MICA Group Inc

The MICA Group seeks a world in which American Indian, Alaskan Native, and other indigenous cultures have a voice, equitable resources, and the capacity to flourish; a world in which Indigenous knowledge systems are recognized as valuable world resources.

For American Indian communities, racial equity and social justice means retaining and reclaiming their identities as distinct peoples. MICA listened to Tribal Nations, communities, and individuals, and universally, this is what they said they wanted. While each Tribal Nation and community is different, cultural revitalization often includes revitalizing heritage languages, reclaiming traditional cultural practices, rethinking education in tribal schools, new approaches to achieving health and wellness, and protecting sacred and culturally significant places.

MICA’s strategy is to support Tribal Nations in recovering, retaining, and revitalizing their traditional cultures in the broadest sense, and as defined by each Nation and community. We strongly believe that Indian people know best how to nurture their own communities. Attempts to assimilate Native people into the mainstream culture and to impose outside solutions that may have worked in non-Native communities have not strengthened Indian communities. Studies and data confirm that being grounded in their Tribal identity improves the physical and mental health of Native peoples and the health of their communities. Acting from a strong sense of identity as indigenous and Tribal peoples strengthens Native voices, empowers them to demand equitable resources, and enables them to flourish.

MICA connects Tribes and communities with the people and resources they need to achieve their goals. Each Tribe and community has its own goals and needs, so we meet with each Tribe, Nation, and Native community that wishes to revitalize its language and culture and protect its traditional cultural places. We meet communities where they are, in partnership, and work together to meet community goals.

With Tribal sovereignty and self-determination at the center of our work, and with respectful listening and principled action in accordance with our philosophy, MICA seeks partnerships with governments, NGOs, and private philanthropy to support Tribes in developing the resources they need to meet their cultural revitalization goals. In this way, we honor cultural diversity and indigenous ways of knowing in order to create a just, humane, and sustainable world.

Participating Tribes and communities set their own priorities for cultural revitalization. MICA brings supportive resources to assist them in reaching their goals. Strategies include:

• Partnerships with government, corporations and private philanthropy. MICA serves as an intermediary grantmaking organization for American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes, organizations, and communities. Focusing our grantmaking on community well-being, as determined by those who live in the community, has engendered trust, enabling us to support Tribes in overcoming roadblocks to completing projects, monitor project success, offer technical assistance, and share best practices;
• Themed best practices conferences. Bringing together the most experienced, innovative minds from around the world to raise the level of information and expertise available to Indian communities;
• Relationship building through individual Tribal consultations and site visits. Trust, combined with technical support and incentive funding, has proved to be the right formula for successful project completion on an unprecedented scale;
• One-to-one technical assistance. MICA utilizes language experts and site consultants to meet with Tribes on a one-to-one basis to tackle problems and plan realistic next steps.
• Mentorship Programs. MICA is piloting a Tribe-to-Tribe mentorship program in which Tribes experienced in the field that the mentee Tribe seeks to address (i.e geographic information systems, ground-penetrating radar, and other site-protection techniques) provide expert support and resources to assist and empower the mentee Tribe. MICA monitors the mentor/mentee relationship and provides support as needed to ensure a successful collaboration.
• Knowledge Base. The 566 grant applications received form a treasure trove of information about tribal priorities and the state of hundreds of endangered languages. Our direct giving to Tribes has achieved a 92% success rate in project completion, documented by photographs and written close-out reports.

The CRF has spent the past four years creating a structure to support Tribal Nations and communities make community-driven change. Our approach works. We are seeking a broader coalition to build on our successful strategies and provide on-ramps for significant and ongoing funding. We seek to continue to support Tribes in protecting these precious, irreplaceable sites and the languages and cultures that nurture them – on their terms.

