Using Indigenous Principles to Build Capacity
for People, Organizations and Communities
About Circle of Nations
Our Mission
Circle of Nations Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit management and technical assistance organization that provides fiscal sponsorship and administrative support to emerging initiatives committed to social impact. By offering a structured and values-driven environment, we empower individuals and grassroots organizations to incubate transformative projects that foster equity, resilience, and mutual aid. Rooted in the principle of “paying it forward,” we help catalyze sustainable change in communities by investing in people who uplift others.
History
Circle of Nations Inc. (CNI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996 with a mission to address wealth inequality and promote the preservation and celebration of Indigenous Native American culture. In its early years, CNI led and participated in several impactful initiatives, including:
- The TRIBE Project (Technology Resources to Improve Basic Education): A program that served as a conduit for transferring donated computer hardware and software to educational institutions on Native American reservations, helping bridge the digital divide.
- Today’s Native American Television Program: A partnership to produce and broadcast media that highlighted exemplary Native American leaders and artists, while raising cultural awareness among the broader public.
- Moccasin Path Productions: A collaboration that resulted in the award-winning documentary film series My Ancestor’s Voice, which preserved traditional knowledge by capturing Native elders and their stories on film.
In 2008, CNI expanded its mission to address housing needs for seniors and individuals with special needs, operating under the dba Homes That Change Lives. As the organization deepened its community ties, it began receiving inquiries from individuals and small groups eager to serve their communities but lacking the infrastructure to launch or manage a nonprofit.
Responding to this grassroots demand, CNI began offering fiscal sponsorship, providing a supportive home for emerging projects aligned with values of community empowerment, equity, and cultural preservation. Since then, CNI has sponsored more than 15 initiatives of varying scale and focus—while maintaining its original commitment to uplifting Native American voices and traditions.
Today, Circle of Nations Inc. continues to evolve as a community development network, committed to incubating transformative ideas that serve others through the powerful ethic of “paying it forward.”
CNI's Fiscal Sponsorship Program
CNI has sponsored more than 15 projects of various shapes and sizes, while maintaining our original vision of supporting projects with a focus on preserving and promoting indigenous Native American culture.
CNI offers fiscal sponsorship of:
· projects that are in the early stages of development (kind of like “incubation”) and don’t yet have their 501c3 status;
· projects that have 501c3 status but are new and need a more established organization to administer funds for them due to funder requirements;
· projects that would like help with administration of specific grants or projects that they don’t have the capacity or desire to manage themselves;
· projects that include services that are not necessarily non-profit but are natural “sub-contracting” fits for a non-profit;
· non-profit projects that are in partnership with “for-profit” projects that have a natural fit.
Some examples of our most successful projects include:
· MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP)/Real Talk Network – Cambridge and Boston, MA: CNI serves as fiscal sponsor to oversee community engagement of this project in collaboration with Dunk the Vote and other Boston CBOs. Real Talk Network is designed to create a new kind of civic infrastructure using modern technology that facilitates meaningful conversations with constituencies that are often not included in policy making discussions and organizing the information into portals that everyone, including public officials, can access to make better decisions and policies for the community.
· Dunk the Vote – Boston, MA: 30-year old civic engagement project that uses basketball and other community organizing techniques to promote voter registration across Massachusetts with a particular focus on black people in Boston neighborhoods. DTV has registered over 100,000 residents to vote since its inception in 1992.
· Institute for New England Native American Studies at UMass Boston – Boston, MA: Partner with the University to provide fiscal support/sponsorship for annual INENAS Pow Wow at UMass Boston and other projects that can benefit from partnership with a community-based nonprofit to benefit indigenous communities.
· My Ancestors Voice: Collaboration with Moccasin Path Productions to produce documentary films that preserve the wisdom of Native American elders, including award-winning documentary “Peyote Man”.
· Community Stabilization and Restoration Program (CSAR) –Los Angeles, CA: Transformed nearly 100 bank owned foreclosures into home ownership opportunities for first time homebuyers and low and moderate income populations.
· Green Beginnings Institute (GBI)–Boston, MA: Developed and implemented several green construction job training programs for youth, veterans and small businesses in inner-city Boston neighborhoods, including highly successful certificate training programs for green construction.
· Lynn Youth Street Outreach Advocacy – (LYSOA): Street level youth outreach for youth violence and substance abuse prevention. CNI provided fiscal sponsorship prior to their receipt of 501c3 and during their first year of participating in a state grant program.
· La Chic Mentoring Plus – Unique mentoring program for low-income girls in Lynn, MA. CNI provided fiscal sponsorship prior to their receipt of 501c3 and continues to provide support when needed on specific grants.
· Emilio Campbell (individual)– Boston, MA: Provided housing counseling and loan modification to homeowners at risk of foreclosure. CNI provided fiscal sponsorship so that Emilio Campbell could become certified as a housing counselor. As a result, CNI/HCL became a HUD-certified housing counseling agency and Emilio ran the program with the support of an annual grant from Home-Free USA.
CNI's Call to Action
- Show great respect for your fellow beings
- Work together for the benefit of all mankind!
- Give assistance and kindness wherever needed
- Do what you know to be right
- Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good
(from the Native American Commandments)
Learn More
Your interest helps us spread the good work that people want to do. Join us in making a difference in the lives of many. Email circleofnationsinc@gmail.com for more info.