Projects

The American Indian Partnership focuses on four areas:

Children & youth programs and events

Anti-drug efforts

Assistance for veterans

Projects that fund and foster individual tribal member entrepreneurship and new enterprises

In addition, we are interested in working with any donor, agency, or funding entity committed to improving the lives of Indians on reservations and that needs a competent, capable, and easy-to-work-with partner with a local presence and connections to help execute their mission and achieve their vision.

One of the biggest problems in Indian Country for funding sources is that the money often doesn't get spent efficiently, effectively, responsibly, and transparently. For example from July 2012 to July 2014 on the Blackfeet Reservation, federal agencies couldn't even pay out the money they had budgeted for a host of critical services due to tribal government dysfunction and infighting. There was literally money sitting in banks, desperately needed to fund services for Tribal members, that could not be released simply because the Tribal government couldn't perform the basic task of getting checks signed. For months on end, 500 - 800 paychecks were held hostage by warring factions of the Tribal Council.

And, sadly, some reservation-based non-governmental organizations (NGO) and non-profits aren't run all that well, either. That may be partly why various funding sources, agencies, and non-profits are in discussions with The American Indian Partnership to devise ways to deliver services more effectively and at lower cost. A few of the areas we are working on include:

Language preservation and revitalization

Personal financial literacy

Business & economics education

Private sector economic development

Elder assistance & events

Projects to capture tourism dollars

Projects to provide commercial space for local enterprises and entrepreneurs

A mentoring program to encourage / assist / fund / equip reservation high school students to get in to top colleges and then in to top careers

The two things that most of our projects have in common is 1) to reduce Tribal members dependence on Tribal government, and 2) bring a broad, modern outlook to reservation citizens to break the generational cycle of thought and actions that have held Indians back for 150 years and give them the confidence, tools, experience, and perspective to compete and win in a global economy.

Please keep checking back for information and opportunities as we roll out various projects and programs.

Thank you!