PWNA Annual Report Summary

Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA) is committed to supporting a brighter future for Native Americans living on remote and often isolated reservations. By collaborating with our partners in more than 300 tribal communities, we work to realize our vision of strong, self-sufficient Native American communities. It’s our belief that the people who live and work in the areas PWNA serves have the solutions to the problems that challenge their quality of life, and PWNA’s role is to provide resources and support to these community-driven efforts toward lasting change.

Today, our reservation-based program partners count on PWNA as a consistent, reliable resource. Our services are available year-round to address critical needs in the areas of education, health, food and water, emergency relief, holiday support and animal welfare on 60 reservations. PWNA is committed to providing high-quality, useful products, services and grants that reservation partners specifically request to enhance their programs, meet pressing needs and address sustainable solutions in their communities.

A sample of PWNA’s support, which aims at both immediate needs and long-term solutions, includes:

• Food & Water: In 2016, PWNA addressed food insecurity by providing over a ton and a half of food to help stock Polson Loaves and Fish Pantry in Montana, in addition to other food pantries, which helped contribute to food security for Native communities. We also helped to further food sovereignty by providing cooking demonstrations and healthy nutrition education with our reservation partners. One of our innovative approaches to food and nutrition in 2016 was the use of mobile units for training and nutrition (MUTNs), enabling collaboration between Native chefs and local cooks.
•  Education Services: Furthering PWNA’s commitment to supporting self-determination and quality of life, our initiatives in education included investing in literacy programs that motivate reading and promote parent-child reading time. In 2016, PWNA provided enough literacy incentives and supplies for 38 partners on 14 reservations and furnished school supplies to 75 partner schools on 28 reservations. For older students, we supported the pursuit of higher education by awarding scholarships and grant funds, and supplying laptops to deserving students. In support of lifelong learning, PWNA expanded its 4 Directions Development Program, investing in personal and professional development training and, since inception, equipping 63 emerging leaders to make even greater contributions to their tribal communities.
• Emergency Services: PWNA supported disaster relief and disaster preparedness among our tribal communities in numerous ways in 2016. In one case, this included providing $1.3 million in supplies to the residents of the United Houma Nation in the wake of severe storms in Louisiana in August, 2016, and through collaborations with community partners and organizations like the American Red Cross, supporting disaster preparedness planning, providing emergency kits, and ensuring emergency medical training.
• Health + Holiday Support: PWNA supported reservation programs aimed specifically at preventative care, home health visits and health education initiatives for tribal members, as part of its commitment to reducing health disparities and lowering disease rates within Native communities. Beyond health, in 2016 PWNA helped our program partners enrich quality of life among tribal members by embracing the holiday season, delivering to nearly 300 program partners the requested holiday stockings for children and Elders.
• Animal Welfare: In 2016, PWNA supported reservation programs that spay, neuter and vaccinate animals, and educate communities on proper animal care. We also supported community health through a $10,000 grant to Midwestern University’s Animal Health Institute in Glendale, AZ, to advance the critical need for reservation-based spay and neuter programs and veterinary services through Midwestern’s mobile animal clinic.

This is just a snapshot of all the life-enhancing initiatives PWNA supported in 2016. None of this could have been possible without our individual contributors, in-kind donors, and community investors, or without our tribal partners who collaborated with PWNA throughout the year. Together, we addressed critical supply needs in underserved tribal communities and enhanced community-led initiatives focused on nutrition and health, youth development and emergency preparedness. We want to thank all of you for your generosity and dedication to PWNA’s mission and to those who benefit from our services. To read more about PWNA’s impact in 2016, read the full report here. And check out the back page to learn about our cover art.