MINNESOTA INDIAN WOMENS RESOURCE CENTER
Empowering American Indian Women & Families While Advocating for Justice & Equity.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Minnesota Indian Womens Resource Center Programs
MIWRC currently operates 12 programs under the guidance of 4 departments.
Kinooamaage Wi'gaming (Place of learning) - staff provides extensive cultural competency training to social service professionals, educators, parents and community members throughout the state of Minnesota.
Healing Journey - One of MIWRC’s longest continuously funded direct service programs, Healing Journey is a peer-led support program for adult American Indian women aged 22 and older who are challenged by chronic mental health, substance abuse, and trauma histories. The Healing Journey program utilizes harm reduction strategies and the Ojibwe teaching “Ganawenindig” (“Taking Care of Each Other”) to connecting women to a support system of staff and peers who view them as vital, contributing sisters regardless of their past or current struggles.
Safe Harbor Initiative - MIWRC employs one Safe Harbor Worker to further the state of Minnesota’s efforts to end commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) of American Indian children and youth.
Two-Spirit/Native LGBTQ Support Program - Our weekly Two-Spirit/Native LGBTQ Support Group offers a safe space for socializing and reconnection with cultural teachings that hold Two-Spirit people in high esteem.
Sexual Assault Advocacy - Four Sexual Assault Advocate provides crisis intervention, individual and group counseling, forensic examination support, the criminal justice system and court advocacy, and culturally grounded healing support for American Indian survivors of sexual violence, including street outreach to highly vulnerable Native women and in-facility support groups for individuals incarcerated at the Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility (ACF) and the Federal Correctional Institute: Waseca, MN.
Domestic Violence Prevention & Intervention - A new Indian Health Service-funded intervention and healing program for American Indian survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), including domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and sexual violence/exploitation by an intimate partner. Individual counseling and community-based education activities provide a client-centered, strengths-based “safe space” that utilizes cultural teachings and other protective aspects of culture to encourage healing, build resilience, reduce the risk of repeat traumas, and counter the normalization of IPV outside and within our communities.
Section 8 Supportive Housing - MIWRC maintains 13 two- and three-bedroom Section 8 apartments to provide long-term housing for families who have experienced chronic homelessness.
Life Skills Parenting and Parent Support Outreach Program - The Life Skills Parenting Program (LSP) and Parent Support Outreach Program (PSOP) are innovative partnerships with Hennepin County that improve outcomes for Native families who are engaged in Child Protection or at high risk for engagement through the provision of family counseling, parenting support, life skills training, and education in child development and cultural values.
ICWA Collaborative and Kinship Work - The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Collaborative Coordinator provides advocacy services and intensive case monitoring to in-state Minnesota Native families who are involved in ICWA-eligible Child Protection cases. The ICWA Kinship Worker assists identified an extended family in preparing to serve as foster families for Native children in need of care.
Family Spirit Home Visiting Program- is the largest, most rigorous, and only evidence-based early childhood home visiting program designed specifically for American Indian Families. This program increases parenting knowledge and skills, addresses maternal psychosocial risks that could interfere with positive child-rearing, it promotes optimal physical cognitive, social/emotional development for children ages 0-3, prepares children for early school success, ensures children get recommended well-child visits and health care, links families to community services that address specific needs and promotes parents' and children's life skills and behavioral outcomes across the lifespan.
Housing Navigator- provides housing access coordination and other available service identification and referral support to Native American relatives and families on MIWRC's Supportive Housing waitlist, identified through other program areas, and/or walk-ins in need of housing stabilization assistance.
Wawokiye Drop-In Center- Wawokiye is Dakota api and is one of the principal teachings that translates to fully give of one's self. This teaching is the guiding principle for MIWRC’s Outreach Services. Wawokiye has a physical space with its own entrance at the building. There are a variety of services offered to assist the community in leading healthy lives rooted in culture. Wawokiye is the MIWRC Outreach Team and works with youth and adults who are experiencing sex trafficking, unsheltered relatives, and those who need services related to opioid addictions.
Where we work
Awards
Grotto Foundation's American Indian Families Empowerment Program. 2009
.Grotto Foundation's American Indian Families Empowerment Program
2019 Bush Prize for Community Innovation 2019
Bush Foundation
External reviews

Photos
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?
MIWRC's goal is to deepen the quality of services and continue to advocate for our clients as well as women and families in the community.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
For the years 2014-2016, MIWRC plans to be financially sustainable from program revenue, create an agency wide client database to provide outcomes, and to continue to be the standard of best practices in the industry.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
MIWRC can provide Native women and families the following program services: childcare, housing, emergency assistance, treatment for chemical dependency, mental health counselling, parenting classes, and domestic violence assistance.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
MIWRC continues to be able to provide services to over $4,000 individuals in the community. This amount served is expected to go up in the area of mental health services.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Native American Indian Women & Families
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Case management notes,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
We now provide programing both in-person and virtual so we can provide accessibility to those who may not be able to travel or have health concerns being in a group with others during COVID-19. We have also provided more culturally specific teachings and programming in the communities so people can get involved and truly implement our "Culture is Prevention" model.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our funders, Our community partners,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback,
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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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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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.
MINNESOTA INDIAN WOMENS RESOURCE CENTER
Board of directorsas of 06/04/2021
Susan Allen
Paulette Baukol
INDiGO Solutions
Term: 2013 - 2020
Miko Hernandez
Faegre Drinker
Rob Thomas
Lakeshore Players Theatre
Brenda Clark
JustUs Health
Jackie Crow Shoe
University of Maine
Nicole Matthews
Minnesota Indian Sexual Assault Coalition
Charles Ferrell
Faegre Drinker
Darin Engelby
PCL Construction
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data