CHEROKEE, April 1, 2008—Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) has informed Cherokee Preservation Foundation (CPFdn) that its Louis T. Delgado Distinguished Grantmaker Award will be presented to Susan Jenkins, CPFdn’s executive director, at NAP’s Annual Gathering in Washington, D.C. on May 2.
NAP (www.nativephilanthropy.org) is a non-profit organization that promotes, facilitates and celebrates philanthropic giving to Native communities from both Native and non-Native donors. NAP also provides professional development opportunities and support for Native Americans working in the field of philanthropy. The Louis T. Delgado Distinguished Grantmaker Award was established in honor of NAP Board Member Emeritus Louis T. Delgado, who is well known for his recruitment and mentoring of Native American people coming into the field of philanthropy.
“Susan Jenkins has brought vision, leadership, and creativity to her work, and she works to bridge gaps between mainstream philanthropy and Native philanthropy,” said Joy Persall, executive director of Native Americans in Philanthropy. “She has forged new ground in Native philanthropy at Cherokee Preservation Foundation and has shown tireless commitment to building Native leadership.”
“It is an honor to be recognized by NAP for the work Cherokee Preservation Foundation is doing to improve the quality of life of members of the Eastern Band of Cherokees and to strengthen the Western North Carolina region,” said Jenkins. “CPFdn’s success to date and our excitement about the future is due to wonderful colleagues at CPFdn, our engaged community and the relationships we have built with peers involved in Native and mainstream philanthropy.”
Jenkins, an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation (Oklahoma), is the founding executive director of Cherokee Preservation Foundation, which was established in 2000 as part of the Second Amendment to the Tribal-State Compact between the EBCI and the State of North Carolina.. She came to CPFdn from the Hitachi Foundation, where she was Senior Program Officer. Previously she was with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), where she helped establish a partnership between 55 Delta communities in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and the WKKF. She has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Georgia.
About Cherokee Preservation Foundation
Cherokee Preservation Foundation (www.cpfdn.org) was established on November 14, 2000, as part of the Second Amendment to the Tribal-State Compact between the EBCI and the State of North Carolina. It is an independent nonprofit foundation funded by the EBCI from gaming revenues generated by the Tribe. CPFdn is not part of or associated with any for-profit gaming entity. Since CPFdn’s inception in 2000, it has made 447 grants totaling more than $37 million to EBCI and regional projects and programs that address cultural preservation, economic development and job creation, and environmental renewal and protection. Every dollar of CPFdn support has been matched by $1.38 in secured grants or other funding or in-kind resources, making CPFdn’s total contribution to the region more than $89 million.
