What UNKITAWA does

Unkitawa is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2017 and headquartered in Kent, Washington. It emerged from the Standing Rock Water Protectors movement of 2016–2017 and operates five core programs serving Indigenous community members across Washington State: Indigenous Wellness (rebranded from the Innovations Program in 2024), the Owówičhak'u Wašté First Foods Access Pantry, the Reentry Program, the Veterans Program, and the Youth Interns Program. The organization also provides fiscal sponsorship to three Indigenous-aligned organizations: Dream Starters (Salmon Strong), Giniw Collective, and Mazaska Talks.

Unkitawa's business model is a hybrid of government contracts, philanthropic giving, and in-kind support. State contracts with the Washington State Department of Corrections (covering 12 correctional facilities and 22 monthly Native American Circles) and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF, at Echo Glen Children's Center and Green Hill School) provide stable institutional revenue. Funding is supplemented by individual and corporate donations (processed via PayPal, including stock, cryptocurrency, DAF grants, and endowments), private foundation and government grants, and in-kind contributions of materials, food, and volunteer time. All programs are delivered free of charge to Indigenous community members.

The organization is entirely Indigenous-led, with staff, senior leadership, and board drawn from across tribal nations including Yakama, Kickapoo, Lakota (Standing Rock, Hunkpapa), Lummi, Northern Arapaho, Eastern Shoshone, Tlingit, Haida, Choctaw, Cherokee, and others. Leadership includes Executive Director Edna Wyena (Yakama Nation, MPA from University of Washington), Founder/Chair Kyle K Schierbeck (Standing Rock Sioux and Turtle Mountain Chippewa), and program leads with direct lived experience of incarceration, military service, and cultural recovery. Unkitawa delivers services through in-person community programming at its Kent facilities, inside correctional and juvenile justice institutions, and via the King County Veterans Program partnership, with marketing conducted through Facebook, Instagram, an events calendar, email outreach, and community referrals.

Name

UNKITAWA

Legal name

Unkitawa

Website

https://unkitawa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Unkitawa is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Kent, Washington delivering Indigenous cultural, wellness, reentry, veterans, youth, and food sovereignty programs to Indigenous community members across Washington State, funded by state contracts, grants, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Community & Cultural Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Community Food Services (624210), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Indigenous & Community Cultural Institutions (THAJADAK), Tribal/Indigenous Public Health Authorities (HLAJAAAD), Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH)

Keywords

• Indigenous cultural services
• Native nonprofit programs
• Reentry support services
• Veterans community services
• Food sovereignty programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kent

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts: State contracts with Washington State Department of Corrections and Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to provide Native American cultural services to incarcerated individuals and juveniles in state facilities.
2. Individual and Corporate Donations: Monetary donations through PayPal for general fund and specific programs including Indigenous Wellness, Reentry, Veterans, and Folklife Festival. Accepts stock, cryptocurrency, DAF grants, and endowments.
3. Grant Funding: Funding from private foundations and government grants to support operational expenses and program development.
4. In-Kind Donations: Accepts donations of materials, food, knowledge, and time for events and programs including drums, regalia supplies, food for events, and volunteer services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Unkitawa is a Native-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free cultural, wellness, reentry, veteran, and youth programs to Indigenous community members across Washington State. Its core offerings include the Indigenous Wellness Program, the Owówičhak’u Wašté First Foods Access Pantry, the Reentry Program (with services inside 12 state correctional facilities and 2 juvenile facilities), the Veterans Program, and the Youth Interns Program, supplemented by weekly community events and fiscal sponsorship of aligned Indigenous groups.

Product overview

Unkitawa is a Native-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates as a multi-program service provider rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings consist of five distinct cultural and social service programs: the Indigenous Wellness Program (formerly the Innovations Program, rebranded in 2024), the Owówičhak'ú Wašté First Foods Access Pantry, the Reentry Program, the Veterans Program, and the Youth Interns Program. These programs are unified by a mission to empower Indigenous people through spiritual and cultural practices, providing community members with access to traditional ceremonies, healing practices, food sovereignty resources, reentry support for incarcerated individuals, veteran services, and youth mentorship. The organization also provides fiscal sponsorship to affiliated Indigenous organizations. All programs operate from the organization's headquarters in Kent, Washington, with services extending throughout Washington State.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Owówičhak'u Wašté First Foods Access Pantry: A program re-establishing communal connection to traditional food and diets in an urban setting, guided by the teaching that food is medicine.
• Indigenous Wellness Program
• Veterans Program
• Reentry Program
• Youth Interns Program

