Millions Sinking into the Rabbit Hole of Indian Country Non-Profits

(Photo: Italian fraud Iron Eyes Cody, with Roy Rogers, in North of the Great Divide, 1950.) Iron Eyes Cody and Princess Pale Moon, both frauds, were part of the non-profit American Indian Heritage Foundation television commercials. The non-profit was shut down, but it had already solicited both cash and land donations with its "Give the land back to the Indians" campaign.

Millions Sinking into the Rabbit Hole of Indian Country Non-Profits

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Update March 7, 2024

Non-profits in Indian country have stashed hundreds of millions of dollars in bank accounts, real estate and investments -- money not being distributing to those it was intended for.

Censored News ongoing investigation reveals:

-- The non-Indian daughters of the sculptor at Crazy Horse Memorial had a combined salary of a half million dollars
-- The First Nations Development Institute in Longmont, Colorado, has $44 million stashed in investments
-- NDN Collective ended the last tax year with $100 million in its bank accounts and assets

It is the best kept secret in Indian country.

Censored News year long investigation found a quarter of a billion dollars donated to a handful of non-profits in Indian country. A large portion has not been distributed. It is stashed in the non-profit's salaries, bank accounts, real estate and stock investments. The real estate is often placed in a spin-off business where it can be sold.

The salaries are $100,000 to $300,000 for executives, with money flowing to family members, and lavish travel expense accounts. Some are operated by frauds. Peoples names and causes are used without their knowledge for grants.

College professors and non-profits often plagiarize and profiteer with testimony at the United Nations. Some are selling ceremonies in other countries. Some are promoting "spiritual traditional" leaders who have been exposed as frauds.

Klee Benally, Dine', exposed the exploitation and failed colonial logic of the non-profit industry in his book, published shortly before he passed in December.

Klee writes, "soon enough there won't be any more battles left to lose."

Klee reveals the non-profit profiteers who provided a safe haven for predators, made money off the struggles, and languished in their money making machines.

"Non Profit Organizations (NPOs) co-opt movement momentum into campaigns they manage to control and capitalize off of."

While exposing the tactics and naming names, Klee writes, "We maintain to this day that when we organize and fight for sacred sites, no one gets paid."

The Zapatistas recently severed all connections with NGOs and non-profits. This comes after non-profits using the names of the Zapatistas and EZLN received hundreds of thousands of dollars from non-profits in the U.S.

Marcos said from the beginning that the names of the Zapatistas and EZLN are not to be used in connection with non-profits, fundraising or begging for money, in the struggle for autonomy, self-reliance and dignity.

The exploitation of victims is part of the non-profit industry's money making machine.

Here's how the scam works: A non-profit asks the family of a victim if they would like support. Once the family agrees, without telling the family, the non-profit writes a grant using the information. The grants are often for hundreds of thousands of dollars, or millions. The funds then sink into the non-profits own salaries and expense accounts.

Honoring the words of the Zapatistas, Klee's book is a blast of this 'dignified rage,' fired by injustices, and it is brilliant. Order's Klee Benally's book, No Spiritual Surrender: Indigenous Anarchy in Defense of the Sacred' at https://detritusbooks.com/products/no-spiritual-surrender-indigenous-anarchy-in-defense-of-the-sacred

NDN Collective

The top recipient of grants in Indian country include NDN Collective. It received $191 million, after being created five years ago.

NDN received $70 million in 2022. Of this $70 million, it paid out $20 million in grants, and more than $6 million in staff salaries. At the end of the year, NDN Collective had $100 million in its cash bank accounts and assets. 

Tax document at ProPublica Explorer https://projects.propublica.org/.../202303209349302090/full

NDN's CEO received a salary of a quarter million dollars in 2022. The NDN staff salaries totaled more than $6 million.

The tax documents for non-profits in Indian country are online. Here's what they reveal:

1. Millions stashed in bank accounts, real estate and huge salaries for the benefit of the non-profit staff.

2. The widespread flow of money to the children and family members of executives.

3. Grants to frauds. Non-Indians suddenly become 'Indians,' usually claiming to be Yaqui, Cherokee or Apache, and either take over, or create, non-profits. 

One person claimed being Indigenous, Latina, Dine', Choctaw, changing those often  during years of interviews. She accepted a large award claiming to be a San Carlos Apache, while purchasing land with non-profit funds.

Another person claimed to be on the frontline of the border struggle in Texas, during a year of interviews with reporters, but she was actually working in Canada the entire time, and operating a non-profit.

