By NB3 Foundation

NB3 Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund surpasses $200k

The Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation is pleased to announce that it’s COVID-19 Response Fund to support Native American children, elders and families has reached over $210,000 in donations to date.

 

“We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, particularly from our individual donors. Nearly 250 individuals have contributed over $150,000 to the fund,” said Justin Kii Huenemann, President and CEO. “Through this outpouring of generosity, we have been providing critical support to Native families in need and will continue as donations continue.”

 

The NB3 Foundation would also like to thank the following foundations and businesses for their important contributions to the fund:

  • PNM Resources Foundation
  • Albuquerque Community Foundation
  • The Denver Foundation
  • McCune Charitable Foundation
  • The Winky Foundation
  • Hormel Foods
  • Seventh Generation

 

The response fund was launched on April 6, 2020, with the goal of providing food, water and educational resources to Native families and communities facing unprecedented challenges during this time. The fund also provides financial support to Native-led organizations who are working on-the-ground in their communities to provide for those in need.

 

For information on our efforts and to follow our progress, follow @nb3foundation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or sign-up for updates on our website at nb3foundation.org.

/by
By NB3 Foundation

New Report: NB3 Foundation releases ‘Indigenous Voices and Practices: Recommendations for Grantmaking to Native-led Organizations’

 

The Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation is excited to announce the release of its new report, “Indigenous Voices and Practices: Recommendations for Grantmaking to Native-led Organizations.” This first-of-its kind report provides collective recommendations from established Native-led nonprofits of how grantmaking could be implemented to ensure success as defined by Indigenous communities.
This report is a result of dedicated Indigenous leaders and practitioners from across the country who share their knowledge and expertise with funders, foundations and grantmaking organizations. Over the course of two days, Native leaders developed guiding recommendations and shared important insights to assist funders in their efforts to create meaningful, long-lasting relationships with Native-led organizations and the communities they serve. The intent is to inspire deeper relationships and to improve results as determined by Native and Indigenous communities themselves.
“A primary goal of this report was to help identify and strengthen relationships between Native-led and Native youth serving organizations and funders,” says Justin Kii Huenemann, president and CEO, NB3 Foundation. “At its heart, this report is about trusting and respecting Indigenous knowledge and practices and investing in Indigenous communities with the full confidence that solutions rest in those communities.”
Tatewin Means, executive director, Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation shared, “The convening, and report, are powerful examples of the strength of Indigenous people when called upon to share collective insight and wisdom. No matter how difficult the conversation may be, we are always willing to share the truth, our truths, because it means our Indigenous nations will benefit.”
This report shares with funders a means to better align their funding models with Native-led organizational values and approaches. It also highlights the importance of respecting and valuing Indigenous evaluation methodologies and outcomes.
“We are grateful to the NB3 Foundation and the Indigenous leaders they assembled for showing all of us, especially funders trying to assist Indigenous people, how to be better, more humble agents of healing and wellbeing,” said Dr. Michael Painter, MD, Senior Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
It is critical that the quality of life for Native and Indigenous youth and families is improved, that there is respect for tribal and community values, and an assurance that Native-led organizations receive the necessary financial support to sustainably operate.
Available for download HERE.
/by
By NB3 Foundation

NB3 Foundation releases eight-part video series highlighting Water First! community partners

The Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation announces the release of a unique video web series, “Water First! Journeys of 8 Indigenous Communities”. The web series captures the inspiring stories of eight Native communities’ efforts to reduce the consumption of sugary-sweetened beverages and increase the consumption of safe drinking water among youth in their community or promote breastfeeding.

 

The videos, while wonderful stories, are also the final evaluation “reports” for the community partners (grantees). Instead of being asked to write and submit final reports, community partners were asked to tell their own stories via these final videos, showcasing NB3 Foundation’s approach to community-based evaluation. These stories demonstrate the Foundation’s belief that communities have the inherent knowledge, values and assets to resolve their own challenges and successes.
“Our focus for this project was to learn from our community partners, uplift and share their journey’s in developing community led solutions and help improve the health of their children,” NB3 Foundation President and CEO Justin Kii Huenemann said.

 

Please enjoy and learn from these Indigenous stories and communities, each dedicated to improving the health of their young people, decreasing sugary-sweetened beverages and increasing water consumption.

Watch the Water First! Journeys HERE!

Our Water First! Cohort Community Partners:

The (Service To All Relations) STAR School

Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos 

Zuni Youth Enrichment Project (ZYEP)

Jemez Public Health Program

Tamaya Wellness Center

Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment Project (COPE)

Kewa Family Wellness Center

Ramah Navajo School Board

 

 

 

/by
By NB3 Foundation

NB3 Foundation receives grant from San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to pilot Indigenous Evaluation Toolkit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact
Sacha Smith
(505) 867-0775
sacha@nb3f.org

SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. (December 2, 2019) – The Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation announced it has been awarded a two-year $167,000 grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to develop an indigenous informed evaluation toolkit that can be shared with Native communities across the country.

“We are grateful for the continued support of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and their understanding of the importance of indigenous centered, community-based evaluation in our communities,” President and CEO Justin Kii Huenemann said.

In particular, the NB3 Foundation will build on Native-led research and its own indigenous health framework to further develop the Youth Program Evaluation Toolkit. The toolkit will assist community programs in administering youth inventory, parent/caregiver surveys and staff self-assessments. The tools in this toolkit aim to provide responses that better inform staff about youth and parent/caregiver needs.

“Essentially, the toolkit is a customizable evaluation guide for youth programs that is meant to center the indigenous voice,” NB3 Foundation Evaluation Specialist Renee Goldtooth-Halwood said. “The toolkit will include our outcome statements based on the indigenous health model and the four core areas of healthy nutrition, physical activity, youth development and cultural connections.”

The Foundation will take a focused approach to understand the community partners’ capacity, their values and how best to create an evaluation approach that reflects and supports their community’s needs and strengths.

“At the heart of our efforts is to ensure Native youth serving organizations are able to effectively evaluate their programs, measure their defined successes and tell their own stories,” Huenemann said. “We aim to provide supportive tools and methods that empower organizations to own and control their evaluation process.”

###

 

About Notah Begay III Foundation
The Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation is a national, award-winning Native American nonprofit organization dedicated to Native American children’s health. Our mission is to ensure Native children achieve their full potential by advancing cultures of Native American community health. The NB3 Foundation invests in community-driven and culturally relevant programs that promote healthy nutrition, physical activity, cultural connections and youth development. We are committed to a vision that all children live healthy, happy and fulfilled lives. Learn more about the NB3 Foundation at: www.nb3foundation.org

About San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is a federally recognized Indian tribe located on the San Manuel Indian Reservation near Highland, California. San Manuel exercises its inherent sovereign right of self-governance and provides essential services for its citizens by building infrastructure, maintaining civil services and promoting social, economic and cultural development. As descendants of the indigenous people of the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys, mountains and high deserts, the Serrano people of San Manuel have called this area home since time immemorial and are committed to remaining a productive partner in the San Bernardino region.

/by