Tiwahe Foundation/American Indian Family Empowerment Program (AIFEP)

AIFEP Evolves into the Tiwahe Foundation

2009 marked an important milestone for the American Indian Family Empowerment Program. After several years of thoughtful and strategic planning, AIFEP has begun its journey to become its own stand-alone Foundation.

With support from its partners—the Marbrook, Grotto, and Westcliff Foundations—and grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, AIFEP has devoted the past three years to preparing for this transition from a special-interest fund to an independent foundation. The transition by AIFEP to an independent foundation will allow for new opportunities, greater social participation in the field of philanthropy, and a focus on cultural preservation and self-determination.

The Tiwahe Foundation, replacing the American Indian Family Empowerment Program, will continue to expand its capacity to support individuals and families striving for self-determination through educational attainment, economic self-sufficiency, and connecting to their culture; and will expand its Leadership Development Program to prepare Native people with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities required to successfully lead their communities in the 21st century.

Tiwahe is a Dakota word meaning family, and for the newly formed foundation it symbolizes the heart and soul to which all things are related. It is a special gift from the creator, which embodies interconnectedness of all living things and responsibility to family, Mother Earth, and community.

Grants

The American Indian Family Empowerment Program, founded in 1996 by the Marbrook Foundation, is an innovative grantmaking partnership of the Marbrook Foundation, Westcliff Foundation, Grotto Foundation, and members of the American Indian community. Throughout its history, AIFEP has invested in human capital—in the skills, resources, and cultural strengths that American Indian families and individuals possess that allow them to contribute to the cultural and social well-being of their community. AIFEP’s American Indian Advisory Committee awards grants to individuals and families working toward self-determination through education, service to community, and economic self-sufficiency, and through renewing and preserving cultural connections. In 2008, grants ranging in value from $500 to $2,500 were made to 42 individuals.

Leadership Development Project

AIFEP’s Leadership Development Project was awarded a multi-year grant in 2008 by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. The Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors grant will build on the leadership work supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The new grant will support the development of culturally based philanthropy programs within the Indian community while further developing the skills and knowledge of the leadership participants.