4. Executives receive multiple salaries by forming multiple organizations with similar names or issues. Winona LaDuke, while head of Honor the Earth, had a series of non-profits and businesses that the public was not aware of. (1)

5. Millions are stashed in real estate purchases under a different organization, or an LLC. NDN Collective purchased real estate in Rapid City and placed it under the name of NDN LLC, and CEO Nick Tilsen. NDN properties can be viewed at https://ndncollective.org/community-development-social-enterprise/

6. Foreign investments. 

7. The grant money often comes in from some of the worst offenders in Indian country, including revenues from coal mining on the Navajo Nation. The Christensen Fund revenues are from coal mining on the Navajo Nation, and mining on Indigenous lands around the world.

The funding from foundations also comes in from the construction of railroads in the northwest, where the land theft resulted in massacres, including the Sand Creek Massacre.

The Bush Foundation in Minnesota, which made its money from mining and chemical manufacturing, donated $50 million to NDN Collective. 

8. There are also non-Indians heading up 'Native American' non-profits by packing the board with Natives and then giving them no power or financial information.

9. There are many takeovers by executive directors or board members who throw out the traditional Natives who founded the movement. The tactics include taking over control of the funds, bullying and threatening.

10. Non-profits at the United Nations are representing tribes and victims without permission from the tribes, or families of victims. Professors who are quoted in U.N. reports have plagiarized Native people living on the land, even after being told to stop. 

This was the case when a non-Indian professor was quoted at the U.N. Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva. The professor is quoted on the violations of Tohono O'odham ceremonies at the border, in the final report. (2)

Ofelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, told Censored News that this professor in California was told she did not have permission to use Ofelia's words for this book. 

Huge Salaries and Media Indulges

The average executive salary at Indian country non-profits is $100,000 to $300,000, and soar to $1.2 million.

Don't expect the news media in Indian country to investigate, most are now part of the non-profit industry. There is a new money pipeline of Las Vegas casino money flowing through tribes to non-profit media. 

Some of the popular media in Indian country are diving down into the rabbit hole of deception. While laced with non-profit dollars, the reporters remain in their easy chairs for the most part, and rely on plagiarism, rewrites and phone calls. It is aimed at deceiving their readers into believing that they are out covering the news. They are receiving grants ranging from $100,000 to $1 million -- and still do not have reporters out covering the news.

Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation

The daughters of the sculptor of the Crazy Horse Memorial, non-Indians, had combined salaries previously that totaled a half million dollars.

The latest tax document shows the family members of the sculptor, Polish-American sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, continue to profit with salaries.

                                                                                                        Compensation                Other compensation

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/460220678/202310269349301816/full

The Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation received $23 million in donations, and another $5 million in program services in 2022.

How Non-Profits Deceive and Disappear Money

Conferences in resort hotels average $300,000 using money that was intended for those in need, or on the front line of struggle. That's for conference travel, rooms, meals, speakers, etc.

As for attorney non-profits, the millions aren't being used to provide attorneys for some of the most important cases.

The Paiute Shoshone arrested for defending Peehee Mu'huh, Thacker Pass, from the lithium mining now tearing into the Paiute massacre site, have constantly asked for attorneys to help.

In another case, the excessive force by law enforcement at Backwater Bridge at Standing Rock case, it proceeded but needed more attorneys on their legal team. (At this point, the federal court has ruled in favor of law enforcement, regardless of the critical injuries to water protectors. In similar cases nationwide, those injured by police have received large sums of compensation.)

Here are some of the non-profit scams being used:

1. Tossing out peanuts, that's tossing out minimal funding for projects or used clothes and expired donated foods.

2. Playing poor so they can use your research and life work for grants, or for their books, without paying for it.

3. Using people's names and struggles for grant funding without telling them.

4. Deceiving the public with press releases and social media self-promotion. This type of cheerleading is enabling fraud.

5. Church Poverty Porn -- St. Labre Catholic Mission was sued by Northern Cheyenne for collecting funds for children, and then funneling millions to the Catholic Church. Since churches do not have to file tax returns, they are often involved in what is called "poverty porn," using photos and videos of Native children in publicity for fundraising, without telling the public how the funds are really being spent. In the case of St. Labre, Northern Cheyenne children were left desperate while millions were sent to the Catholic Church.

6. Individual fellowships of $100,000 for those in hard working collectives are often divisive, and benefit a chosen few.

First Nations Development Institute, Longmont, Colorado

The First Nations Development Institute in Longmont, Colorado, has one of the largest revenues in Indian country. It ended the year with $68 million in its bank accounts and assets. It spent only a small portion of what it received on grants, and paid President Michael Roberts a quarter of a million dollars, that's $237,053.

It says its purpose is to promote American Indian economies, health and youths.

It has $44 million stashed in investments.

First Nations Development Institute has received $111 million in the past five years.
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/541254491/202330279349300223/full

Virginia Non-Profit Among Top Recipients of Non-profit Dollars

The Native American Heritage Association in Front Royal, Virginia has one of largest bank accounts in the industry in Indian country. It received $371 million in grants and donations between 2017 -- 2021.

