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April 2026

A report by California Native Vote Project (CNVP) and the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health (CCUIH), in partnership with the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI) and Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP)

Authors and researchers: Diane Hilderbrand (Colville Tribes), Lead Author and Designer, CNVP Consultant, Jennifer Ito, Lead Researcher, USC Equity Research Institute, Lupe Renteria Salome, Researcher, USC Equity Research Institute, Partners at Native Americans in Philanthropy, Research Partners at California Consortium for Urban Indian Health, Chrissie Castro, California Native Vote Project, Additional California Native Vote Project Staff

A statewide assessment of Native-led organizations working to build power in American Indian/Alaska Native communities. The inspiration for this report draws from two earlier efforts to understand and strengthen community power through data and storytelling. Building on these foundations, and recognizing the vital role Native-led organizations play in advancing the health and well-being of Native communities across California, the California Native Vote Project (CNVP) and the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health (CCUIH) partnered with the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI) and Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) to design and conduct a statewide survey of Native-led organizations engaged in “power-building.”

Download the report on California Native Vote Project

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    ERI’s work in the area of governing power includes: conducting cross-disciplinary studies of today’s social movements, supporting learning and strategizing efforts to advance dialogues among organizers, funders, intermediaries, evaluators, and academics, and developing research-based social change frameworks and tools to inform—and be informed by—real-world, real-time efforts towards a vision of deep change.

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    In 2020, the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) and the USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII) merged to form the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI).

    The full list of publications published under our previous and current names can be found in our publications directory.

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