Honoring the Past, Present, and Future Legacy of Fund of the Sacred Circle

September 30, 2023 - 5:00 p.m.

InterContinental Saint Paul Hotel - Great River Ballroom

When: Saturday, September 30, 2023, 5:00 p.m.

Where: InterContinental Hotel (click for website) - Great River Ballroom
11 East Kellogg Boulevard, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101

The Fund of the Sacred Circle  (FSC) was founded in 1999 by American Indian leaders, community members, and partners who sought to push back against the historical trend of disinvestment of Native-led organizations across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Their wisdom and foresight led to the creation of a culturally-responsive fund symbolized by the sacred circle that placed grantmaking and decision-making into the hands of community members built on collective Native values.

Since then, the FSC has remained the longest standing fund of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice and a resource to Native-led organizations. Over 24 years, the Fund of the Sacred Circle invested in Indigenous-led organizations recognizing the critical roles of Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty.

In 2022, Headwaters' Program Officer for Native Programs, Wakinyan LaPointe, a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, carried out virtual post-award visits with grantees focusing on how HFJ can better support grantees throughout the 2-year grant cycle. The lessons learned from the conversations would build upon the 6-8 month evaluation focused on the continued growth of the FSC program. Alongside Dr. Nicole MartinRogers (White Earth Ojibwe, descendent), Wakinyan held conversational interviews of those who have been part of the FSC ecosystem throughout the decades.

We look forward to sharing the evaluation report, outcomes, and elements that will inform the continued growth of the Fund of the Sacred Circle. Wopila Tanka for registering for the FSC closing evaluation celebratory event, themed, "Honoring the Past, Present, and Future Legacy of the Fund of the Sacred Circle." A final agenda will be sent to registrants soon.

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COVID-19 Safety and Information

We expect that everyone who is eligible will be fully vaccinated. If you have an exemption, we ask that you please wear a mask. Please do not attend if you are sick or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

The event will be held indoors. Masks will be optional for fully vaccinated attendees. We welcome individuals to make decisions around masking that allow them to most comfortably participate in the event, including wearing masks.

Liability Waiver Agreement

You agree to indemnify and release HFJ, FSC, directors, program officers, and staff from any potential liability claims, compensatory liability claims, damages, loss, or incidents relating to the HFJ FSC event. This includes, but is not limited to injury, loss of valuable positions, health issues, and other passive or direct issues and claims.

Event Agenda

  • 5:00 p.m.-5:50 p.m.: Door Opens | Networking Hour | & Vendors
  • 5:50-6:00 p.m.: (Guests begin seating in the Great River General Session Room)
  • 6:00 p.m.: Indigenous Invocation
  • 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.: Dinner
  • 6:30 p.m.-6:45 p.m.: Headwaters Foundation Introductions
  • 6:45 p.m.-7:15 p.m.: Past, Present, and Future Legacy of the Fund of the Sacred Circle | FSC Evaluation Report Outcomes & the Redesign Phase
  • 7:30-8:30: Pathways Forward: Community Conversation & Interactive Activity
  • 8:30: Next steps & Closing Ceremony.

More about the Fund of the Sacred Circle Evaluation

Since 1999, the Fund of the Sacred Circle (FSC) has brought on dozens of Native community grant makers from throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin who helped shape the cultural identity and vision of the FSC. The FSC Native grantmaking experience became a launching off point for successions of Indigenous philanthropic thinkers to start similar community grantmaking programs; to transform aspects of philanthropy; and for some, it was the first stepping stone to their journey in philanthropy. Historically, former FSC Native program officers trained community members on how to steward a Native-led endowment, fundraise, and how to be a community grant maker. Together, the belief that 'the community knows what's best' and uplifting time-honored Native values has carried the Fund of the Sacred Circle forward to where it is now.

In November 2021, the Headwaters Foundation brought on Wakinyan LaPointe, a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, to lead the Fund of the Sacred Circle. Wakinyan is a Ph.D. Student at the University of Minnesota, holds a Master of Nonprofit Management and is a graduate of the United Nations Indigenous Fellowship Programme '23. Wakinyan brings with him meaningful experience having served 2 terms as Tiwahe Foundation board chair with a decade of facilitation experience in Indigenous community conversations, the knowledge of Indigenous mentors in the field, and a cultural worldview that grounds the FSC in a relational model. In 2022, the FSC granted 760,000 dollars to 19 Native-led grantees. The surge in grantmaking dollars was a reminder to the broader community of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice's long standing commitment to Native communities. It also signaled a greater effort and passion to better meet the needs of Native-led organizations by providing general operating dollars over the course of 2 years.

In 2022, Mr. LaPointe carried out virtual post-award visits with grantees focusing on how HFJ can better support grantees throughout the 2-year grant cycle. The lessons learned from the conversations would build upon the 6-8 month evaluation focused on the continued growth of the FSC program. Alongside Dr. Nicole MartinRogers (White Earth Ojibwe, descendant), Wakinyan held conversational interviews of those who have been a part of the FSC ecosystem throughout the decades. The evaluation was a deep dive into the generational hopes, visions, and possibilities of the Fund of the Sacred Circle legacy. The evaluation was designed to harvest, seed, and build upon the growing legacy of the FSC; to archive this legacy for present and future purposes; and to take the best of the past and reinvest it into the future of the FSC, honoring the unique gifts and strengths of those that came before and those that will come after.