Tribal Trust Foundation Inc
Indigenous Cultures are Living Treasures
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Raising money and awareness for indigenous causes, specifically preserving culture and sharing wisdom.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Monpa cultural preservation project
Support the indigenous people of Bhutan, the Monpas, to document their language and way of life, inspiring their children to value their culture and pass it on to future generations.
San Cultural Preservation Event
The Ju'hoansi San of a remote area in the Kalahari Desert of Namibia requested continued support in bringing together medicine men and women, and their families to participate in gatherings. Trance dancing, songs, conservation activities, and other threatened traditions will be taught. A remote school for the Nhoma San children is being developed under their direction.
Shipibo-Konibo Traditional Art Workshops
Teaching the Shipibo-Konibo youth their traditions. These indigenous people have lived in the Amazon rainforest for thousands of years but many are displaced from their ancestral lands. The tribe is known for their unique decorative designs found in their clothing, pottery, tools, and textiles–many of which have shamanistic symbolism. Their ancient artistic traditions will be lost if not passed down to future generations. The art education program engages the Shipibo-Konibo indigenous worldview, as well as customs and traditions that will be taught in a dynamic, playful, theoretical and practical way. Using forms of artwork, including ceramic, fabric embroidery, dance, drawing, painting, and singing, this project will ensure the next generation to carry on their traditions.s.
Mbuti, Children of the Forest
This project sought to bring international recognition to the beauty and importance of BaMbuti art, music, dance, and showcase their indigenous response to life … in order to help defend the Mbuti “Forest People” from enslavement, displacement, murder, and genocide. The Tribal Trust Foundation sponsored the journey resulting in an museum caliber photo exhibit, “The Mbuti: Children of the Forest” featuring 30 original photographs by internationally renown artists, Molly Feltner and Eliot Elisofon; a 5 minute film by Molly Feltner and an optional array of framed three-dimensional art and artifacts by the Mbuti people. This award-winning exhibition has a permanent home at the Anneliesse School in Laguna beach, CA.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of programs documented
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Indigenous peoples
Related Program
Monpa cultural preservation project
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The TTF helps preserve indigenous cultures through philanthropy (funding grassroots sustainable projects) and education. We document through film, photography, videos and publications.
Estimated number of funding dollars secured for the sector
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Indigenous peoples
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Donations to the San, Monpa, Shipibo-Konibo, Navajo Nation for documentation, research for book, Monpa Day, indigenous gathering, education, and other grass roots cultural preservation projects.
Number of grassroots organizations supported
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Indigenous peoples
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Through our fiscal sponsorships we are able to support many grassroots cultural preservation projects, including Native American initiatives, Shipibo-Konibo, Monpa, and San
Number of participants attending course/session/workshop
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
We offer donor trips to Bhutan and Namibia to meet the indigenous people and learn from them. We also document their culture while financially supporting grassroots cultural preservation projects.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We aim to create greater awareness and financial support from local and global communities, increasing our social impact and collaborating with other organizations to achieve our goals.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We are creating an ongoing marketing and outreach plan to increase visibility of TTF while focusing on growing our donor base.
We are partnered with the Tarayana Foundation in Bhutan to document the knowledge of the Monpa natural healer in a book and supporting an indigenous cultural preservation project. We are partnered with the Bhutanese government, and Yangphel Travel in support of the annual Monpa Day. The TTF is offering 2 donor trips, one to Bhutan and another to Tanzania to meet with and support the First Peoples of those lands.
By listening to indigenous people about the changes in their environment and impact on their ancient culture, we are learning from them. We share their insights about climate change through social media.
We are empowering indigenous youth by developing an indigenous-led curriculum in their local schools and raising money for traditional cultural preservation educational programs for Shipibo-Konibo children in the Peruvian Amazon.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have established trust and respect from the global community for our twenty -five years helping indigenous people preserve their way of life.
We are skilled at partnering with other organizations and businesses to achieve our goals.
Our Executive Director, who founded the TTF, is committed and capable of engaging stake holders to meet our goals.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have raised consciousness through educational programs, lectures, exhibitions, films, and petitions.
Supported grass roots indigenous preservation projects globally and shared indigenous wisdom and knowledge with the world.
We provided fiscal sponsorships to increase our outreach and impact.
We established an Executive Director position as a step to growing our organization and we are working on a succession plan. Every board member is passionate about the TTF and devotes many hours to its mission.
Projects Current & Past
Since 1996, the Tribal Trust Foundation (TTF) has been identifying sustainable grass roots cultural preservation projects. We partner with local organizations whose experience and existing relationships with the indigenous people can sustain joint initiatives over the long-term to help preserve the living arts and traditional wisdom of indigenous peoples. The focus is on capacity building and empowerment processes wherein communities are able to initiate the holistic change they wish to see manifested.
Success story:
MONPA Black Forest, Bhutan 2014-present
Within Bhutan, a small Kingdom in the Himilayas, hidden away in the deep forest and high mountains, live the Monpas, the indigenous people and considered the first inhabitants. They were isolated from the Bhutanese for thousands of years. It has been less than twenty years since contacted with the intention of assimilation into the modern world. The Monpas asked the TTF to help them preserve their ancient culture as hunter-gathers living in harmony with nature and each other. In 2014 we were the first Westerners to visit them, camping on their land for two days to learn about their way of life. Dasho Dorji, their shaman recognized his people would be traumatized by the rapid assimilation into the dominant culture without our help. For example, the traditional healer did not have an apprentice because the Monpas had learned there was better medicine offered at a hospital. (However, no one would be able to travel there because there was no road or transportation.) The TTFs professional documentation from this initial trip resulted in recording their creation story, a promotional video for their cultural preservation, photography book, Echoes of Bhutan, and building self-esteem of community members. We helped establish and funded an annual Monpa Day, a celebration of their indigenous culture. We funded youth grassroots traditional textile weaving educational projects for the Monpa and Laya Peoples. We published a book, Monpa Medicinal Plants and we were the first to film and photograph the Monpa natural healer and their Monpa shamans for cultural preservation. This year we are funding initiatives in support of the transfer of knowledge from Elders to youth, including their indigenous language.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Tribal Trust Foundation Inc
Board of directorsas of 03/13/2024
Janis Salin
Jill Elisofon
Barbara Savage
Ancestors LLC
Marilyn O'Malley
Téana David
V.Pres.
Janis Salin
Amber Bassett
Holly Sherwin
Secretary
Jackie Gilbert
Margaret Loncki
Treasurer
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