First Nations Growth Institute will get $36,000 donation from Hank Inexperienced, TikTok

Michael Roberts, president of the First Nations Development Institute, found the organization was receiving $ 36,000 from a well-known TikTok inventor when his 17-year-old daughter ran down the hall with her phone in hand.

She said, ‘Did you see that? This is the coolest thing! ‘”Said Roberts.

The video she showed him was from Hank Green’s TikTok account.

Green is a writer, video artist, science communicator, and musician who has garnered more than 4 million followers on TikTok. There he publishes videos about the formation of chin dimples, why ice cubes can form spikes and whether the ocean is soup.

TikTok developers can make money using the app’s developer fund, and Green first asked followers to vote on which charity would receive its first $ 1,000 in revenue. Green’s supporters chose the Longmont-based First Nations Development Institute, which works to improve Native American communities through economic development, grants and programs that focus on health, land management, tribal and community institutions, young people, focus on financial support and wealth creation.

On April 4, Green posted a video announcing that his followers had raised nearly $ 36,000 for the First Nations Development Institute by watching his videos.

“We have several thousand individual donors who make up around 15 to 20% of our annual budget. Having a donor who gives us more than a few hundred dollars is a bit unusual, ”said Roberts.

While First Nations has given more than $ 50 million to over 2,000 organizations since its inception in 1993, Roberts said Green’s philanthropy serves as a much-needed spotlight on local causes. In the United States, a small portion of private philanthropy is directed to Native American organizations.

Seeing the connection between his family, their culture, and a celebrity is also enjoyable for Roberts – and it got him some cool points with his daughter.

“She identifies a lot with the work we do for Aboriginal people because she’s a native native herself, and it’s pretty great when one of her favorite influencers recognizes that we’re doing cool work and shares it with their fan base,” he said.

First Nations staff have not yet decided how to use the TikTok donation, Roberts said, but it will likely go to an Aboriginal youth and culture program.

“It feels like a natural fit for it,” said Roberts.

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