Press Release

     The Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center (MIWRC) of Minneapolis, MN has received a grant of $400,000 from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to expand its work on the sex trafficking of American Indians. Built upon the findings of MIWRC’s groundbreaking 2009 research report Shattered Hearts: the commercial sexual exploitation of American Indian women and girls in Minnesota, the expansion will add primary prevention activities and build a strength-based community response to sexual exploitation in our community.

     “This new grant from the Kellogg Foundation will have an immediate, direct impact on our work addressing the sexual exploitation of American Indians in our state”, said Suzanne Koepplinger, Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center. “Creating empowering messaging with youth, and engaging parents, teachers and community members will build upon the community engagement model begun with the research report, which was also funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation”.

     The release of the Shattered Hearts report has generated national interest from legislators, policy makers and Tribal communities. Believed to be the first research in the country analyzing the scope of sexual exploitation against American Indians, the report provides a springboard to action for addressing widespread sexual victimization. “Reaching out to youth will be a crucial first step in prevention, but our wider vision is to challenge the system to stop criminalizing victims and start holding the perpetrators accountable”, said Ms. Koepplinger. 

     MIWRC is a 25 year old social service non-profit that provides direct service and empowering resources to American Indian families so that they can achieve a better quality of life.  These services address the multiple issues impacting the Indian community, including homelessness, poverty, addictions, domestic and sexual violence, and need for family and children’s services.  For the past two years, MIWRC has been collaborating with the Division of Indian Work of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department to address the sexual exploitation of young Native women and children. Operating on a continuum of direct service, community awareness, and policy advocacy, the partners seek to provide a safety net for vulnerable women and children, and focus on stopping the demand for sexual servitude. 

     The W. K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930.  The organization supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society.  Grants are concentrated in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, and the southern African counties of Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.  For further information please visit the Foundation’s website at www.wkkf.org.

     For immediate release please contact Suzanne Koepplinger at skoepplinger@miwrc.org or 612-728-2008.