Urban Indian Health Institute

What Urban Indian Health Institute does

Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) is the public health division of the Seattle Indian Health Board and one of 12 federally designated Tribal Epidemiology Centers in the United States. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, UIHI employs 29 staff and operates with a mission centered on decolonizing data for Indigenous people and addressing health disparities affecting American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. The organization serves as a backbone support entity for 41 Urban Indian Organizations, 31 Urban Indian Health Programs, 201 surveyed Tribal programs, and over 70 Native-serving organizations nationwide.

UIHI's core offerings are organized as a portfolio of public health services rather than a unified software product. The Community Health Data Dashboard provides an Indigenous epidemiology view across socio-demographics, maternal and child health, and mental health; the Magical Millie campaign distributes pediatric immunization education materials including 29,000+ items to UIOs in 2025; and a Resource Library aggregates fact sheets, toolkits, research reports, policy briefs, and e-learning modules with CME/CNE credits. Methodological assets include the Indigenous Evaluation Framework developed with the Lummi Nation and the Decolonize Data Toolkit codifying data equity principles. The annual FIRES Conference convenes Indigenous researchers and practitioners.

The revenue model is a nonprofit grant-funded structure with three primary streams: federal government grants through IHS and CDC (described as recurring), a CDC-funded Sweetgrass Grant Program that re-grants up to $10,000 to urban Native-serving organizations for chronic disease programming, and technical assistance and training delivered on request to UIOs and Tribal organizations. All educational resources are distributed free of charge through the uihi.org website and a bi-weekly email newsletter. Leadership is concentrated under Director Abigail Echo-Hawk (Pawnee), who also serves as president of the parent Seattle Indian Health Board.

Name

Urban Indian Health Institute

Legal name

Urban Indian Health Institute

Website

https://uihi.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Indian Health Institute is a Seattle-based Tribal Epidemiology Center and public health division of Seattle Indian Health Board, serving 41 Urban Indian Organizations and 31 Urban Indian Health Programs through Indigenous epidemiology data, culturally-grounded health resources, technical assistance, and federal grant programs for AI/AN communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Public Health Services

NAICS

Administration of Public Health Programs (923120)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Tribal/Indigenous Public Health Authorities (HLAJAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Health & Health Equity/Social Determinants Units (HLAJAAAO), Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) & Equity Measurement (HLAJAJAI), Behavioral Health & Substance Use Public Health Programs (BPAIAJAK)

Keywords

• Tribal epidemiology services
• Indigenous public health
• Community health data
• Public health research
• Health equity training

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Grants: UIHI operates as a Tribal Epidemiology Center and receives federal funding through organizations like the Indian Health Service (IHS) and CDC to support public health initiatives serving American Indians and Alaska Natives.
2. Community Grants Program: UIHI distributes grants to urban Native-serving organizations through their Sweetgrass Grant Program, funded in partnership with the CDC. Awards of up to $10,000 are given to organizations producing public health programming on chronic disease.
3. Technical Assistance and Training: UIHI provides trainings and technical assistance to UIOs, Tribal organizations, and Native-led nonprofits on public health topics, data collection, and program evaluation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) operates as one of 12 Tribal Epidemiology Centers in the United States, functioning as the public health division of the Seattle Indian Health Board. It provides public health data, research, technical assistance, training, and culturally grounded resources to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, urban Indian organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations, with a focus on health equity, decolonizing data, and Indigenous evaluation methodologies.

Product overview

Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) operates as a Tribal Epidemiology Center and the public health division of Seattle Indian Health Board. The organization does not offer a unified software product but rather provides a portfolio of public health services, educational resources, and grant programs. Core offerings include: the Community Health Data Dashboard for Indigenous epidemiology; the Magical Millie Campaign and Toolkit for pediatric immunization education; multiple Health Initiatives programs (COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, violence prevention); Technical Assistance and Training services; the Sweetgrass Grant Program for chronic disease prevention; the FIRES Conference on Indigenous public health research; and an extensive Resource Library of fact sheets, research reports, toolkits, and training materials. These offerings work together to support decolonizing data approaches and improve health outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Magical Millie's Courageous Journey: A self-published children's coloring book and national public health campaign created by UIHI's former youth intern and Abigail Echo-Hawk, featuring a magical unicorn named Millie to support family conversations about immunization and wellness in AI/AN communities.
• FIRES Conference
• Sweetgrass Grant Program
• Magical Millie Campaign

