Donor Events

First Nations supporters and allies are crucial to our mission to uplift and sustain the lifeways and economies of Native communities through advocacy, financial support, and knowledge sharing. Throughout the year, generous donors are often invited to special events to experience the impact of our work and the ingenuity of our community partners.

GATHER Screening at the Walnut Creek Library Oak View Room

Join us in Walnut Creek, CA, for a special screening of GATHER (2020), followed by a live Q&A with cast member Samuel Gensaw. This free, public event offers a powerful look at the Native food sovereignty movement and the stories behind the film.

Celebrate the growing Native American food sovereignty movement through the artistry of filmmaking.

Location: 1644 N Broadway at Civic Drive Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Date: Friday, May 8, 2026, at 7 pm PT

Please register here.

Past Events

NATIVE NOW: Coffee Talk at the Museum of Native American History

Join us in Bentonville, AR, for a Native Now Coffee Talk with First Nations’ leadership and staff. Donors and supporters are invited to gather for a casual, engaging conversation about the work of First Nations and the discussions emerging across the Native communities we serve. This free, public event offers a meaningful opportunity to connect and learn together.

Share in community, dialogue, and the Native‑led ideas shaping the path forward.

Location: Museum of Native American History, 202 SW O Street, Bentonville, AR 72712

Date: Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 2 pm CT

Thank you to everyone who attended!

GATHER Screening at the Oklahoma Film Exchange

Join us in Oklahoma City for a community screening of GATHER (2020), followed by an in‑person Q&A with cast member Twila Cassadore. This free, public event offers an intimate look at the Native food sovereignty movement and the stories that continue to inspire change across Indian Country.

Experience the power of Native foodways and the resilience of the communities leading this work.

Location: Oklahoma Film Exchange, Oklahoma City, OK

Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 5:45 pm CT

Thank you to everyone who attended!

NATIVE NOW: Coffee Talk

Join First Nations for a morning of connection, conversation, and community. Meet with our leadership and staff to learn about upcoming projects, events, and the powerful work being carried out by our community partners, made possible through the generosity of supporters like you.

Come share a cup of coffee and hear how your partnership continues to strengthen Native-led solutions across the country.

Location: Rose Andom Center, Training Room B, 1330 Fox St, Denver, CO 80204

Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 10 am MT

Thank you to everyone who attended!

Cradled by Care, Fed by Tradition

Native leaders across the country are working every day to preserve identity, restore balance, and care for their people and the land. Native communities continue to grow and thrive, guided by deep-rooted knowledge, cultural values, and a commitment to future generations.

In celebration of National Native American Heritage Month, First Nations is hosting a special webinar to honor the survival, strength, and enduring cultural traditions of Native peoples, and highlight the vital work of those leading in maternal health, first foods, and breastfeeding programs across Indian Country.

The webinar will be presented as an informal, but powerful, conversation with keepers of Native foodways, leaders safeguarding the seeds, stories, and systems that nourish Native communities.

Check out the webinar recording to learn more.

Thank you to everyone who attended!

Cherishing Native Foodways Speakers

Shawna Whaley

Shawna Whaley, a Suqpiaq woman from the Chugach region, has dedicated her life to cultural preservation, community education, and birth support, drawing from her roots in Nuuciq and Chenega Bay. With a background in yoga and dance, Shawna brings intuitive, joyful movement to her work with families, attuning the natural rhythm of each individual body throughout pregnancy and childbirth.

Amanda Singer

Amanda Singer is a Navajo woman from Coalmine, New Mexico, and a member of the Náneesht’ézhi Táchíníí (Charcoal-Streaked Division of the Red Running into the Water Clan). Born for Honághááníí (One-Walks-Around Clan), Amanda has spent over 19 years supporting families as a certified lactation counselor, Indigenous breastfeeding counselor, and doula. As Executive Director of the Navajo Birthworker Collective, Amanda uplifts traditional Diné teachings around birth, breastfeeding, and early parenting.

Zintkalamahpiyawin (Sky Bird Woman) Black Owl

Zintkalamahpiyawin Black Owl is a Sicangu Lakota midwife and advocate for Indigenous birth justice and Tribal Sovereignty. A mother of seven born and birthed at home in ceremony, she centers cultural traditions, informed consent, and protection of water and land in her midwifery work.

GATHER Screening in Syracuse, New York

Join First Nations for a screening of our James Beard Award-winning documentary GATHER. Watch this feature-length film on the growing Native American Food Sovereignty movement followed by an exclusive Q&A session with cast member Elsie DuBray.