Lakotas said they are bringing in expired, donated foods, and the clothing is used,  while the non-profit is receiving millions. NAHA claims on its website that it is delivering daily to Crow Creek, Lower Brule, Pine Ridge, Cheyenne River and Rosebud Reservations." https://www.naha-inc.org/

(Below) The Native American Heritage Association in Virginia had $23 million in its bank accounts and assets that was not distributed, in 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/460414390/202321919349300342/full

The Partnership with Native Americans in Texas

The Partnership with Native Americans in Addison, Texas, says it collects money for disaster relief in Indian country -- but it has $27 million stashed in its own assets -- bank accounts and property.

It pays its top execs salaries of $100,000 to $200,000. It claims to serve Navajos and Lakotas. In the past five years, it has received $150 million in grants and donations.

There are many people in desperate need of food, water and fuel -- but non-profit funds seldom reach them, except with minimal donations to gain publicity. The tax documents are at ProPublica Explorer.

https://projects.propublica.org/.../202342129349301029/full

Partnership with Native Americans in Texas, 2022 tax return, shows salaries for top executives.

Christensen Fund: Money is from coal mining on Navajo Nation

Sleeping with the Enemy: Dirty Coal

The Christensen Fund's wealth came from a Utah coal mining company and a coal-fired power plant on the Navajo Nation.

It is one of the leading funders in Indian country and reaped its fortune by way of the development of the most polluting coal-fired power plant: The Four Corners Power Plant. The power plant and the Navajo Mine, on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, result in sickness and respiratory disease. The Navajo government signed the land lease in 1957. While the electricity went to Southwest cities, many Dineh suffered from its dirty plume seen from space.

The Interior Department announced on October 22, 1957 that it approval a coal mining and electric power development lease by Utah Construction Company, San Francisco, Calif., consisting of 24,000 acres on the Navajo Nation, just south of Fruitland, New Mexico.

The lease was signed on September 2, 1957 by Allen D. Christensen, president of Utah Construction, and on October 1 by Paul Jones, chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council. The area is a long, narrow strip of land about 25 miles in length and about  two miles across at the widest point. The company has the exclusive right to mine for coal and to develop thermal power facilities, states the Interior 1957 statement.

The suffering for Indigenous Peoples was also global, with iron ore mining in Peru and Australia by Christensen's Utah Construction and Mining Company. Reference

The Christensens said they were also collecting "artifacts." The Christensen Fund Foundation said it acquired and loaned approximately 35,000 pieces of Indigenous art and ethnographic artifacts to museums for their study and exhibition in Australia, Europe, and the United States.

Christensen Fund: Grants shown on tax document for 2022

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/946055879/202333149349102373/full

Note: Multiple grants to some non-profits.

This list continues in 2022 Christensen Fund tax document

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/946055879/202333149349102373/full

All of this information can be found in the tax documents on ProPublica Explorer, along with the websites of the non-profits, and on public statements about the donations from the foundations.

Previous article by Censored News

Non-Profits in Indian Country: Fraud, Secrecy and Deep Deception (2022)

Censored News in-depth article on fraud in non-profits in Indian country in 2022. Among the worst situations, the Ajo, Arizona, food bank, whose CEO is non-Indian,  gave food boxes to Tohono O'odham grandparents while the food pantry was overrun with rats, according to a report from the health department.

Funds for traditional agriculture are often used for conferences in resort hotels, averaging $300,000, and lavish salaries, travel and expense accounts for non-profit staff, instead of actually growing food.

Native seeds are being sold by non-profits without Indigenous Peoples permission.

Native Seeds Search in Tucson was created by a non-Indian. Ofelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, said the non-profit does not have permission of traditional O'odham living on the land to sell their seeds. Ofelia said the seeds should be returned and Native Seeds Search should stop selling their ancestral seeds.

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-money-pump-non-profits-in-indian.html

ProPublica Explorer, free search for tax documents

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/

Sources:

(1) Honor the Earth

Winona LaDuke: State of Minnesota order: Minneapolis Star

https://www.startribune.com/attorney-generals-office-winona-laduke-made-unauthorized-transactions-and-mishandled-harassment-claims-as-head-of-her-nonprofit/600340414/

Details of nonprofit fraud

https://www.americanexperiment.org/winona-ladukes-old-nonprofit-is-back-in-the-news/ and

https://www.americanexperiment.org/winona-laduke-steps-down-from-her-honor-the-earth-nonprofit/

Harboring a sexual predator lawsuit

https://gainfactchecker.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/HTE-Lawsuit.pdf

(2) UN Final Report: Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g23/155/97/pdf/g2315597.pdf?token=hZTPd1QUdtDn0Fjd88&fe=true

Copyright by Brenda Norrell, Censored News. May not be used without written permission. Censored News content may not be used in any manner that results in revenues, which includes books, dissertations, films, media, or any other means for revenues.