SEATTLE
URBAN NATIVE
NONPROFITS
SEATTLE
WE ARE
STRONG
TOGETHER
Collective power through dialog, education, action, and advocacy.
7 of 10
Seven out of ten Native Americans Live in Urban Settings
22,000
Individuals Served Annually by Our Members
Seattle Urban Native Nonprofits (SUNN) collaborative serves the Seattle-King County area, a region that is home to a thriving and vibrant Native community encompassing a rich blend of Tribal cultures, multi-generational families, and individuals with many talents and professions.
The history of urban Natives in Seattle is one of persistence and resilience, and of resisting attempts to drive out, forcibly relocate and assimilate the people who first lived here. Today, seven out of 10 Native Americans live in urban centers.
Our strength and unity comes from shared adversity and a deep ancestral knowledge that we are all connected.
We have a long history of coming together to take care of one another, build community connections, celebrate our diverse cultures, and advocate for our inherent rights, justice, and equality.
The Challenges
Despite our strengths, inequities continue to exist for our urban Native community. Rooted in historical oppression and institutional racism, these inequities result in disproportionately poor outcomes in health, education, housing, and economic opportunity.
Chronic underfunding of Native organizations and a lack of culturally responsive services designed to address the unique needs and traumatic experiences of the Native community compound these challenges, along with a continuing lack of representation in decision-making spaces and the invisibility of Native people in mainstream institutions, data, and the media.
A Renewal
Seattle Urban Native Nonprofits is the first collaboration of its kind in King County and represents a renewal and resurgence of unity and collective advocacy on behalf of the Native community.
As an urban Native community residing on the lands of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, Tulalip, Puyallup, Snoqualmie, and Stillaguamish people in Coast Salish territories, we hold a responsibility to the first peoples of these lands and to our relatives from across Indian Country who migrate here every day.
In the tradition of Indigenous leadership, we look back on generations of Indigenous resistance, cultural knowledge, and community building to inspire and inform a new era of policy and system changes led by today’s Indigenous leaders, with the goal of improving the health and well-being of our relatives both today and in the future.
OUR VISION
We envision a healthy, safe, and thriving Native community collectively engaged in honoring our vibrant and diverse cultures in a gathering place and forum that both symbolizes, unites, and galvanizes the beauty, resilience, power, and sacredness of our being.
OUR MISSION
The SUNN Collaborative builds collective power in partnership with our Seattle-King County Native community through Native leadership and policy advocacy to advance our health, well-being, and inherent responsibilities.
A BRIEF HISTORY
A COLLABORATION DECADES IN THE MAKING
The urban Native experience is rooted in collective advocacy. For generations, Native people in King County and across the nation have come together to advocate for political and social change to improve the health and well-being of our relatives and to address the longstanding inequities experienced by our communities.
Lift Up The Sky
In 2014, the United Way King County published a report* about the
American Indian and Alaska Native community in Seattle-King County. While acknowledging the serious challenges facing the AI/AN community, the report also highlighted its considerable assets as well as a number of opportunities moving forward.
Seattle Urban Native Nonprofits
Seattle Urban Native Nonprofits was a direct outcome of the United Way report, convening decades of knowledge, expertise, and cultural wisdom from Indigenous leaders and community advocates from across King County.
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Meeting monthly, these leaders are moving forward together by centering Indigenous strengths-based approaches, and identifying shared priorities and opportunities for mutual support—all while building collective power through dialog, education, action, and advocacy.
* ”Together we can lift up the sky: A Vison for the Urban Indian Community: Assessment of Assets and Opportunities for the King County Urban Indian Population” can be downloaded for free at www.liftupthesky.org. The report was developed by Kauffman and Associates, Inc., with the supSeattleport of the City of Seattle, Seattle Foundation, and the Muckleshoot Charity Fund.
COMMUNITY STRENGTHS
Nonprofit Diversity – A large and growing community of diverse Native-led nonprofits and organizations focused on meeting the needs of the community.
A Hub for Native Arts & Culture – A thriving community of Native artists and devoted to traditional, contemporary and media arts. Cultural events, learning opportunities
Community Cohesion & Involvement – Community cohesion and widespread volunteerism and a shared desire to strengthen culture and advance tradional ways.
Native Leadership & Achievements – An emergence of young Native leaders. The skills, talents, and wide range of professional achievements of those in the community
Let’s Stay in Touch
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