National Urban Indian Family Coalition

National Urban Indian Family Coalition
Name	National Urban Indian Family Coalition
Founded	2011
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Area served	United States
Focus	Health, social services, cultural preservation

National Urban Indian Family Coalition is a nonprofit advocacy and service organization that represents American Indian and Alaska Native families living in urban areas. It engages with federal agencies, tribal governments, advocacy groups, community organizations, and philanthropic institutions to improve health, housing, and cultural services for urban Native populations. The coalition works alongside entities from the Native American Rights Fund to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention while partnering with local community health centers and national think tanks.

History

The coalition was founded in 2011 amid interactions between leaders associated with the National Congress of American Indians, the Urban Indian Health Institute, and advocates from the Indian Health Service. Early meetings involved representatives from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Department of Health and Human Services, and staff from congressional committees such as the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the House Committee on Natural Resources. Founders drew on precedents set by advocacy groups like the Native American Rights Fund, the American Indian Health Commission, and urban organizations tied to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. The coalition’s development intersected with policy debates about the Indian Child Welfare Act, the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization, and funding allocations in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. Over time, relationships formed with institutions such as the Urban Indian Health Programs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and philanthropic actors like the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Mission and Objectives

The coalition’s mission aligns with objectives emphasized by entities such as the National Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to address disparities affecting urban American Indian and Alaska Native families. Objectives reflect priorities articulated in reports from the Urban Indian Health Institute, the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, and the Institute of Medicine. The organization aims to advance service access informed by standards promoted by the Joint Commission, to promote cultural continuity recognized by the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress, and to influence legislation debated in the U.S. Congress and discussed at the White House Tribal Nations Conference.

Programs and Services

Programs echo models developed by the Urban Indian Health Program network, tribal behavioral health clinics, and community-based organizations like the Native American Community Development Institute. Service offerings include health navigation patterned after initiatives by community health centers funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration, supportive housing referrals similar to projects backed by the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and cultural programming drawing on curricula used by the National Museum of the American Indian and the Heard Museum. The coalition develops training curricula referencing materials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Council of Urban Indian Health, and the American Public Health Association. Outreach campaigns have used frameworks from the National Congress of American Indians’ policy platforms, the National Indian Education Association resources, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline collaborations.

Advocacy and Policy Work

Advocacy efforts engage with legislative and regulatory processes involving the Indian Health Service, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Education. The coalition provides testimony before committees such as the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and works with legal partners like the Native American Rights Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union on civil rights issues. Policy campaigns have addressed funding for Urban Indian Organizations under the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, protections under the Violence Against Women Act, and census outreach coordinated with the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Urban Indian Family Coalition’s peer organizations. The coalition has participated in intertribal consultations at the White House, submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and collaborated with the National Indian Health Board on Medicaid policy.

Organizational Structure and Governance

Governance reflects practices used by nonprofit organizations incorporated in the District of Columbia and resembles board models seen at the Native American Rights Fund and the National Congress of American Indians. The board includes leaders with experience at the Urban Indian Health Institute, tribal health directors from the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and advocates formerly associated with the National Urban League and the Center for Native American Youth. Administrative functions coordinate with grant managers familiar with the Foundation Center, auditors who have worked with major nonprofits, and legal counsel knowledgeable about the Indian Child Welfare Act and nonprofit compliance with the Internal Revenue Service.

Partnerships and Funding

The coalition partners with national organizations such as the Urban Indian Health Institute, the National Indian Health Board, and philanthropic institutions including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Federal partners have included the Indian Health Service, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Native American Programs, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for public health initiatives. Funding streams have combined foundation grants, project contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services, and contributions from community organizations like the Native American Rights Fund and the American Indian College Fund.

Impact and Recognition

The coalition’s impact is reflected in collaborations that influenced funding allocations at the Indian Health Service, improved outreach during U.S. Census operations, and contributed to policy language adopted by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the House Committee on Natural Resources. Recognition has come through partnerships with the Urban Indian Health Programs network, mentions in reports by the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, and acknowledgement in materials produced by the National Congress of American Indians and the National Indian Health Board. The organization’s work has informed public health responses coordinated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and has been cited in academic research published by institutions such as the University of California, Berkeley, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Category:Native American organizations