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News Release
Northwest Area Foundation news releases will allow you to stay current with the latest news from the Foundation.

Lummi Artists and Fishers Combine Culture with Microbusiness in Unique Economic Development Plan
Bellingham, Wash., (July 30, 2008) – Perched on the banks of the Puget Sound, the Lummi people have for generations made their livelihood off fishing and hunting. The seaside setting has nurtured a culture of artists eager to capitalize on their creative talents. Downturns in the fishing industry and limited markets for the artisans have contributed to the reservation’s 28 percent poverty rate.
In bold and innovative steps toward prosperity, the Lummi are developing a unique micro business plan that would develop almost unheard of small business owners on the Lummi Nation reservation.
The economic development plan centers around a new Gateway Center and office building that will be located along the busy I-5 corridor outside Bellingham, a well traveled highway linking Seattle to Vancouver, with 90,000 motorists passing by everyday. Plans call for an 8,000 square foot building that will house a fresh fish market, artist gallery, artist studio and gift shop as well as a small business incubator with classrooms to offer training to budding entrepreneurs. An adjacent building will lease office space, providing additional revenue to support the Center.
“This Building has been a dream come true for many people and will help create financial stability in a community struggling to cope with the decline of the fishing industry,” said Kathy Pierre, executive director of Lummi Nation Ventures.
“This is a way to balance community needs with economic development needs. We figured out a way to do this and pay for it without gaming dollars. This is truly a unique business model,” said Mike Rawley, business development manager, Lummi Ventures.
The Gateway Center will be decorated with traditional Lummi artwork designed to tell the story of the tribe’s rich heritage and culture, featuring live storytellers in native costumes.
“A lot of people don’t have a reason to come to the reservation. This gives them a reason to visit and learn who the Lummi are. This is not just a business opportunity, it’s also an opportunity to showcase our culture,” said Pierre.
The project represents a number of groundbreaking achievements for the Lummi people, not the least of which is an historic partnership with the city of Ferndale, Washington and the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce. In order for the Lummi to secure their spot along I-5, they had to purchase land from the city of Ferndale. Ferndale agreed to allow the transfer of the land from its tax rolls into Indian land trust.
The project is financed in part with a $450,000 grant from the Northwest Area Foundation to stimulate additional funding for the multi-million dollar Gateway Center.
“This is a truly historic and commendable project,” said Tony Genia, senior program officer at Northwest Area Foundation, who works with Native American tribes. “The strategy of integrating culture with economic development is innovative and helps create the market niche needed to make the program successful. It has great potential for long-term success in reducing poverty and creating prosperity.”
Lummi Nation will begin construction on the Gateway project as soon as the land along I-5 is moved into Indian Trust. The tribe’s goal is to open for business by December 2009, just months before the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics in nearby Vancouver.
The Northwest Area Foundation is dedicated to supporting efforts by the people, organizations and communities in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to `reduce poverty and achieve sustainable prosperity. These states were served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill. In 1934, Hill’s son, Louis W. Hill, established the Foundation.
Communities Work to Reduce Poverty Amid the Backdrop of the Iowa Caucuses
Program forges new partnerships and new strategies for change
St. Paul, Minn. (December 19, 2007). As the parade of candidates from the 2008 presidential election marches through Iowa, many people living in rural areas are determined to overcome difficulties common in small towns across America: significant population change and economic decline.
“You can drive through any small town in America and not realize people are struggling. Wages for the working class are often so low that I don’t know how people can live there,” said Belinda Willhite of Corydon, Iowa, who counts herself among those living in rural poverty.
While poverty has been on the agenda for some presidential candidates more than others, it’s center stage for 19 Iowa communities that are part of the Horizons leadership development program which specifically focuses on rural communities of under 5,000.
Willhite is among scores of people in Iowa and six other states who, through Horizons, are forging new and nontraditional partnerships: people with money and those without, traditional leaders and those who’ve never had a voice, senior citizens and teenage future leaders. The program operates under the theory that by growing its pool of strong leaders, a community can identify the roots of poverty and ways to attack it. The result has been innovative new actions and important systems change.
In the south central Iowa town of Corydon, where the poverty rate is 15 percent and the average annual wage is $22,731, the community has developed a new information and referral center called Welcome, We Help, Inc. that acts as a clearinghouse for people looking to pull themselves from poverty to prosperity.
“There are services that even long standing residents never knew about. One example is a clothing room in town where everything is free. I wouldn’t doubt that there are people with no food in their houses who have no idea where to turn. Now people can find help they need to stay in the small community they love,” said Willhite.
Hundreds of miles away in northeast Iowa, people in Elma are learning to identify poverty and take action to reverse it. Main street is struggling with several empty storefronts. One possible solution: set up a seasonal marketplace where artisans can show their wares.
“Our goal is to get the buildings rented by cottage or seasonal businesses. Then perhaps the income potential would spur renovation of some of the well-worn buildings,” said Bruce Weigel, president of the local bank and a participant in the Horizons effort.
The list of actions among the communities are as varied as they are; from developing new daycare options for working parents to attracting more tourism to the nitty gritty of cleaning up the town and clearing out old appliances. The plans are designed to create lasting change long after the 2008 presidential election is accomplished, and new leaders are chosen.
One-hundred forty-one communities in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington State are currently participating in the 18-month Horizons program, which is funded by the Northwest Area Foundation in St. Paul, Minnesota. Delivered directly into the communities by state university extension services and colleges, the Horizons program strives to help communities build their skills, knowledge and contacts to reduce poverty and build prosperity long term. Iowa State University Extension Service delivers the program to participating towns in the Hawkeye State.
“Iowa State University Extension is pleased to be the delivery organization for this important effort, working along side the Northwest Area Foundation and the citizens of 19 Iowa communities. We are helping communities take charge and building stronger leaders to address poverty, economic decline and the exodus of young adults,” said Jack Payne, vice president for Extension and Outreach, Iowa State University.
The Northwest Area Foundation is dedicated to helping communities in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon reduce poverty for the long term. These states were served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill. In 1934, Hill’s son, Louis W. Hill established the Foundation. The Foundation has $500 million in assets.
Yellowstone Public Radio Receives Two-Year Grant to Increase In-Depth Coverage About Poverty and its Solutions
Northwest Area Foundation Grants Aim to Boost Regional Newsroom Capacity
St. Paul, Minn., April 19, 2006 – “Poverty is not a simple issue,” said Karl Stauber, president and CEO of the Northwest Area Foundation. “And as much as newsrooms might want to investigate its many causes, faces and solutions, most find themselves competing for scarce resources,” he said. “We decided to make grants to four public radio stations in our eight-state service region, which includes Montana, because we wanted these very credible newsrooms to have the means needed to increase the number of in-depth stories that can make a real difference in the lives of their listeners.”
"We're delighted to receive this grant from Northwest Area Foundation," says Yellowstone Public Radio News Director Jackie Yamanaka. In addition to producing fe

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