Cowlitz Tribal Foundation Celebrates 2023 Grant Recipients at 3rd Annual Event
April 30 2024 - 1:17PM
On Sunday, April 28th, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe welcomed 2023 grant
recipients from across the state to ilani Casino Resort to
celebrate their partnership and reflect on a year of amazing
accomplishments.
The brunch, hosted by the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation, marks the
third annual celebration of the tribe’s philanthropic
partners.
The tribe’s grantees are located throughout Clark County, WA and
the state of Washington, and spanning focus areas from food access,
to education, housing, natural resources, and more.
“We are honored to celebrate the incredible work of the
Cowlitz Tribal Foundation grantees, who are advancing solutions to
the biggest challenges faced by our communities in and throughout
Washington state. The people of the Cowlitz Tribe have cared for
this land and our neighbors since time immemorial, and we are
grateful to continue that legacy through the work of our
foundation. We’ve seen the impact of this work grow
along with the Tribe over the last several years, demonstrating
clearly that when Cowlitz succeeds, we all succeed,” said
Patty Kinswa-Gaiser, General Council Chairwoman of the Cowlitz
Indian Tribe.
In 2023,132 grants were awarded between the Clark County Fund
and the Statewide Fund. These grants spanned nine focus areas
(arts, culture & humanities, civil rights & advocacy,
economic, education, environment, food & nutrition, health, law
& safety, and social services), for the purpose of capacity
building, capital construction, operational support, and program
development.
You can learn more about individual grant recipients and the
impact of their work in an overview video here.
The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation is also committed to removing as
many barriers as possible when it comes to funding awards, further
enabling direct impact. “It is not uncommon for funding to
come with certain restrictions for its use in
organizations,” said Cowlitz Tribal Foundation Manager
Timi Marie Russin. “Our foundation prioritizes proactive
grantmaking to organizations, to help remove barriers and build
long term partnerships.”
While Sunday’s event highlighted the 2023 efforts of this
philanthropic work, the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation has awarded $28
million in funding to date since 2018.
Learn more about the work of the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation, the
application process, and its sustaining impact on the
region, here.
About the Cowlitz Indian Tribe
The Cowlitz Indian Tribe is a growing force in community
building in the Pacific Northwest. The Cowlitz Reservation
neighbors Ridgefield, Washington, and is home to ilani, the Pacific
Northwest's premier gaming, dining, meeting, and entertainment
destination. The mission of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe is to preserve
and honor the legacy of its elders and ancestors by empowering a
tribal community that promotes social justice and economic
well-being, secures aboriginal lands, respects culture and
sovereignty, and fosters justice, freedom, and mutual welfare. More
information can be found at cowlitz.org.
Madison Hitchcock
Cowlitz Indian Tribe
mhitchcock@cowlitz.org