If you have questions about grant criteria, focus, and eligibility, connect with Melissa Rudnick, Director of Program & Grantmaking.
If your questions are about accessing and navigating our Grant Portal, then reach out to Grants Associate Ari Baum-Hommes. |
Last week, the next round of Fund of the Sacred Circle grantmaking launched. We are hoping you will read on and help us promote this opportunity to the eligible organizations in your networks; the online application deadline is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 7.
These general operating grants support Native-led organizations that work on issues like furthering language revitalization efforts, reclaiming traditional lifeways, protecting the environment, advancing sovereignty, promoting civic participation, and pushing for narrative change. The investments are $20,000 per year for two years, totaling $40,000. Interested organizations will want to read the full eligibility and criteria guidelines that are posted on our website. You’ll also want to register for one of our upcoming Information Sessions on Zoom. HFJ’s Program Team is offering two options: Monday, November 22 at Noon, or Wednesday December 1 at 6:30 p.m. Once you register, you will receive an email confirmation which will include the Zoom meeting link. |
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All Minnesotans age 18 and older are recommended to get a booster shot. The timing of your booster shot depends on the vaccine you received for your initial vaccine series.
There are several ways you can look for vaccination providers near you in the United States. Visit Vaccines.gov to find vaccination providers near you. In some states, information may be limited while more U. S. vaccination providers and pharmacies are being added. Learn more about COVID-19 Vaccination Locations on Vaccines.gov. Text your ZIP code to 438829 or call 1-800-232-0233 to find vaccine locations near you in the United States. Check your local pharmacy’s website to see if vaccination appointments are available. Find out which pharmacies are participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. |
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January Trafficking Awareness month is fast approaching and here in Duluth we have been presented with a unique opportunity to partner with 2 survivors of trafficking to create a fundraiser - 100% of the funds raised will directly benefit survivors in Minnesota. Please help show your support by placing a Pre-Order and sharing within your networks, community and family! You can place a Pre-Order using the form HERE between November 8-December 3. Please allow 3-4 weeks following the Pre-Order Closing Date (December 3, 2021) for items to be produced and shipped. Pre-Order Form: https://forms.gle/TcdE49GG8FsUEFAQ6 The Second Pre-Order Round will open December 4-January 31, 2022. Please contact Mel Alvar at PAVSA for more information. alvar@pavsa.org |
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The American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) has advocated for housing for American Indian people since 1993. AICHO operates the only culturally-specific domestic violence emergency shelter in Northeast Minnesota, offering safety and advocacy. AICHO created transitional housing and permanent supportive housing in response to the need for safe, affordable housing. Over the course of nearly three decades, the need for housing has only increased and become more complicated. But the root of American Indian homelessness goes back much further.
The truth is the land we all live on is originally Indigenous land. Tribal communities have thrived here and had ample resources, including homes for all Tribal citizens. With colonization and conquest, Indigenous communities endured great losses and survived intentional, massive actions to eliminate their communities, their people, and their cultural ways. Much of this history has been erased and the harm has not yet fully been acknowledged. This includes land theft, systemic violence, and policies that robbed Tribal Nations of economic power, cultural rights, and community integrity. |
The question we must ask ourselves is this: how can American Indian people be homeless in their original homelands?
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AICHO would like to say miigwech to artist Weshoyot (Tongva Nation from the Los Angeles Basin) who we commissioned for sharing her illustrated artwork piece for our billboard project and for bringing attention to the issue of MMIW. She is a comic book artist and illustrator and was born in the Santa Monica Mountains on the property of Satwiwa, a cultural center started by her father Art Alvitre. She grew up close to the land and raised with traditional knowledge that inspires the work she does today. (Info taken from her artist bio).
To find more about her, go to: https://www.weshoyot.com/ and find her on social media. Billboard was designed by Moira Villiard, Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe Direct Descendant & artist, utilizing Weshoyot’s artwork with artist permission. Billboard will be on display starting this week for up to 4 weeks in Onigaaminsing (Duluth, MN). |
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Congratulations also to Ivy Vainio of First Nations Community Partner American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO), who was one of 12 Indigenous people to receive a Maada’ookiing Grassroots Grant coordinated through the Northland Foundation.
The grant was awarded for Ivy’s project to create a billboard banner and companion poster to inspire Indigenous (and diverse) girls and youth to strive for more within their education and seek their potential. The billboard and poster feature Shoshone-Bannock tribal citizen and Red Lake Nation descendant Jennie Murillo who is in her third year of medical school at the University of Minnesota. Niigaanii in the Ojibwe language means “S/he leads.” The billboard banner will be installed on Life House, Duluth’s youth transitional housing complex in downtown Duluth for up to a year.- First Nations Development Institute 
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AICHO will be distributing 200 bags of food, household essentials, personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 health information via curbside pick-up. We will be distributing supplies on a first-come, first-served basis.
We are offering limited delivery services to elders, households in quarantine due to COVID-19, and those who are homebound. All deliveries will occur the week after curbside distribution. To make a request for delivery, register by emailing foodaccess@aicho.org. We are planning our next distribution for Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. Check this page regularly for updates in case of cancellations or postponements. |
The COVID-19 pandemic has been tremendously difficult on our community. We know that many of our community members have faced increasing food insecurity over the past year and resources are being stretched.
Miigwech to our community, for all the ways you help each other to stay healthy and give support to one another! |
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The Department of Health and Human Service (DHHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), and The Administration for Native Americans (ACF) want to extend an invitation to you to participate virtually in an event today (May 5th, 10AM Eastern time, Missing and Murdered Native Americans Awareness) to honor Missing and Murdered Native Americans. President Biden just issued the proclamation, which names May 5th as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/05/04/a-proclamation-on-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-persons-awareness-day-2021/ |
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AICHO honors the resiliency of Native American people by strengthening communities and centering Indigenous values in all aspects of our work; we provide housing and supportive services while also managing arts, cultural, and food sovereignty initiatives in Duluth, MN.
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Our operating philosophy is that every Native American deserves to live in a non-violent and non-threatening environment and has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
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SUPPORT OUR WORK
Make a financial contribution to AICHO today and support the projects you know and love.
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BOOK AN EVENT
Host an event at any of our locations. Choose between the art-filled Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center, our front conference room at the Gimaajii building, our Lincoln Park location, Niiwin Indigenous Foods Market, Gardens, Gymnasium, and more....
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COME VISIT US
To book a tour, email darylo@aicho.org
Visit our Gift Shop IndigenousFirst.org Monday thru Friday from 10 AM - 5 PM Phone: (218) 590-3305 |
