Mending Wings

What Mending Wings does

Mending Wings is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2006 by Corey and Gina Greaves, headquartered on the Yakama Reservation (Wapato, WA) and serving primarily Native American youth of the Yakama Nation. Its mission is to empower Native youth culturally, economically, spiritually, and socially through a portfolio of interconnected programs including Dancing Our Prayers (traveling cultural performance teams using drumming, dance, regalia, and storytelling), S.L.A.M. Trips (week-long reservation service-learning visits for external youth and college groups), Footprints of Our Elders (cultural revitalization classes covering drum songs, traditional dance, language, and crafts), Community Healers (youth-led service to elders), Guys & Girls Night (drug- and alcohol-free social events), 4-1 Youth Group (mid-week gatherings with food and interactive teaching), and Youth Council (student-led leadership using an indigenous leadership model).

The organization operates with a lean team of fewer than 10 paid staff plus volunteers and youth leaders, and delivers no proprietary technology products or platforms; program delivery is community- and event-based, supported by a website (mendingwings.net), a Constant Contact eNewsletter, and standard social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube). Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) individual donations, primarily via the recurring Send10 Challenge at $10 per month, (2) institutional grants from foundations including M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Tulalip Tribes Charitable Contributions, Cook Native American Ministries Foundation, and TENx10/Fuller Institute, and (3) mailed check donations to its Wapato, WA P.O. Box. Programs are free to participating youth. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with Dancing Our Prayers performance bookings at churches and conferences serving as the primary awareness and donor-acquisition funnel, including national and international stops (notably a Dublin, Ireland performance at the UMC Global Young People Conference).

Name

Mending Wings

Legal name

Mending Wings

Website

https://mendingwings.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mending Wings is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2006 that runs cultural, spiritual, and leadership development programs for Native American youth of the Yakama Nation in Washington State, funded by individual donors, foundation grants, and a $10/month recurring giving program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Native American Youth Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

akta.pro primary industry

Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

Keywords

• Youth development services
• Cultural revitalization programs
• Native american outreach
• Nonprofit youth ministry
• Reservation community programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Yakima

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monthly giving program through Send10 Challenge ($10/month) and one-time donations from individual supporters. Donations are tax-deductible as the organization is a 501c3 nonprofit.
2. Foundation Grants: Grant funding from charitable foundations including M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Tulalip Tribes Charitable Contributions, Cook Native American Ministries Foundation, and TENx10/Fuller Institute. Grants support specific programs and operational costs.
3. Donations by Check: Mailing address for check donations: Mending Wings, P.O. Box 324, Wapato, WA 98951.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mending Wings is a 501c3 nonprofit that delivers a portfolio of faith-based youth development programs for Native American (primarily Yakama Nation) teens on the Yakama Reservation in Washington State. Its core offerings are Dancing Our Prayers traveling performance teams, S.L.A.M. Trips reservation service-learning visits, Footprints of Our Elders cultural revitalization classes, Community Healers service projects, Guys & Girls Night drug/alcohol-free social events, 4-1 Youth mid-week gatherings, and Youth Council student leadership development. Programs are funded primarily through foundation grants, individual donations, and the Send10 Challenge recurring monthly giving program, and are offered free of charge to participating youth.

Product overview

Mending Wings is a nonprofit youth organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs for Native American youth on the Yakama Reservation. The core offerings include: Dancing Our Prayers (traveling cultural performance teams), S.L.A.M. Trips (reservation service-learning visits), Footprints of Our Elders (cultural revitalization), Community Healers (community service), Guys & Girls Night (social activities), 4-1 Youth Group (mid-week gatherings), and Youth Council (student leadership development). These programs are supported by the Send10 Challenge donation initiative and an Internship Program. The programs collectively aim to empower and heal Native youth through leadership development, cultural retention, and spirituality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dancing Our Prayers (DOP): Teams of Native teens who travel locally, regionally and nationally sharing their culture, spirituality and way of life through dramatic performance, drumming/singing, dancing and sharing their stories of healing using Native drums and full regalia.
• S.L.A.M. Trips
• Footprints of Our Elders
• Community Healers
• Guys & Girls Night
• 4-1 Youth
• Youth Council