The Multi-Indigenous Collaborative for Action (MICA) Group is a Native-led organization. Our Cultural Resource Fund project has achieved extraordinary results in Indian Country. Over the past 3½ years, the CRF awarded 354 language, cultural, and site protection grants totaling $9.4 million to 206 Tribes (60% of Tribes in the continental U.S.) and 41 state historic preservation offices (Tribal Nations without THPO offices are under the jurisdiction of State Historic Preservation Offices). Our grant making generated $19.5 million in new matching (cash) funding. 95% of our funded projects were successfully completed. In recognition of its success, the CRF was nominated for a 2018 Harvard Innovations in American Government Award.

MICA is a national leader in language revitalization and currently manages over 50 grants. Our robust fiscal sponsorship program supports nine Native Community projects, and engages in national advocacy on behalf of sacred places, including Save Oak Flat.

Led by our President & CEO, Della Warrior, MICA’s management team brings experience and accomplishments in project management, community mobilization, educational transformation, cultural revitalization, and economic empowerment. We draw on a deep pool of experts, both Indigenous and others as needed. We bring ideas, contacts, encouragement, and new frameworks along with tools and methodologies that can be leveraged for years to come. Most of all, we bring an unfailing belief in the strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples and their right to determine how best to nurture their communities.

MICA's is governed by a Board of respected leaders in Indian Country:
-Samuel E. Cata (Ohkay Owingeh) -- Former Deputy Director New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO);
-Walter Echo-Hawk, J.D. (Pawnee) -- Past President of the Pawnee Nation, culture bearer, attorney, activist, and author; attorney for the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) for 35 years;
-Dr. Valorie Johnson (Seneca/Cayuga/Eastern Cherokee) began her career with the National Education Association. After earning her doctorate, she served as director of Native American Affairs for the State of Michigan’s department of social services, and counseling at IAIA. For 24 years, she was a program officer at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
-Richard Trudell, J.D. (Santee Sioux) -- Principal, Blue Stone Strategy Group; founder and former Executive Director of the American Indian Lawyer Training Program;
-Della Warrior, M.Ed. (Otoe-Missouria) -- Director, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe; former Chairperson and CEO, Otoe-Missouria Tribe;
-W. Richard West, Jr., A.M., J.D. (Southern Cheyenne) -- President and CEO, Autry National Center of the American West; Founding Director and Director Emeritus, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian;
-Tishmall Turner (Luiseno) Vice President, Rincon Band of Luiseno.

IN MEMORIAM: Marshall McKay (Yocha Dehe) -- Chairman Emeritus, Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.

CRF grants have:
• protected over 50 significant cultural sites;
• supported 22 new tribal partnerships with states and the Nature Conservancy;
• hosted two national conferences, one on language revitalization ("Pathways to Fluency," December 2016) and one on cultural and sacred site protection ("Respecting Place," December 2017), each attended by over 150 representatives of over 100 Tribal Nations;
• funded 6 new tribal historic preservation (THPO) offices, giving Tribes sovereignty over their own lands;
• geo-mapped 11 entire reservations;
• created a Tribe-to-Tribe site mentorship program;
• restored 47 traditional cultural practices; and
• with the help and participation of 17 nationally recognized language experts, including two MacArthur genius award winners, brought languages from dormant to recovering, providing 21 Tribes with the opportunity for language revitalization technical assistance.

MICA is seeking funding partners to continue our work. We are excited about our Tribe-to-Tribe GIS Site Mentoring program, with 12 tribal mentees and 5 mentoring Tribes. Our "Next Steps" language project, requested by Tribes, provides on-site technical assistance for language revitalization for 20 community language programs. Our language study, recently published in a peer reviewed journal, the International Journal of Equity in Health, conclusively found that learning and speaking one's Native language has positive health benefits for both physical and mental health. Our study, with four Native authors and with the support of Yale University, received 5,000 reads and downloads within the first month of our press release announcing the study.

Our newest project is a Language Leadership Institute in partnership with the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) which will provide resources and support to 12 community language leaders each year.