Seva Foundation: Compassion in Action
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Native American Programs
 

Native American Program Overview:

Seva Foundation partners with Native Americans working to build healthy communities, sustain their culture, and protect sacred lands and the environment.  We began in 1982, when we helped establish the Porcupine Clinic on the Pine Ridge Reservation — the first Native American-operated health clinic in the country.
 
Our support is vital — Native American causes and concerns receive only 0.3 percent of the total grant dollars given by U.S. foundations, even though Native communities are in great need.


After suffering years of cultural devastation, extreme poverty is widespread among Native American communities, and Native people suffer the worst health outcomes and lowest life expectancy rate of any population group in the United States.

Seva is working with Native communities to change the situation through two important initiatives: our Grants Program and our Diabetes Wellness Program.

 

Native American Grants Program
Seva's Native American Grants Program provides one of the very few sources of non-governmental funding available to Native communities, often sponsoring innovative projects that are unable to access other sources of support.

Grants range from $2,000-$5,000, with the average grant being $3,500.  We fund a wide range of issues affecting Indian Country, including environmental justice, treaty rights, health, cultural survival, language preservation, and emergency needs.  Read more about our grants program.

Diabetes Wellness Program
Native American communities are struggling with an epidemic of type 2 diabetes, with mortality rates four times higher than the national average.  Seva's Diabetes Wellness Program offers a unique solution that creates a synergy between modern medicine and traditional forms of healing.

The core of the program is the Diabetes Talking Circle, a highly effective training that helps Native people develop self-managed strategies for diabetes prevention and treatment.  The program also supports community garden projects which are helping to reintroduce nutritious, traditional Native foods.

Program Review: Reflections and lessons from our first 25 years
Thank you to the nearly
50 organizations that we spoke to and who shared their vision for the future with us, as part of our in-depth Native American Program Review. Seva is pleased to share the findings.