named programs · 6 · from sources
What they call their work
Community Weaving Program
Builds community resilience and cultural continuity through land-based learning and traditional practices, funded by the Park Foundation.
MMIW/R Program
Supports families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives through advocacy, spiritual care, and connection to support networks, led by Nicole Thompson and Clint Shenandoah.
OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning
Hosts educational initiatives and summits that connect generations through ancestral knowledge, environmental stewardship, and cultural identity.
Plant Care Program
Cultivates, harvests, and prepares healing medicinal teas for Indigenous people at no cost; includes training in plant medicine and intergenerational knowledge sharing through community circles.
Virtual Spring Summit: Learning from the Land
Annual virtual gathering that brings together educators, elders, and knowledge carriers to promote land-based teaching and transform classroom learning through Indigenous perspectives.
Youth Sprouting Program
Youth-focused initiative that strengthens connection to land and ancestral knowledge, supported by the Park Foundation in the Tompkins community.
activities · 12 groups
What they do
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Onsite & Outreach Environmental Education Programs 3 activities
- Conducting land-based environmental education for youthEngages youth in plant care and environmental stewardship, including water education sessions that teach the understanding of water as a living entity, and supports traditional environmental roles through hands-on learning.
- Delivering land-based education through media arts and Indigenous curriculumUses media arts and authentic, Indigenous-centered curriculum to promote environmental protection, sustainability, healing, and cultural vibrancy, including integration of ethnobotanical practices into K–12 subjects across New York schools.
- Hosting land-based youth and family camps and workshopsHosts an annual 4-day arts and sustainability-focused camp for Native families at a solar-powered off-grid homestead in the Finger Lakes, offering hands-on workshops in fire making, plant and fungi education, outdoor cooking, yoga, art, and solar power projects.
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Trauma-Informed Community Resilience Initiatives 3 activities
- Operating support programs for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIW/R)Runs a MMIW/R program that connects affected families with support networks and provides spiritual advising and substance abuse counseling through the Onondaga Nation Family Healing Center.
- Providing self-healing and community support through land-based relationshipsOffers tools for self-healing and community wellbeing grounded in Indigenous perspectives, including curriculum for public schools and programs that strengthen ancestral and land-based connections.
- Training in plant medicine and traditional ecological knowledgeProvides training in plant medicine, including identification, harvesting, and preparation of medicinal plants, and offers youth learning opportunities in plant medicine, trauma healing, and Indigenous land relationships through partnerships with youth organizations.
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Community Stewardship Volunteer Programs 2 activities
- Engaging volunteers in off-site cultivation and organizational supportEnlists volunteers to grow medicinal herbs at home or on farms, and supports organizational operations through volunteer involvement in grant writing, fundraising, communications, and event planning.
- Operating community volunteer engagement programsOrganizes ongoing community volunteer days at the Soil Factory and OJI:SDA’ Forest, with structured opportunities for physical engagement in gardening, harvesting, herbal tea preparation, and long-term relationship building; includes team-building volunteer days for corporations.
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Human Rights Advocacy & Accountability 1 activity
- Advocating for Indigenous and environmental rights at international forumsEngages in advocacy by presenting at international platforms such as the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week to promote spiritual connections to water and advocate for Human and Water Rights.
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Indigenous and Diaspora Cultural Preservation 1 activity
- Expanding Indigenous visibility and land literacy through ancestral knowledge sharingAdvances Indigenous visibility, land literacy, and community health by sharing ancestral knowledge through innovative educational and cultural methods.
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Intergenerational Connection Programs 1 activity
- Implementing community connection programs in Tompkins CountyRuns the Youth Sprouting Program and Community Weaving Program to strengthen community ties and intergenerational relationships in Tompkins County through land-based and cultural activities.
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Benefit Events for Arts and Culture 1 activity
- Organizing benefit events to support Indigenous education and health initiativesHosts benefit concerts and outdoor events, including a Mother’s Day concert and a premier outdoor concert at South Hill Cider, to raise funds for Indigenous youth camps, Earth guardianship, and community health and wellbeing.
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Educator Conferences & Professional Development Events 1 activity
- Organizing educator summits and collaborative knowledge gatheringsHosts annual and virtual Spring Summits and educator gatherings that convene Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Carriers, and education experts to develop land-based teaching methods and inquiry-based project cycles rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems.
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Local Land Conservation Advocacy 1 activity
- Providing advisory services for land conservation and community health programsAdvises on forestry and land conservation through the Finger Lakes Land Trust and provides consulting services to community-based health, sobriety, and healing programs such as Gathering of Good Minds and Sewakwatho.
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Public Awareness and Educational Outreach 1 activity
- Providing public engagement and educational outreachOffers speakers, educational sessions, land acknowledgment advisement, podcast appearances, and media responses to share Indigenous and Earth teachings with broader audiences.
