Minneapolis, Minn. – The National Native American Boarding School Heaing Coalition (NABS) announces the commencement of a ten-year strategic plan (2020-2030) designed to strengthen the organization as it continues to grow into the future. In its first few years of execution, the plan will be supported through a $10M grant recently awarded to NABS by the Kendeda Fund.

The strategic planning process took more than six months to complete and involved a variety of key stakeholders, including Indian boarding school survivors and their descendants, NABS board members and staff, consultants from across the U.S. and leaders from the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The plan was finalized earlier this year at a three-day Leadership Planning Summit near the former boarding school in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., and was later adopted by NABS’s board of directors.

The new plan consists of four strategic pillars focusing the organization’s work in global advocacy, healing values and practices, organizational infrastructure and education; a number of positive outcomes are expected for each. These include establishing a national truth and healing center, developing curriculum, producing a documentary series, creating a national digital archive and issuing policy statements that support the work of tribes and other agencies related to boarding schools.

“We are extremely grateful for this fortuitous opportunity to grow NABS’s operational capacity, programs, and staff. We know that NABS’s work is not only supported by donors and funders, but by the prayers of thousands of children who experienced Indian boarding schools. While preparing to launch into our 10-year plan and eventually open a National Center for Boarding School Truth and Healing, we remain humbled yet very excited and ready to pursue our mission and bring truth, healing, and justice to boarding school survivors and descendants,” said Christine Diindiisi McCleave (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe), Executive Director of NABS.

The execution of the plan is supported, in part, by the generosity of the Kendeda Fund, whose $10M grant to NABS will contribute to continued organizational growth and successful program development.

“The Kendeda Fund is honored to help advance the important work of The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition,” said Kendeda Fund advisor Tim Stevens. “We look forward to NABS continued growth and emergence as a powerful, national voice and healing force for Boarding School survivors and their loved ones.”

NABS is set to begin implementing the plan in this new calendar year and will continue to pursue current and ongoing programming.

Read the strategic plan.

Download the press release.