The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation has awarded a $750,000 grant to the nonprofit California Tribal Families Coalition to expand legal advocacy for Indigenous children and families.
The tribe’s Doyuti T’uhkama grant program — which means “to give the acorn” in the tribe’s Patwin language — will disperse the funds to the coalition over three years.
The funding announced in a June 15 press release will be used for Indigenous advocates and attorneys representing children and parents in child welfare cases and to expand training. Funds will also be directed to early legal intervention in CPS cases involving tribal children, who are among those most likely to enter foster care.
“Every child deserves to be safe, supported, and connected to their family and community,” Anthony Roberts, chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and chair of Doyuti T’uhkama, stated in the press release.
His tribe’s ancestral homelands are located in the California counties of Yolo, Solano, Colusa and parts of Lake and Napa.
“Tribes are best positioned to determine what that care looks like, yet too often lack equitable access to the resources to do so,” Roberts said. “This investment helps strengthen tribal capacity, expand legal advocacy, and advance prevention efforts that keep children where they belong — with their families, communities, and cultures.”
Formed in 2017, the California Tribal Families Coalition advocates for reforms that uphold tribal sovereignty and the rights of tribes and their citizens. Its work centers on upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act, providing training for attorneys, social workers and other child welfare professionals, and pushing legislative and policy improvements that strengthen tribes’ authority in child welfare cases.
“Our coalition of tribes from across California unifies around issues to build the future our children deserve,” said the coalition’s board chair, Maryann McGovran, who also serves as the treasurer of the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians, in the press release. “We extend our deepest appreciation to the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and Doyuti T’uhkama for investing in work that will allow us to continue advocating for youth and families while defending and advancing tribal sovereignty.”