Products and services

• Dancing Our Prayers (DOP) Traveling performance teams of Native American teenagers who share Yakama culture, spirituality, and way of life through dramatic performance, drumming/singing, dancing in full regalia, and personal stories of healing. Booked by multi-denominational churches, camps, and conferences across the US (and occasionally internationally, e.g., Dublin, Ireland).
• S.L.A.M. Trips Week-long reservation service-learning immersions that invite outside youth groups and college-age learners to the Yakama Reservation to engage in cultural immersion and community service.
• Footprints of Our Elders Cultural revitalization and retention classes where Native youth learn drum songs, traditional dances, language, cedar bark basket making, tule mat weaving, bead-working, and other traditional cultural activities.
• Community Healers Youth-led service program in which Native teens perform intentional acts of kindness throughout the Yakima Valley — service to elders, food distribution support, Christmas caroling, yard cleaning, and other community service activities.
• Guys & Girls Night Drug- and alcohol-free social events for teens featuring food, games, and activities such as skating, sledding, Get Air, movies, and swimming.
• 4-1 Youth Group Mid-week gathering for Native teens on the Yakama Reservation featuring food, fun games, prizes, and interactive teachings.
• Youth Council Student leadership program in which peers chosen from among the youth plan, develop, and implement activities, trips, and teachings of Mending Wings using an indigenous model of leadership.
• Send10 Challenge Recurring monthly donation program in which supporters pledge $10/month to send one Native youth to Mending Wings programs for that month; covers transportation, food, facilities, supplies, and staff costs (less than $0.35/day per youth).

Quantifiable outcome

• 62% higher teen suicide rate than national average among Native people (addressed through prevention programming)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UNITY (United National Indian Tribal Youth): National nonprofit that develops leadership and cultural identity among Native American youth through youth councils, conferences, and peer networks — directly comparable to Mending Wings' Youth Council and 4-1 Youth programs.
• Center for Native American Youth: Policy and program organization focused on Native youth wellbeing, education, and leadership development. Comparable beneficiary population and overlapping programmatic goals around suicide prevention, graduation, and cultural retention.
• National Indian Youth Leadership Project: Tribal youth development organization that delivers place-based leadership and cultural programs to Native teens on reservations — closely aligned model to Mending Wings' indigenous youth leadership approach.
• Wings of America: Native American youth development nonprofit that uses running and cross-cultural programs to build leadership among indigenous youth on reservations. Highly comparable mission (mending broken wings so Native youth can fly) and identical beneficiary base.

Broad incumbents

• Youth for Christ: Established faith-based youth development organization operating in communities across the U.S., including some reservation-adjacent ministries. Comparable church-partnership and donor-recruitment model, with broader scope but less indigenous specialization.
• Young Life: Large national faith-based youth organization with a long-standing presence in tribal communities, including dedicated Native American ministry. Comparable faith-based youth outreach and volunteer-driven model, though significantly larger and less culturally-specialized.
• Boys & Girls Club of America: National youth development organization offering after-school and summer programming for at-risk youth. Comparable population served and youth-development outcomes focus, though secular and significantly larger in scale.

Emerging players

• American Indian College Fund: National nonprofit supporting Native American student access to higher education through scholarships and programming. Comparable indigenous-serving mission and overlapping higher-education pathway goals for the youth Mending Wings serves.

Others

• National Network of Youth Ministries: Coordinating body for faith-based youth ministry across the U.S., with which Mending Wings has board-level ties (Phil Ball). Thematically aligned ecosystem organization rather than a direct program delivery peer.
• Cook Native American Ministries Foundation: Faith-based grantmaker focused on Native American churches and communities. Currently a programmatic grant partner of Mending Wings, with overlapping beneficiary base and ministry philosophy but operating as a funder rather than direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQ33FWlSyATaSOQJLwQB6hA
• Facebookfacebook.com/MendingWings
• Instagraminstagram.com/official_mendingwings

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Mending Wings