The Nest Guaranteed Income Program provides 150 Indigenous mothers with $1250 no-strings-attached monthly payments until their child’s third birthday. This is at least $45,000 for each participating family.
About Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services
Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services (Hummingbird) was founded in 2021 by Camie Jae Goldhammer, Sisíthuŋwaŋ-Waȟpéthuŋwaŋ Oyáte to better serve urban Indigenous mamas and their families. Hummingbird now runs more than five unique programs, including The Nest Guaranteed Income Pilot which was born when Hummingbird providers began to ask, "How can we create a space where Indigenous mamas know that they are enough?"
How can we create a space where Indigenous mamas know that they are enough?
Building The Nest
We knew that we had to create something that would allow birthing people the space to breathe”, says Goldhammer, who co-developed the Nest with then Program Director, Patanjali de la Rocha, Kalanga/Tagalog. “When people get both guaranteed income and culturally specific services, it reduces stress and increases ability to love and attach to their child, which is what heals historical trauma.”
Indigenous birthing peoples are disproportionately impacted by poverty and maternal-child health disparities, with some of the highest rates of housing insecurity and maternal and infant mortality in King County and the surrounding areas. And that isn’t the story Hummingbird wants to focus on. Instead, the narrative advanced by Hummingbird is centered on the belief that Indigenous birthing parents are enough and they deserve to honor their reproductive destinies, support their community, and raise their children in healthy and thriving environments.
In working by, for, and with birthing parents, Hummingbird providers recognized a unique opportunity to reimagine the social contract within Indigenous communities. Hummingbird envisioned a program that would provide wraparound care for birthing people, grounded in core beliefs, including that every parent is the perfect parent for their baby and that abundance and generosity are a community responsibility.
In addition to $1250 a month provided through the Nest, birthing parents are surrounded with a holistic continuum of care including access to an Abundance Auntie who provides direct family support and wraparound resources, as well as a large community with intentional and culturally specific activities. Hummingbird’s Storytelling Program Manager, Såhi Velasco, Indigenous CHamoru, helps to coordinate programs adjacent to the Nest like an artist residency where birthing parents can interact with an Indigenous artist and ground in shared ritual and practice. “We create spaces for Nest participants to rebound in what it means to be an Indigenous parent”, said Velasco. “An amazing thing that came out of a recent workshop was that one of our residents worked with the community to come up with a birthing song that everyone contributed to and was able to incorporate into their own story.”
As a community organization, Hummingbird is grounded by a Cultural Advisory Council. Members of the Council are leaders who have been a consistent voice and advocate for the community. The Council serves a number of roles within Hummingbird, including providing cultural knowledge sharing with Hummingbird staff and families, supporting program planning, and ensuring that community and culture remain an integral part of Hummingbird.
The Council was a huge part of designing the Nest program, and maintains a vital role in its administration”, says Goldhammer.
In tailoring a platform to meet the unique vision of the Council and Hummingbird team, AidKit had the privilege of supporting and uplifting the profound work Hummingbird has done to bring a community-held dream to life. The resulting partnership is a powerful example of what becomes possible when vision and values align to create systems that are built for, by, and with those they intend to serve.
Partnership Wins
1. Protecting Data Privacy
When it came to selecting a disbursement partner, the protection of applicant and participant data was a top priority.
Hummingbird had previously been in the contracting process with another technical provider, but quickly realized that the security of their families' data could not be guaranteed. "The other provider wanted to use data on our families, to see where people were spending their money, and serve them ads," Goldhammer explained. "I get that this is how some apps work, but that is not how we work."
Initially, the team considered handling the disbursements internally, similar to a payroll process, but their partners at Perigee Fund recommended they contract with an experienced 3rd party. Goldhammer said. "We found AidKit, and it's been an extremely positive relationship." AidKit was appealing because the platform never sells or otherwise profits from participant data and has strict internal controls and systems related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of data.”
With AidKit, Hummingbird found a partner that shared their integrity and commitment to participant privacy, never seeking to profit from program participant data.
2. Culturally Responsive Eligibility Verification
One of the most innovative aspects of The Nest's technical design was the creation of an in-platform lineage tracker. This customized solution showcases AidKit's ability to adapt to meet the unique needs and cultural contexts of the communities it serves.
As The Nest Program Manager Lacey Warrior, Dena'ina/Alutiq/A'aniiih, explained, "Collecting information on Indigenous identity and how folks do identify as Indigenous is complicated. The Nest in no way at all wants to be in a position where we are determining someone's Indigenous identity, but we do need to make sure we are good stewards of funds and that the resources go to the communities they are intended for."
Recognizing that not every applicant would have a tribal ID or enrollment number, AidKit worked with Hummingbird to develop a multifaceted approach that anticipated challenges in accessing documentation. The lineage tracker provided applicants with a straightforward way to demonstrate Indigenous lineage with a family tree builder and space for applicants to provide additional information they feel is important to convey their Indigenous identity.
This innovative solution allows The Nest to gather the information needed to ensure resources are reaching the intended communities, while still honoring the complexity and diversity of Indigenous peoples. The AidKit platform generates an anonymized application for review by the Cultural Advisory Council, who makes the final determination on eligibility.
By leveraging AidKit's flexible technology and collaborative approach, Hummingbird was able to create a culturally responsive application process that respects the sovereignty of Indigenous communities and the self-determination of individual applicants.
3. Ease of Use for Administrators and Applicants
AidKit's platform has proven to be a powerful asset for The Nest's administrators, streamlining their processes and improving efficiency. By partnering with AidKit to implement a two-part application and enrollment process, Hummingbird has significantly reduced the administrative burden on their staff and community partners while creating a low-barrier experience for applicants.
The platform was so user friendly. It made my job really streamlined during the enrollment process, shared Abundance Auntie Tia Yazzie, Diné/Navajo.
Program Manager Lacey Warrior added, "Working with AidKit during the build and collecting the right information at the right time to ensure resources are going to the people who need them was smooth. AidKit was such a low barrier, allowing people to easily provide us the information we needed to get them into the program."
With AidKit's intuitive platform handling the logistics, Hummingbird's team can focus their energy where it matters most: building trust and relationships with the families they serve.
Program Impact
“We are seeing an impact right away”, says Warrior. “Some families thought it was fake, asking, ‘how is this possible, how is this real that I have time and space and the financial security to take time and take care of my baby?’ like somehow this is a groundbreaking revelation, though it absolutely shouldn’t be.”
Goldhammer added, “The baseline that we were coming from in designing this program is that life givers are enough, just as they are, in their true selves. The narrative surrounding Native families often focuses on challenges and deficits, which is opposite of our goal of supporting everyone to understand that they are enough and believe in themselves as parents and community members. This program is actively working to shift the narrative. ”
By centering the voices, experiences, and cultural wisdom of Indigenous birthing people, Hummingbird has created a program that not only provides critical financial support but also affirms the inherent joy and resilience of Indigenous families. Through their collaboration with AidKit, Hummingbird has demonstrated that technology, when developed with integrity, can be a powerful tool for advancing the necessary rebuilding of our country’s social contract. As The Nest continues to grow and evolve, it offers a vital reminder of what is possible when we build systems that honor the inherent dignity and wisdom of the communities they serve. In the words of Lacey Warrior, "If we were this intentional with every aspect of our society that cares for people, things would look very different."
If we were this intentional with every aspect of our society that cares for people, things would look very different.
To learn more about Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services and the Nest:
Primary Contact: Lacey Warrior
Email: lacey@hummingbird-ifs.org
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