Tribal Nations Partnerships
Honoring the sovereignty and self-determination of Native nations with investments in their priorities
Community-Informed Principles
In 2022, Meyer brought together a multigenerational group of community leaders from across the state so we could hear directly from Native people about their priorities, circumstances, needs and dreams. This was an opportunity to deepen our understanding, building on years of prior learning and engagement. We heard from leaders representing rural Tribal and urban Native perspectives. Across a series of four engagements, several key takeaways emerged:
- For Native communities to thrive, they need to be able to create places where their children want to come home.
- For Native people, “community” is more than just humans — it includes mountains, fish, clean water and more.
- The chronic crisis of Native community erasure and invisibility is a barrier that must be dismantled.
- Native nation-building is a foundation for everything else.
Flexible Support to Suit a Range of Needs
One way that we’ve acted on this wisdom is by establishing a dedicated funding stream for the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon. Funds are set aside explicitly to support tribal priorities, regardless of whether they relate to Meyer’s other focus areas. Our partnerships with sovereign nations must go beyond the dollar, though. We need to show up and share space with our tribal partners, to learn from them and amplify their efforts.
We also know that federally recognized tribes represent only a portion of Native people in our state. Oregon has the ninth largest Native population in the country, with members of more than 300 Native nations living here. That is why, alongside this dedicated funding stream for Tribes, we expect that all of Meyer’s program portfolios will also fund work that supports Native communities.