Products and services

• Community Health Data Dashboard
• Magical Millie Campaign
• Magical Millie Toolkit
• Technical Assistance and Training Services
• Sweetgrass Grant Program
• FIRES (Forging Indigenous Relationships through Engagement and Synergy) Conference
• Sacred Responsibility Report
• Decolonize Data Toolkit
• Indigenous Evaluation Framework
• e-Learning: HIV Care and Sexual Health Assessment
• Positively Native Video Series

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Lummi NationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018UIHI collaborated with the Lummi Nation in Spring 2018 to create dialogue around Indigenous Evaluation, producing a video resource on the topic.
• National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIHI partnered with NCAI to conduct research for the Sacred Responsibility report examining impacts of federal funding cuts on violence-related programs serving Native peoples.
• Alaska Native Women's Resource Center (ANWRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIHI partnered with ANWRC to conduct research examining impacts of federal funding cuts on violence-related programs serving Native survivors.
• National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIHI partnered with NIWRC to conduct research on violence prevention programs and services across Indian Country.
• StrongHearts Native HelplinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIHI partnered with StrongHearts Native Helpline to examine violence-related program impacts and service delivery for Native survivors.
• Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence (ATCEV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIHI partnered with ATCEV to conduct research examining impacts of federal funding cuts on Tribal violence prevention programs.
• Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDC partnered with UIHI to fund the Sweetgrass Grant Program, providing awards up to $10,000 to urban Native-serving organizations for chronic disease public health programming.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Indigenous Women's Resource Center: National Indigenous organization addressing violence against Native women and children. Already a co-research partner with UIHI on the Sacred Responsibility report and operates overlapping grantmaking, training, and policy functions.
• Seattle Indian Health Board: UIHI's parent organization and a major Urban Indian Health Program providing direct medical, behavioral, and community services to AI/AN populations in the Seattle area. Shares leadership and mission with UIHI and is its operational and governance umbrella.
• Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center: Sibling Tribal Epidemiology Center serving AI/AN populations in the Great Lakes region. Competes for similar federal epidemiology funding and operates analogous data, evaluation, and training programs.
• National Council of Urban Indian Health: National membership and advocacy organization for the same Urban Indian Organizations UIHI serves. Operates as a backbone support body for UIOs alongside UIHI's epidemiology and data functions, making it the closest direct peer in mission and constituency.
• Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center: One of the 12 Tribal Epidemiology Centers that, like UIHI, conducts public health surveillance, research, and technical assistance for AI/AN communities. Directly comparable in TEC designation, federal funding model, and core service mix.
• Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center: Another of the 12 Tribal Epidemiology Centers, providing public health research, surveillance, and technical assistance to Southwest tribes. Directly comparable as a regional TEC peer.

Broad incumbents

• CDC Foundation: Public-health NGO that partners with the CDC and funds many of the same chronic-disease and health-equity initiatives UIHI runs (e.g., via the Sweetgrass Grant Program). Comparable in mission and CDC-aligned funding model.
• National Indian Health Board: National advocacy organization representing Tribal governments on Indian health policy. Overlaps with UIHI in policy advocacy and tribal public-health agenda-setting, but operates at a broader scale and federal-policy focus.
• Indian Health Service: Federal agency within HHS that funds UIHI's TEC designation and oversees the broader Indian health system. Operates a much wider portfolio of direct care, contract health, and TEC funding that directly anchors UIHI's role.

Regional players

• First Nations Health Authority: Indigenous-led health authority delivering public health, wellness, and clinical programs to First Nations in British Columbia. Highly comparable in Indigenous data sovereignty philosophy and community-led public health model, but serves a different national jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheUIHI
• Facebookfacebook.com/UrbanIndianHealthInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-indian-health-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/urbanindianhealthinstitute
• TikToktiktok.com/@urbanindianhealthinst

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Urban Indian Health Institute