In honor of National Native American Heritage Month, please join us for an in-person screening of GATHER. Celebrate the growing Native American food sovereignty movement through the artistry of filmmaking.

Location: ArtRage Gallery, 505 Hawley Avenue, Syracuse NY 13203

Date: Thursday, November 6, 2025, 6 pm ET

Thank you to everyone who attended!

“Our Language, Our Legacy: Stories of Truth, Solutions, and Action Across Indian Country” Webinar Series

Building on the momentum of First Nations’ spring campaign, “Language is Life,” this 2025 summer webinar series elevates the work Native communities are doing to revitalize and sustain their languages. Centered on a three-part theme, the series explores Native truth, community-driven solutions, and action. Learn more about the historical and systemic forces that have led to language loss and why it matters, not just for Native communities today, but for cultural continuity, identity, and knowledge across generations. Through the series, we provide tools and language to help language allies talk about these Native language issues meaningfully within their own circles. Participants leave not only educated, but also empowered, becoming knowledge bearers who carry the truth and hope of Native language revitalization forward.

Check out the webinar recording to learn more.

Thank you to everyone who attended!

Four Directions, Four Stories: A Stewarding Native Lands Film Series + Q&A

Please join us for an in-person screening of Four Directions, Four Stories: A Stewarding Native Lands Film Series, which highlights models of successful tribal stewardship practices.

• “Traditional Knowledge: Weaving the Future” – Featuring the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
• “Where the Water Remembers: The SAYH2O Legacy” – Featuring the Santa Ana Pueblo
• “Usugilix Awakun: We Are Working Together,” – Featuring the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska
• “Héesu” – Featuring the Nez Perce Tribal Nation

The viewing will be followed by an exclusive Q&A session with film director and producer Loren Waters and cast members: First Nations is honored to showcase the work of these partners in advancing conservation, Tribal Sovereignty, policy, advocacy, outreach, and education.

Thank you to everyone who attended!

NATIVE NOW: Coffee Talk

Donors and supporters joined us for the latest coffee chat in New York City, hosted in line with First Nations’ participation at Climate Week. First Nations’ President & CEO Mike Roberts shared an overview of First Nations and the work we do, as well as a brief history of First Nations. Participants expressed appreciation for the relaxing and engaging format and flow of a coffee chat

Location: Henry Luce Foundation, 41 Madison Avenue, New York, New York
Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025, from 10 am to 12 pm Eastern Time

Thank you to everyone who attended!

“Language is Life” Campaign Kick-Off Webinar 

Language are a vital asset for Native people and communities. It defines who we are and where we come from, capturing value systems that cannot be translated into English. In the webinar recording below, learn about the importance of the Native Language Immersion Initiative (NLII) fund from our community partner Xine:wh-ding Inc., an Indigenous women-led nonprofit based on the Hoopa Valley Reservation in Northern California, and Abi Whiteing (Blackfeet), Director of Native Arts, Language and Knowledge. 

Learn about First Nations’ Native Language Immersion Initiative and the amazing work being done by our community partners to keep Native languages alive and thriving.

Access the presentation materials.

GATHER Screening at the Boulder Public Library

Join First Nations for a screening of our James Beard Award-winning documentary GATHER. Watch this feature-length film on the growing Native American Food Sovereignty movement followed by an exclusive Q&A session with cast member Clayton Harvey.

Celebrate the growing Native American food sovereignty movement through the artistry of filmmaking.

Location: Canyon Theater, Boulder Public Library, 4500 13th St Boulder, CO 80304

Date: Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 5:30 pm MT

Thank you to everyone who attended!

NATIVE NOW: Coffee Talk

Select donors are invited to join First Nations’ leadership for conversation and coffee on Thursday, February 27, 2025.

Location: First Nations Colorado Headquarters at 2432 Main Street, in Longmont, Colorado.

Time: 10 am MT

Thank you to everyone who attended!

National Native American Heritage Month 2024 Webinars

Into the Woodlands: 2024 Donor Tour

In June 2024, a small group of First Nations’ supporters visited several community partners in Wisconsin as part of our Into the Woodlands Donor Tour. Donors saw the amazing work happening at the grassroots level, and learned how it contributes to the preservation and advancement of American Indian tribes and their cultures.

Thank you to our hosts and everyone who joined us!