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Distribution of PPE and Crisis Supplies 1 activity
- Supporting Indigenous community health and wellness during crisesDistributed over 10,000 hygiene masks, 260 gallons of hand sanitizer, medical supplies, food, food-bearing trees, and medicinal herb blends to Indigenous communities in North America and Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Distributing healing and medicinal teas to Indigenous communitiesProvides healing and medicinal herbal tea blends at no cost to Indigenous people through cultivation, harvesting, and preparation; includes the Land to Teapot program and community circles that receive tea and reflect on plant medicine experiences.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$52K
Contributions & grants$49K95%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$270%
Other revenue$3K
expenses
Total expenses$130K
Program expenses86%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$50K
Grants paid out$2K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$30K
Cash$97K
Investments$0
Liabilities$2K
Net assets$29K
Liquid reserves8.9 mo
4 years on record · 2021–2024 · YoY revenue -54.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| TAHILA MINTZ | FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $58K |
board members · 3
- BARBARA ABRAMS — BOARD MEMBER
- JOE CLEMONS — BOARD MEMBER
- TROY RICHARDSON — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 20
Who they work with
- Cornell University Government — Employer of board member Barbara Abrams and site of founding of the American Indian Program; alma mater of multiple board members.
- Corporations Partner — Corporations engage through team building volunteer days.
- Enfield Elementary School Partner — Partner elementary school engaged in OJI:SDA’ water education programming.
- Finger Lakes Land Trust Partner — Co-founded and advised by OJI:SDA advisor Michael De Munn for land conservation and forestry stewardship.
- Foundations Funder — Foundations support the organization financially.
- Individuals Partner — Individuals partner through financial support, volunteering, or requesting speakers.
- KHUBA International Partner — Collaborates with OJI:SDA’ on community education programming from an Indigenous perspective.
- Lehman Alternative Community School Partner — Partner school participating in OJI:SDA’ community education programs focused on plants, herbs, and water-based healing practices.
- McGill University Partner — Hosts OJI:SDA advisor Geraldine Standup as Elder in Residence and Elder for Truth and Reconciliation training for teachers.
- Native American Community Services of Erie and Niagara Counties, Inc. Partner — Advised by OJI:SDA advisor Dr. F. Bruce Coles for the Gathering of Good Minds initiative.
- Organizations Partner — Organizations partner to disseminate teachings, co-design programs, or share resources.
- Park Foundation Funder — Provides funding for the Youth Sprouting Program and Community Weaving Program.
- Red Cross Partner — Collaborated with Red Cross clinics to deliver medical supplies and hygiene items to Indigenous communities in Mexico during the COVID pandemic.
- Sewakwatho Partner — Consulted by OJI:SDA advisor Dr. F. Bruce Coles for community-based sobriety maintenance programming.
- South Hill Cider Partner — Hosted the Mother’s Day Benefit Concert in support of Mochik Ania - Camp Turtle.
- Tahila Mintz Partner — Founder and Executive Director of OJI:SDA’ Sustainable Indigenous Futures, identifying as Indigenous Yaqui / Jewish media maker, ancestral scribe, educator and community organizer.
- United Nations Partner — Engages with representatives from the United Nations, as evidenced by a speaker interaction with a UN-affiliated individual.
- University at Buffalo Government — Employer of board member Barbara Abrams and site of prior professional contributions to Native student support programs.
- University departments or faculty Partner — Partners with university departments and faculty to provide work experience projects aligned with course curriculum and organizational needs.
- Washington Ethnic Studies Now (WAESN) Youth Advisory Board Partner — Collaborated as speakers and participants in the OJI:SDA’ Virtual Spring Summit on Land-based teaching.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community-Led Disaster Recovery Guided by Indigenous Knowledgemethodology: indigenous_knowledge_based_recoveryBy shifting from emergency relief to long-term recovery using Indigenous ecological metaphors and community-led education, the organization strengthens self-sufficiency because resilience is built through culturally grounded, sustainable practices rather than external interventions.
- Indigenous-Led Storytelling and Media for Cultural Reclamationmethodology: community_owned_storytellingBy centering Indigenous women and community members in storytelling, media-making, and narrative control, the organization advances cultural visibility and deconstructs colonial frameworks because authentic self-representation enables empowerment, truth-telling, and intercultural understanding.
- Interconnected Collaboration for Indigenous Self-Determinationmethodology: intercultural_collaborative_modelBy co-designing programs with Indigenous, arrivant, and settler allies and affirming tribal sovereignty, the organization advances self-determination through collective action because sustainable change requires respectful, intercultural partnerships that center Indigenous leadership and decision-making.
- Land-Based Learning and Healing Through Ancestral Knowledgemethodology: land_based_learning_healingBy integrating land-based teaching, plant medicine, and ancestral environmental knowledge, the organization rebuilds relationships between Indigenous people and the land, fostering cultural identity, healing, and intergenerational learning because reconnecting with traditional ecological practices is foundational to Indigenous well-being and self-determination.
- Participatory and Intergenerational Engagement Rooted in Indigenous Pedagogymethodology: participatory_youth_educationBy designing interactive, land-based, and multimedia-rich educational experiences co-led by Elders and youth, the organization fosters deep learning and long-term engagement because Indigenous modalities such as restorative justice, deliberative democracy, and experiential practice are more effective in sustaining cultural continuity and community resilience.