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“Indigenous climate leadership holds the key to a healthy Earth,” said Edgar Villanueva, Founder and CEO of Decolonizing Wealth Project (DWP) and Liberated Capital. “For centuries, Indigenous peoples have nurtured their lands and communities with resilience, wisdom and care.”  

DWP’s Indigenous Earth Fund is committed to supporting organizations that advance Indigenous-led protective and regenerative stewardship solutions. Since its inception in 2021, the fund has distributed over $5 million to organizations advancing youth leadership, food sovereignty, buffalo restoration and a range of Indigenous-led climate and land stewardship solutions. Despite this progress, there is a massive unmet need supporting Indigenous climate leadership as the climate crisis continues to grow.  

On this call we will hear from Dr. Dana Arviso, director of Indigenous programs, at DWP, as well as two of their Indigenous Earth Fund grantee partners. They will share how this unique funding program and Indigenous-led climate solutions are creating future-oriented impact.

Speakers

Headshot of Dana Arviso, looking at the camera with a neutral expression, with long auburn-brown hair, wearing dark beaded earrings and a gray sweater against a dark ocean-blue background.

Dana Arviso

Director, Indigenous Programs, Decolonizing Wealth Project

Diné (Navajo)

Dr. Dana Arviso serves as director of Indigenous programs at Decolonizing Wealth Project. She has 18 years of experience working in Native nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. She started her philanthropic career by working in a variety of roles including serving as the executive director of Potlatch Fund. Most recently, Dana was the senior program strategist at Native Voices Rising, a Native-led collaborative fund, where she successfully launched a funder learning fellowship. She has served on the boards of Social Justice Fund Northwest, Native Americans in Philanthropy, American Indian Graduate Center, 501 Commons and Look, Listen + Learn. Dana continues to serve on the advisory council for Native Voices Rising.

In 2024, Dana completed her doctorate. Her dissertation, "Reclaiming Philanthropy: Re-centering Native Giving in Respect, Relationships, Communal Responsibility and Reciprocity," explores how we might reimagine philanthropy as reparations to Black and Indigenous communities. She earned her bachelor's from California State University, Sacramento and her master's and doctorate from University of Washington college of education. Dana is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and grew up on the Bishop Paiute-Shoshone Indian Reservation in the Eastern Sierra region of California.

Headshot of Enei Begaye (she/they), a member of the Diné (Navajo) and Tohono O’odham Nations. She faces left in profile with a thoughtful expression, wearing large circular earrings, a dark headscarf, and a patterned scarf. The background is softly blurred, suggesting an outdoor setting.

Enei Begaye

Executive Director, Native Movement

Diné & Tohono O’odham Nations, Tachiinii and To’di

Enei (she / they) is of the Diné & Tohono O’odham nations, she is Tachiinii and To’dichiinii clans. Her partner is of the Gwich’in nation from Arctic Village, Alaska; together they parent four children. Enei is a longtime community organizer, trainer, facilitator and advocate around issues of environmental justice, economic justice, climate justice and the rights of Indigenous peoples. Enei is a co-founder of and active member of the Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition and the Black Mesa Water Coalition. She has served on various national social justice boards, she was named one of Utne Readers “50 visionaries who are changing our world," but more importantly she is a dirt loving, vegetable growing, fabric addicted, bookworm and a fierce mother. She was educated both on Dinétah - the land of her people - and the halls of Stanford University. She lives in Fairbanks, Alaska with her partner and children.
Headshot of Matt Remle, a member of the Hunkpapa Lakota Nation. He looks slightly to the side with a relaxed, thoughtful expression, wearing a dark jacket. The background is softly blurred greenery, giving the portrait a natural, outdoor feel.

Matt Remle

Co-founder, Mazaska Talks

Hunkpapa Lakota Nation

Matt Remle is the Native American program coordinator for office of Native education for the Marysville School District, the co-founder of Mazaska Talks, serves on the City of Seattle's green new deal oversight board and is on the steering committee for Stop the Money Pipeline. In 2014, Matt was awarded Seattle’s Individual Human Rights Leader award. In 2017, he was awarded the National Indian Education Association's Educator of the Year, the Billy Frank Jr. Natural Resource Protection Award and was named one of Seattle's Most Influential People. In 2020, he was named by the Seattle Times as one of the top ten most influential people to watch for in the next decade.
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