Change Labs graduate wins $500k grant

Nááts’íilid Initiative, an Indigenous-led, coalition-driven non-profit on the Navajo Nation was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place Program for 2022-2025. A graduate of the Change Labs business incubator, the core team includes CarmiRae Holguin (Program Coordinator and Community Outreach Officer), Adrienne Caesar (Director of Community Programming), Tonia Sing Chi (Director of Community Design), and Shundana Yusaf (Grants and Digital Archiving Specialist). The non-profit was established in Fall 2021 on the invitation of Delegate Nathaniel Brown who guides and supports its mission.

The proposed project is called “Hoosh’ii’ and ‘li lah: Revitalizing Diné PlaceKnowing and PlaceMaking.” Hoosh’ii’ is the Navajo word for PlaceKnowing and ‘li lah means PlaceMaking. The grant will be made under Humanities in Place’s goal to “evolve our institutions,” to build our organizational capacity, and deliver public facing activities and information.

The grant from Humanities in Place will supplement Nááts'íilid Initiative’s ongoing architectural and infrastructural projects in three chapters of Navajo Nation: Dennehotso, Chilchinbeto, and Kayenta. It will enable the team to establish a public digital humanities archive, including a recording of best contemporary Diné practices in architecture and landscape intervention, and offer workshops to the community members. The first workshop will offer hands-on training to Diné builders, farmers, and residents by Diné knowledge keepers, wayfinders, medicine men and women, seed keepers, and water protectors.

Adapted from the original press release with permission from Nááts’íilid Initiative