Salish School of Spokane

What Salish School of Spokane does

Salish School of Spokane is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in October 2009 in Spokane, Washington that works to preserve and revitalize critically endangered Southern Interior Salish languages, principally n꞉səɫx̌činɫ (Colville-Okanagan Salish). The organization operates a vertically integrated language-revitalization platform anchored on full-language immersion schooling for children aged 1 through 8th grade - comprising a Salish immersion Language Nest and ECEAP preschool for ages 1-5 and a Washington State certified K-8 private school in which literacy, math, science, social studies, music, art, and physical education are taught in Salish. Adjacent adult-facing programs include free evening Salish language and culture classes (with parents of enrolled students committing to a minimum of 60 hours of class annually) and the Salish Language Educator Development (SLED) program, an intensive teacher-training pathway pairing daily immersion instruction with classroom teaching internships.

The organization's underlying technology and IP is the Indigenous Language Fluency Transfer System (ILFTS), a proprietary fluency transfer system built around digital audio recordings of the small remaining cohort of first-language fluent Elders (approximately 9 living n꞉sélišc꞉n speakers and ~30 living n꞉səɫx̌činɫ speakers), transcriptions of those recordings, immersion teaching strategies, methods and activities, and ancillary materials. Supporting content assets include a K-8 Salish language math curriculum, more than 500 translated graded reading books, ongoing science and social studies curriculum development, and a Salish Word of the Day podcast distributed via YouTube, Facebook, and KYRS Radio. SSOS is currently training 26 staff through SLED and serves 50 K-8 students plus 49 adults in community classes.

Revenue is generated through a diversified nonprofit model including annual individual donations via the Annual Campaign, private foundation grants, family tuition for enrolled children, capital campaign contributions for the $17.69M River Haven campus (federal HUD $2.7M, Washington Department of Commerce $3.5M, New Markets Tax Credit financing $3.8M, plus a $500K land gift from Catholic Charities Eastern Washington), a 2026 Avista clean energy grant, and event-based fundraising through the Celebrating Salish Conference (600+ attendees annually), Salmon Tales Gala at Gonzaga University's Hemmingson Ballroom, Summer Immersion Symposiums, and Salmon Run Convenings. The organization also distributes and trains other Indigenous communities internationally - in Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Washington, Montana, Oregon, California, and Australia - in adapting the ILFTS methodology for their own critically endangered languages.

Name

Salish School of Spokane

Legal name

Salish School of Spokane

Website

https://salishschoolofspokane.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Salish School of Spokane is a Spokane, Washington-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2009 that revitalizes critically endangered Southern Interior Salish languages via full-immersion K-8 private schooling, a Language Nest preschool, free evening adult classes, the SLED teacher-training program, and the proprietary ILFTS fluency transfer system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Language Immersion Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Language Schools (611630), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Language Immersion & Bilingual Private Schools (EDAJABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bilingual/Language-Immersion Preschools (EDACABAH)

Keywords

• Indigenous language education
• Language immersion school
• Language revitalization programs
• Cultural education nonprofit
• Teacher training fluency

Headquarters

HQ city

Spokane

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Annual campaigns where individuals donate to support programming, Salish immersion care and education for children, Salish classes for parents and community members, and creation of Salish language books and curriculum materials.
2. Private Foundation Grants: Grants from private foundations supporting language revitalization, education programs, and capital projects.
3. Family Tuition: Tuition from families served by the school. Parents commit to minimum 60 hours of Salish class per year with educational stipends, no-cost meals, and complimentary childcare provided.
4. Government Grants: Limited government grants including federal HUD grant of $2.7 million and Washington Department of Commerce grant of $2.5 million for new campus construction. Also received Administration for Native Americans grants.
5. Capital Campaign Donations: Capital campaign donations specifically for building new sustainable campus on the Spokane River, including corporate and major donor contributions.
6. Immersion Symposium Fundraising: Periodic Immersion Symposiums serve as fundraisers for SSOS while offering training for other Indigenous language learners and communities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Salish School of Spokane is a non-profit language revitalization organization that delivers full Salish language immersion education to Native American children (ages 1 through 8th grade) via a Language Nest, ECEAP preschool, and certified K-8 private school on its Spokane campus. It trains parents and community members through free evening Salish classes and produces advanced fluent speakers through its proprietary Indigenous Language Fluency Transfer System (ILFTS) and Salish Language Educator Development (SLED) program, while also gifting the ILFTS methodology and training other Indigenous language communities internationally.

