MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Greetings everyone, I hope this message finds you all in great health and joy as 2019 comes to a close. The Chamiza Foundation has had a wonderful year full of learning and collaboration. Throughout the year, I was able to participate in numerous conferences, summits and seminars that were related to several of the Chamiza Foundation’s priority areas. I was able to learn about different projects and programs that are taking place throughout our great state that could be undoubtedly implemented in our Pueblo communities. Throughout the year, the Chamiza Foundation was approached by other non-profit entities that wish to collaborate with the Chamiza Foundation in granting opportunities, which we are absolutely thrilled about because this allows the Chamiza Foundation to connect other Philanthropic entities and non-profits with our Pueblo communities. The Chamiza Foundation looks forward to building these connections and moving towards collaborative efforts in 2020.
With the new year approaching we are getting prepared for another year of grantmaking and support to our Pueblo communities. In March of 2018 the Chamiza Foundation hosted a “Grantee Gathering”. The Grantee’s stated that they would like assistance with Grant Writing training. Therefore, the Chamiza Foundation will be offering two free Grant Writing Workshop’s to Pueblo Grant Writers in 2020. The intent behind these workshops is to train and prepare Pueblo community grant writers with grant writing skills, so they can compose clear, concise and comprehensive grant applications for the Chamiza Foundation and for other funding agencies.
The first workshop will take place in Santa Fe at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) and will be held on Friday, January 24, 2020 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. The second workshop will take place in Albuquerque at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on Friday, May 8, 2020 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. We will be providing a light breakfast and lunch during the workshops. If you are extremely interested in participating in a grant writing workshop, please contact me to RSVP. Space is limited so please let me know at your earliest convenience to save your seat.
The Grant Writing Workshops will provide a great opportunity for you to work on your Chamiza Foundation application. Please mark your calendars, you will have two opportunities to submit an application to us. The first round of applications are due on Friday, February 7, 2020 and the second round are due May 8, 2020. The Board will meet on March 13, 2020 to make grant awards for the February deadline, and June 12, 2020 for the May deadline. Please note, if you plan to apply for a fall 2020 project, it is recommended that you apply at the May deadline, since the second meeting will be on June 12, 2020.
Also, just a reminder, if you have a project or program idea that you need help developing and it is related to our foundation priority areas, please contact me and we can talk about your idea.
We wish you all the best in 2020 and look forward to supporting our New Mexico Pueblo Communities.
Warm regards,
Amanda J. Montoya
SPECIAL ANNOUNCMENT
Meow Wolf
Over the course of 2019 the Chamiza Foundation took part in several conversations that resulted in a donation to the Chamiza Foundation. We are happy to announce that Meow Wolf decided to donate funding to the Chamiza Foundation to support the foundations mission of ensuring the continuity and living preservation of Pueblo Indian culture and traditions. For those of you that do not know what “Meow Wolf” is, it is arts and entertainment group based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was established in 2008 as an art collective. Meow Wolf creates immersive and interactive experiences that transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms of story and exploration. This includes art installations, video and music production, and extended reality content. For more information about Meow Wolf, please visit: www.meowwolf.com. Thank you Meow Wolf!!
Below you will find an update and information from one of our Pueblo projects that we supported this year. Please contact our Executive Director if you would like more information on this project.
POJOAQUE PUEBLO: LIVING CULTURE-SPEAKING TEWA
In the Spring of 2019 the Pueblo of Pojoaque submitted an application to the Chamiza Foundation to support them in their efforts to teach the Tewa Language. This project took on a “holistic” approach to revitalizing the Tewa language in the Pojoaque Pueblo community by utilizing more of the “cultural resources” belonging to the community and making experiential learning its primary focus. Language learners were immersed in a dedicated course of study aimed at increasing a very committed number of Tewa speakers in the tribal community.By leveraging the Pueblo’s cultural resources, and supported largely by proven language learning methods (WhereAreYourKeysTraining),participantstookcontroloftheir own learning process,aided by Tewa speakers. Thisprojectconcentratedon10-15 dedicatedTewa language learners, incorporating Tewa elder / speakers, art collections, ceremonial events, recorded stories, landscapes, animals andplant life into an experiential program that immersed learners into the Tewa language and culture. Our Executive Director had the pleasure of conducting a site visit with the Pojoaque Pueblo language class in October. While she was there she participated in the class and got to experience first-hand what the “Where Are Your Keys” methods were all about. She was impressed by the fact that Tewa speakers were not only being taught Tewa but also being taught sign language at the same time. The use of sign language was being used to enforce Tewa words. She felt it was a great technique. The Chamiza Foundation is very pleased with the progress that has been demonstrated by Pojoaque Pueblo and looks forward to seeing this program thrive in 2020.