Potlatch Fund (PF) is a Native-led, Native-serving nonprofit serving Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. We strive to uplift our Native communities through our values of Reciprocity, Generosity, Honor, and Culture. Since our founding in 2002, Potlatch Fund has redirected approximately $10M to urban and rural Native communities. We believe in the power of community-driven solutions. By providing trust-based, low barrier gifts, we empower Native communities to preserve their cultural teachings, promote economic growth, and create a brighter future for the next generation. For more information, visit www.potlatchfund.org. We work to move wealth in all forms to our relatives across our service area. Wealth is not just financial dollars, but resources, culture, food, knowledge, relationships, and so much more. We resource our communities through trust and the knowledge that they are the best candidates to address their community's needs.
Celebrating Native communities through the cultural tradition of giving.
Vision
Envisioning the future of our ancestors’ dreams.
Values
Reciprocity. When we give, we all receive.
Generosity. We measure wealth not in possessions but in shared abundance.
Honor. We celebrate all our relations.
Culture. We uplift cultural traditions and Native ways of life.
Supporting our relatives through gifts to say 'we believe in you and the work that you are doing'
Partnering with those dedicated to keeping Native communities, arts, and culture alive.
Potlatch Fund was founded over 20 years ago, by a group of brilliant players wanting to make a difference in and for their community. What came from those early days was the creation of a beautiful mechanism to pool resources and partnerships to fund and empower Native communities in the Northwest across culture, environment, education, and well-being. The vision was to build something rooted in the strength and wisdom of our ancestors! and that belief hasn’t changed.
Our organization's name, "Potlatch Fund," captures our goals—it's about remembering we are richest when we give. We are most abundant when we share. And taking care of ourselves means taking care of our community.
The work our Potlatch community is doing—bringing languages back to life, mentoring youth, keeping traditions alive, and countless other everyday tasks to carry indigeneity forward—is so impactful! This is not just important work, this is sacred work. To keep a culture not just alive, but to steward it back to thriving!
Over the past year, the Potlatch Fund team has engaged in intentional, culturally grounded rest and restructuring. Today, we move as a wolf pack. How this came to be is best summed up by Rebecca Miles:
In Nez Perce culture and many Native Northwest cultures, the wolf is family and teacher. Wolves live in community—protecting the vulnerable and ensuring no one is left behind. Their leadership is not about control, but responsibility, humility, and love. This has always been the Potlatch Fund model. How we work together matters as much as what we achieve. We build trust, care for one another, and create space where everyone belongs. We’re not perfect, but we grow—together. And we’re building a future guided by care, culture, and community.
With this transition we are approaching our work from a cultural space. With deep knowledge that native people have always practiced philanthropy. The gifting and sharing of wealth when others did not have enough.
This is how we build equity. This is how we build trust. This is how we protect each other—by building a community where everyone is seen, valued, and supported. At Potlatch Fund, we are charting a new course. One where success is not just about what we achieve, but how we achieve it. Where love, care, and cultural integrity are our guiding principles.
Board of Directors (wolf pack alphas)
We are proud of our 100% Indigenous Board of Directors who contribute hours of volunteer time.
President -Jordann Lankford, Gros Ventre/Little Shell
Vice President - Meredith Parker, Makah
Secretary- tai simpson, Nez Perce / Nimiipuu
Compliance Officer- Jennifer S. Vickers, Nipmuc
Treasurer- Dustin Monroe, Assiniboine/Blackfeet
Board Elder-Antone Minthorn, Confederated Tribe of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Our team: the wolf pack
Organization name
Potlatch Fund
Tax id (EIN)
73-1712905
Category
Community & Economic Improvement
Demographics
Indigenous & Native American, LGBTQ+, Low-Income, Veterans, Youth & Children, Seniors
Address
800 Fifth Ave 101-257WA, US
OR, US
ID, US
MT, US