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Dr. Henry Fernandez of USA Funds was instrumental in organizing the GFE collaborative gathering.

Fund Collaborates with W.K.K.F. and Grantmakers of Education

The American Indian College Fund hosted a "collaborative gathering" for members of the philanthropic association Grantmakers for Education (GFE) on February 21-22, 2006 in Denver, CO. The two-day conference focused on Native American educational issues, and brought together grantmakers and other members of the philanthropic community along with grassroots Indian educators and directors of innovative Native education programs.

Intended to immerse participants in a learning forum on Native American cultural and educational issues and appropriate strategies and approaches to grantmaking, the conference began with a showing of In the White Man's Image, a documentary that introduced the history of the Indian boarding school experience to many of the fifty-four participants.

From there, the conference featured break out sessions that addressed early childhood education, language and cultural preservation education and the early college high school initiative, among others. Presenters came from as far as Alaska and Hawai'i.

Wilma Mankiller provided the keynote address, a highlight of the conference for many. She encouraged participants to use their knowledge and experience to increase interest and support for Indian education, stating, "Present these findings to other funders who are looking for projects to fund but don't know how or where to begin."

The conference was made possible through grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation ($31,000), USA Funds ($20,000) and Lumina Foundation for Education ($10,000).

"We are truly honored to host the first of what we hope will become an annual gathering," stated Fund President Richard B. Williams. "By bridging the gap between the philanthropic community and those innovative Native educational programs, we are taking significant steps toward supporting those initiatives that truly have the potential to change not just Native America, but the country as a whole as well."

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations. Its programming activities center around the common vision of a world in which each person has a sense of worth; accepts responsibility for self, family, community, and societal well-being; and has the capacity to be productive, and to help create nurturing families, responsive institutions, and healthy communities.

To achieve the greatest impact, the Foundation targets its grants toward specific areas. These include: health, food systems and rural development; youth and education; and philanthropy and volunteerism. Within these areas, attention is given to exploring learning opportunities in economic community development. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the southern Africa countries of Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.