity by increasing 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, many 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. The U.S. Department of Agriculture designates many Tribal communities as "food deserts" devoid of fresh fruits and vegetables, and 51% of Native residents travel off-reservation for grocery shopping. Food hardship - the inability to afford enough food for yourself and your family - has increased in families with children, according to a 2018 study by the Food & Action Center. The food hardship rate is 23% for Native families (compared to 16-19% nationwide). Today, rather than an emergency solution, food aid has become a long-term solution with more families consistently needing aid. This is certainly the case for many families and food banks in the communities PWNA serves, along with another hardship - contaminated drinking water. 48% of homes on Native American reservations live with water insecurity year-round. PWNA RESPONSE: Areas with high poverty and minority populations are more likely to be food deserts. Accordingly, we provided fresh produce and/or ancestral foods such as bison and mutton to 1,850 people from Cheyenne River, Pine Ridge, Navajo, San Carlos, Tohono O'odham, and Yavapai Apache reservations. These distributions were done with support from Bank of America, Olo for Good, and the Melba Bayers Meyer Charitable Trust. We provided emergency food boxes to 3,665 people, helping Elders worried about bills and gas for the grocery store that is often an hour away, with support from Kroger. PWNA also provided staple foods to 93 food banks and/or senior centers for 21,974 people and Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for 18,021, with support from the Jim Foote Foundation. Rosebud Elders picked up 1,087 bags of breakfast groceries. In addition, we provided nearly 200,000 bottles of water to communities with unsafe drinking water. Our drivers traversed 122,935 miles to deliver this food, water, and other basics in 2023. *DBA programs of PWNA for Food services: Southwest Reservation Aid (SWRA), Northern Plains Reservation Aid (NRPA), Southwest Indian Relief Council (SWIRC), Navajo Relief Fund (NRF), Sioux Nation Relief Fund (SNRF) and Native American Aid (NAA).
ANIMAL WELFARE: PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM: To support programs concerned with animal welfare and related human health risk in remote, underserved Tribal communities. SITUATION: Indigenous peoples have a long history of relationship with animals; more than just pets, they are viewed as brothers and sisters 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 are not spayed or neutered, and 69% have never seen a veterinarian. On top of this, many shelters are now overrun with animals because dogs adopted during the pandemic were sent back when people 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 a good quality of life. Supporting potential foster families is often a key to rehoming, so we supplied nearly 8,100 pounds of supplies to our partners on the Cheyenne River, Northern Cheyenne, Omaha, Pine Ridge, Navajo, and Zuni reservations. With your support, RAR also awarded 9 new grants in 2023 and continued spend-down on 4 others, providing $82,500 in support for spay/neuter, vaccination and transport for adoption that benefited 637 animals across 11 reservations. *DBA programs of PWNA for Animal Welfare: Reservation Animal Rescue (RAR)
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 deter opportunity and racial/social equity for Native peoples. SITUATION: The need for Native voices to be heard 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 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 are inextricably tied to 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 seem to 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. 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 574.2 million people with news media about current challenges and realities on the reservations. We achieved this through 83 news articles, 1 TV airing, 6 press releases, social media engagement, fresh content on our website, and timely original content on our blog. PWNA also sponsored season 2 of the PBS "Native America" series for accurate public education on issues facing tribes today, reaching up to 112 million viewers. In addition, as a tireless advocate for Indigenous peoples, our president & CEO contributed to public education through these efforts in 2023: - Food security at the 2023 Courageous Conversations event (PepsiCo RISE) - Tribal sovereignty for faculty and students (University of Texas at Arlington) - Doctrine of Discovery (Westside Church) - Native History & Misconceptions (Comcast) - History Not Taught in Schools (IPG Mediabrands) - Food & Water Insecurity, Determinants & Solutions (Instacart) - Tribal Sovereignty Citizenship (DHS Border Patrol) - Tribal Health Equity (Molina Health Care) - U.S.-Tribal Relations & Policies (Vitalyst Foundation) - Food Security & Determinants (McKesson) - Health Equity Priorities & Solutions (Vitalyst Foundation) - Social Equity roundtable moderator (Social Innovation Summit)