Products and services

• Indigenous Wellness Program A cultural and wellness program providing Indigenous community members with access to traditional ceremonies, healing practices, food sovereignty initiatives, and community gatherings across Washington State.
• Owówičhak’u Wašté First Foods Access Pantry A food pantry program re-establishing communal connection to traditional Indigenous foods and diets in an urban setting, guided by the teaching that food is medicine. The Lakota name translates to 'A place to nourish the people.'
• Reentry Program A culturally grounded reentry program for formerly incarcerated Indigenous individuals that provides 'Day One' packages (clothes, hygiene, cell phone, bus passes), case management, cultural ceremonies, and in-facility services inside 12 Washington State correctional facilities and 2 DCYF juvenile facilities.
• Veterans Program A comprehensive veteran services program providing spiritual and cultural connection, employment assistance, financial assistance, housing support, VA claims filing, mental health services, and ceremony access. Includes the Akichita Veteran Warriors Program, the Veterans Canoe project, and monthly cultural events for Indigenous veterans, service members, and their families.
• Youth Interns Program A Traditional Knowledge Seekers internship for Indigenous youth affected by gun violence, providing mentorship, cultural teachings, and connections to traditional medicines and ancestral knowledge in partnership with King County's Youth Career Pathways program.
• Fiscally Sponsored Groups Financial and administrative support services provided to like-minded Indigenous organizations, allowing selected projects (currently Dream Starters - Salmon Strong, Giniw Collective, and Mazaska Talks) to use Unkitawa's 501(c)(3) status to apply for grants.
• Community Events Recurring cultural events including Elder Luncheons, Drum Practice circles, Talking Circles for recovery support, Art Expressions workshops, Sweat Lodge ceremonies, powwows, beading classes, and First Foods Pantry distributions that serve the Indigenous community across Washington State.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 22 Native American Circles monthly across 12 correctional facilities
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Washington State Department of CorrectionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Awarded Native American Services contract in 2022 to provide cultural services to incarcerated Native Americans. Services provided monthly to 22 Native American Circles across 12 correctional centers including sweat lodge ceremonies, drum circles, beading classes, and annual powwows.
• Washington State Division of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Contract to provide Native American Services at two juvenile facilities: Echo Glen Children's Center and Green Hill School. Services support youth with history or risk of incarceration, gang involvement, drug involvement, or affected by gun violence.
• King County Veterans Program (KCVP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner providing Native American pathfinding for Indigenous veterans experiencing hardship in King County. Supports financial assistance and housing programs for homeless veterans.
• Daybreak Star Indian Cultural CentersecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeterans Program partner supporting Native American veteran services and cultural programming in the Seattle area.
• Duwamish LonghousesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeterans Program partner providing cultural support and community connection for Indigenous veterans.
• Sisters in CommonsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous Wellness Program partner supporting community wellness initiatives and cultural programming.
• Kent Farmers MarketsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting First Foods Access Pantry and food sovereignty initiatives in the Kent community.
• Black Farmers Collective (BFC)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Indigenous food access and traditional food distribution through the First Foods Access Pantry.
• United Indian Health ServicessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Indigenous wellness and health programming for community members.
• Dream Starters (Salmon Strong)secondaryOthersFiscally sponsored native youth organization focused on STEM education, salmon and orca conservation, and native student enrichment. Supported through Unkitawa's nonprofit status.
• Giniw CollectivesecondaryOthersIndigenous-womxn, two-spirit led land defense collective based in Anishinaabe territory (northern Minnesota). Fiscally sponsored by Unkitawa to access grant funding.
• Mazaska TalkssecondaryOthersEconomic justice organization leveraging economic power to fight repression of Indigenous rights. Fiscally sponsored by Unkitawa. Co-founded by Rachel Heaton (Muckleshoot) and Matt Remle (Lakota).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Potlatch Fund: Indigenous-led foundation providing grants and capacity-building to Native-led nonprofits across the Pacific Northwest. Comparable on Indigenous nonprofit infrastructure and funding partner role.
• IllumiNative: Native-led nonprofit advancing narrative and policy change for Indigenous communities. Comparable on cultural activation and advocacy; focused on communications rather than direct service.

Direct peers

• Chief Seattle Club: Seattle-based Indigenous-led nonprofit serving urban Native Americans with cultural services, reentry support, and housing/food access. Most direct comparable given shared geography, mission, and reentry program overlap.
• Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA): Portland-based Indigenous nonprofit offering youth education, family services, cultural programming, and reentry/wellness support. Highly comparable in mission and program mix; primary regional peer outside Washington.
• United Indians of All Tribes Foundation / Daybreak Star: Seattle-area Indigenous-led nonprofit operating the Daybreak Star Cultural Center; provides cultural education, social services, and community programs to urban Native Americans. Listed as Unkitawa partner and highly comparable in scope.

Broad incumbents

• NDN Collective: Nationally scaled Indigenous-led organization providing grantmaking, narrative change, and community development. Comparable on Indigenous-led nonprofit structure and grantmaking; much larger scale.

Others

• Seattle Indian Services Commission: Local-government backed entity coordinating urban Indian services in Seattle. Comparable as a funding/coordination layer for Indigenous services in the same geography; not a direct service peer.

Regional players

• American Indian Community House (AICH): NYC-based Indigenous community and cultural center offering wellness, youth, and cultural programming. Comparable on urban Indigenous cultural center model; different geography.
• Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center: Tribal cultural center operated by the Duwamish Tribe providing cultural events, community programs, and veteran support. Comparable on cultural programming dimension; geography is Seattle-area.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/unkitawa
• Instagraminstagram.com/unkitawa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unkitawa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 UNKITAWA