Western Native Voice Education Project

What Western Native Voice Education Project does

Western Native Voice Education Project is a Montana-based nonprofit organization established in 2022 that advances Native civic engagement, leadership development, civic education, and public policy advocacy for Native American communities across Montana. It operates through a multi-entity structure led by Western Native Voice, Inc., a 501(c)(4) social welfare nonprofit headquartered in Billings, Montana, with a federal advocacy presence in Washington, D.C. Parallel related entities include the Western Native Voice Education Project (501(c)(3) for tax-deductible contributions), Western Native Voice Action Fund, Western Native Voice Votes, and Western Native Voice LLC, enabling the organization to engage simultaneously in lobbying, ballot activity, education, and direct advocacy.

The organization delivers its work through four core programmatic pillars — Civic Education, Civic Engagement, Public Policy Advocacy, and Leadership Development — supplemented by the Expanding Horizons youth leadership program for high school students ages 14–18, and Day Labor Worker Centers focused on workforce development. Programs reach all seven Montana Indian reservations (Blackfeet, Flathead, Crow, Fort Belknap, Fort Peck, Northern Cheyenne, Rocky Boy) and five urban centers (Billings, Great Falls, Missoula, Bozeman, Helena), supported by digital infrastructure including NGP VAN's FastAction and EveryAction platforms, JotForm, and links to the Montana Secretary of State voter registration portal.

Western Native Voice is staffed by approximately eight full-time personnel led by Executive Director Ronnie Jo Horse (USA Today 2023 Montana Woman of the Year) and governed by a board composed predominantly of tribal leaders, former state legislators, and tribal college representatives. The organization is funded through donations and contributions; contributions to the 501(c)(4) entity are non-tax-deductible while donations to the Education Project are tax-deductible. No proprietary technology platform has been built; operations rely on standard nonprofit software and grassroots community organizing.

Name

Western Native Voice Education Project

Legal name

Western Native Voice, Inc.

Website

https://westernnativevoice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Western Native Voice Education Project is a Montana-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit that advances Native civic engagement, leadership development, education, and policy advocacy for Native American communities across Montana's seven Indian reservations and major urban centers, funded through donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Native Civic Advocacy and Community Organizing

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL)

Keywords

• Civic engagement advocacy
• Community organizing services
• Youth leadership development
• Voter registration services
• Native American advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Billings

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(4) social welfare nonprofit organization, Western Native Voice generates revenue primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and partners who support Native-led civic engagement and advocacy work. The organization states that donations to WNV, Inc (c4) may be used for grassroots lobbying and are not tax-deductible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Western Native Voice Education Project is a Montana-based 501(c)(4) social welfare nonprofit that delivers civic education, voter registration, leadership development, and public policy advocacy programs for Native American communities across all seven Montana Indian reservations and major urban centers. Its core programmatic offerings include Civic Education, Civic Engagement, Public Policy Advocacy, and Leadership Development, supplemented by the Expanding Horizons youth program (ages 14-18) and a Day Labor Worker Center. The organization operates as a donor-supported nonprofit, not a commercial enterprise, and channels grassroots organizing into legislative advocacy on tribal sovereignty, voting rights, healthcare, education, and food access.

Product overview

Western Native Voice Education Project is a Montana-based nonprofit organization operating under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, founded in 2022. The organization offers a suite of interconnected civic engagement programs including Civic Education, Civic Engagement, Public Policy Advocacy, and Leadership Development as its core programmatic pillars. These programs are complemented by the Expanding Horizons Youth Program targeting high school students ages 14-18, and Day Labor Worker Centers providing workforce development. The organization also provides practical resources such as voter registration tools, Montana legislative session tracking, an Elected Official Lookup Tool, Know Your Rights educational materials, and workplace discrimination resources. Membership and volunteer programs support community participation, while an exclusive online training portal serves members with in-depth civic education modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Expanding Horizons: A student-driven leadership program for Native and non-Native youth ages 14-18 in Montana, focused on mentorship, civic engagement, and cultural education.

Quantifiable outcome

• Engaged thousands of Native students and community members across Montana through education programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Rocky Mountain Farmers UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in cooperative development and agricultural economic initiatives supporting Indigenous food sovereignty and community development.
• American Indian Higher Education ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting educational opportunities and initiatives for Native students and communities through higher education collaboration.
• Cooperative Development FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial and technical support for cooperative development initiatives that strengthen Indigenous economic systems and community-owned enterprises.
• Montana Tribal Colleges and UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with tribal colleges to recruit interns, deliver civic education programs, and support Native student leadership development.
• Partner Organizations (unspecified)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks with various partner organizations to help more people register to vote, participate in elections, and connect with elected leaders through citizen action trainings and advocacy efforts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Native American Rights Fund: A major national legal advocacy organization serving Native American tribes and organizations. Comparable in mission to advocate for Native rights and policy, but operates at far greater scale with a legal-services-led model rather than WNV's grassroots civic-engagement approach.

Emerging players

• First Nations Development Institute: A Native-led nonprofit strengthening Native economies and communities through grantmaking, capacity building, and advocacy. Comparable to WNV in tribal-community focus and donor-supported model, with overlap in workforce/economic development via WNV's Day Labor Worker Centers.
• National Indian Education Association: The leading national organization advocating for Native education equity and culturally based education. Comparable to WNV's civic education programming and tribal-college partnerships, but focused exclusively on K-12 and higher education policy.

Regional players

• Western Organization of Resource Councils: A network of community-based grassroots organizations in the Western U.S. organizing on social, economic, and environmental issues. Comparable to WNV in its grassroots community organizing approach and civic engagement model, though focused more on resource/environmental issues than Native-specific advocacy.
• Rural Coalition: A coalition of rural and Indigenous community-based organizations working on policy advocacy, civic engagement, and economic justice. Comparable to WNV in grassroots organizing model and Indigenous-civic-engagement mission, but operating across multiple rural regions rather than a single state.

Direct peers

• IllumiNative: A national Native-led nonprofit focused on increasing the visibility of and challenging narratives around Native communities. Directly comparable to WNV's civic engagement and advocacy mission, with similar cultural-grounding and narrative-change framing.
• Center for Native American Youth (Aspen Institute): A Native youth policy and leadership organization working to remove barriers to Native youth success. Directly comparable to WNV's Expanding Horizons youth leadership program and broader focus on Native youth civic engagement.
• National Congress of American Indians: The oldest and largest national organization advocating for tribal sovereignty and Native policy interests. Directly comparable to WNV as a Native civic and policy advocacy organization, though operating at national scale across all 574 federally recognized tribes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/westernnativevoice
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@westernnativevoice
• Facebookfacebook.com/WesternNativeVoice
• Instagraminstagram.com/westernnativevoice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/western-native-voice

Compliance1 record

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 Western Native Voice Education Project