Product overview

Salish School of Spokane operates a multi-faceted language revitalization ecosystem organized as a platform-plus-programs model. The core offerings center on Southern Interior Salish language (n̓səl̓xčin̓) immersion education comprising: (1) a Language Nest and Preschool serving children aged 1-5, (2) a certified K-8 private immersion school with full Salish-medium instruction, and (3) Evening Salish Language and Culture Classes for parents and community members. Supporting infrastructure includes the Salish Language Educator Development (SLED) program for training new fluent teachers, and the proprietary Indigenous Language Fluency Transfer System (ILFTS) curriculum and fluency training methodology. The organization extends its work through Indigenous Language Revitalization Training for other endangered language communities globally. Annual events including the Celebrating Salish Conference, Summer Immersion Symposium, Salmon Tales Gala, Salmon Run Convenings, and čaptíkʷlm̓ storytelling events serve both fundraising and community engagement functions. A major expansion is underway with the River Haven campus project.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Salish Immersion Language Nest and Preschool (Ages 1-5) Salish immersion childcare and preschool serving children aged 1-5 years, including the n̓səl̓xcin̓ (Colville Salish) Language Nest for 1-2 year olds and the ECEAP preschool for 3-4 year olds. Operates 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with before/after care 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Salish Immersion K-8 School Certified Washington State private school providing full Salish immersion instruction where all K-8 subjects — literacy, math, science, social studies, music, art, and PE — are taught in n̓səl̓xcin̓. Includes combined K-2, 3-5 elementary, and 6-8 middle school classrooms.
• Evening Salish Language and Culture Classes Free year-round evening Salish language classes for parents and community members held 6:00-7:30 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays. Includes Exploratory Beginning, Beginning Fluency Track, Advanced Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Intermediate levels. Parents commit to a minimum of 60 hours annually. Accredited for-credit courses available through Spokane Falls Community College and Selkirk College.
• Salish Language Educator Development (SLED) Program Intensive school-based training program that trains adults to become advanced fluent speakers of n̓səl̓xcin̓ for teaching and cultural leadership roles. Includes six hours per day of Salish immersion instruction, a two-hour daily internship in immersion classrooms, and 90 minutes of daily training while serving as Associate Salish Immersion Teachers. Currently training 26 staff members.
• Indigenous Language Fluency Transfer System (ILFTS) Proprietary fluency transfer system developed by Salish School of Spokane that enables predictable training of new advanced fluent speakers of n̓səl̓xcin̓ and is being adapted by other Indigenous language communities. Consists of digital audio recordings of Elder speakers, transcriptions, immersion teaching strategies, methods, activities, and ancillary materials.
• Salish Curriculum Development and Salish Word of the Day Podcast Ongoing development of Salish language curriculum materials including a K-8 math curriculum, 500+ translated graded Salish reading books, and K-8 science and social studies materials. Includes the Salish Word of the Day (SWOTD) daily podcast distributed via YouTube, Facebook, and KYRS Radio in Spokane.
• Indigenous Language Revitalization Training for Other Communities Technical training and assistance for other critically endangered Indigenous language communities. SSOS gifts its ILFTS and trains communities to adapt the system for their own languages through on-site symposia and immersive travel.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 children enrolled in K-8 immersion education (2025)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Spokane Falls Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Accredited Salish language courses through the college, allowing students to earn college credit. Also hosted the first Salish Conference in 2009 with support from the SFCC Office of the President.
• Catholic Charities Eastern WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Gifted land to Salish School of Spokane for construction of new campus at River Haven. Providing substantial support for design, funding, and construction. Gift of land valued at $500K as an act of restorative justice.
• Kalispel TribecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Co-sponsor of the Celebrating Salish Conference annually since 2010. Provided sponsorship and venue (Northern Quest Resort Casino) for the annual conference. First co-sponsored the conference with SSOS in 2009.
• Salish InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Co-sponsor of the Celebrating Salish Conference, working together with SSOS and other partners to organize the annual event.
• Inchelium Language & Culture AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Co-sponsor of the Celebrating Salish Conference, collaborating with SSOS and other partners for annual Indigenous language celebration.
• Northern Quest Resort CasinominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue host for the annual Celebrating Salish Conference since 2010, providing facilities for over 600 annual conference participants.
• Selkirk CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor-credit Salish language courses offered through Selkirk College as part of the doubled evening language class offerings since 2022-24.
• Indigenous Communities - International PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining and empowering Indigenous language communities in Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Washington, Montana, Oregon, California, Alice Springs Australia, and Adelaide Australia to adapt the ILFTS for their own languages.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Te Kōpae Piripono: Māori-language total immersion early childhood center in New Zealand that exemplifies the language nest pedagogy Salish School of Spokane uses for its 1-2 year olds and shares the same mission of Indigenous language intergenerational transmission.
• Lakota Language Consortium: Nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing the Lakota language through curriculum development, teacher training, and immersion schooling, operating New Lakota Immersion schools on Pine Ridge Reservation that share SSOS's full-immersion K-12 model.
• Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey: Organization representing Mi'kmaq communities in Nova Scotia that runs Mi'kmaw immersion schools and teacher training programs, closely parallel to SSOS in serving Indigenous communities seeking to recover critically endangered first languages.
• Karuk Language Restoration Project: Karuk Tribe's Indigenous language revitalization program in Northern California that similarly works with a critically endangered language, develops curriculum, and partners with academic institutions to revive language use among tribal members.
• 'Aha Pūnana Leo: Hawaiian-language immersion school network founded in 1984 that operates Pūnana Leo language nests and K-12 immersion schools, the most established and closest analog to Salish School of Spokane's full-immersion language revitalization model in the U.S.

Broad incumbents

• First Peoples' Cultural Council: British Columbia Crown agency that funds and coordinates Indigenous language revitalization across 34 First Nations languages, including documentation, teacher training, and immersion support; SSOS has direct partnerships with several BC communities it serves.
• Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages: Nonprofit focused on documentation, revitalization, and digital tools for endangered languages globally, with adjacent methodology and international Indigenous community partnerships overlapping with SSOS's ILFTS work.
• Rosetta Stone Foundation: Major commercial language learning platform with corporate social responsibility initiatives supporting Indigenous language preservation; relevant as a broader incumbent in language education with technology and content reach.

Others

• American Indian College Fund: National nonprofit supporting Native American student access to higher education and Indigenous language and cultural programs, often funding scholarships and curriculum work that complements K-12 immersion efforts like SSOS.
• Endangered Language Fund: Nonprofit that provides grants and support for endangered language documentation and revitalization projects; functions more as a funder and field convener than a direct operator but is part of the same ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SalishSchoolofSpokane
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/salish-school-of-spokane

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Salish School of Spokane