Community Organizing Training & Technical Assistance (COTTA)

Community Organizing Training & Technical Assistance (COTTA) is sponsored by Cherokee Nation Community & Cultural Outreach. Facilitates partnerships between Cherokee Nation and its communities to secure and administer funding opportunities.

Cherokee Nation releases community organizing report, announces new field positions Cherokee Nation releases community organizing report, announces new field positions Published: February 04, 2026 Little Cherokee Ambassador Ryan Altaffer attends district community meeting. TAHLEQUAH, Okla.

— Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner released today the tribe’s task force report on community organizing and will immediately implement a recommended increase in field staff. “Cherokee Nation has always been a tribe built from the grassroots up, not the top down,” said Chief Hoskin.

“Deputy Secretary of State Canaan Duncan led a very talented task force to take a deep dive into community organizing and has given us a road map to build strength. ” On January 27, 2025, Chief Hoskin signed an executive order establishing the “Principal Chief’s Task Force on Community Organizing,” led by Deputy Secretary of State Duncan.

The task force’s work includes conducting surveys among Cherokee Nation citizens as well as interviews and questionnaires among stakeholders, including organizers of Cherokee Nation Community and Cultural Outreach (CCO) participating non-profit organizations within the reservation and at-large. Key findings in the report available on the tribe’s website, Cherokee.

org, show that CCO Participating organizations need: More people and activities at the buildings they operate on a regular and continual basis for safety, security and vitality of facilities. More involvement by local community members to sustain and grow organizations. More technical and financial support and more opportunities for cultural presentations and activities.

More training opportunities to increase their skills and capacity for governing their organizations. zusterschapcollective. com “The task force placed a priority on asking questions and listening to individuals in our communities who have years, or in some cases decades, of community organizing experience,” said Deputy Secretary of State Duncan.

“I am proud that our work produced achievable action items for Chief Hoskin, Deputy Chief Warner and the Council to consider. ” Chief Hoskin announced that he would immediately implement the task force’s recommendations to add field staff to assist with community organizing across the Cherokee Nation Reservation and at-large.

Chief Hoskin signed a directive to the CCO department to open four new “Field Technical Assistant” positions, possibly increasing the number to six, to assist CCO participating organizations across the reservation on a regional basis. The job opportunities should post within a month on the tribe’s website.

Chief Hoskin also announced that Cherokee Nation citizen Channce Condit of Ceres, California, would provide evaluation and consultation to CCO to assess the needs of CCO at-large organizations across the United States. “I appreciate the confidence Chief Hoskin has in me to provide an extra measure of support to the more than two dozen at-large organizations across the United States,” said Condit.

“At large organizations are in a period of growth and we need to support that growth. ” In addition to the new CCO field staff, Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner are proposing budget increases or reallocations for existing and new CCO grassroots support programs, including: Increasing the “COTTA” capacity building grants by $1,000, raising the maximum grant from $7,500 to $8,500.

Beginning next fiscal year, increasing the new organization “pre-participation” grant by $1,000, raising the maximum grant from $3,000 to $4,000. Creating a new “Community Organization Building Operating (COBO)” grant program to assist CCO participating organizations that operate Cherokee Nation owned community buildings.

The proposed new grant includes $2,500 in direct cash assistance to further support community building operations and programming and up to an additional $2,500 dollar-for-dollar match on an organization’s fundraising or revenue generating efforts. Under the Hoskin/Warner Administration, Cherokee Nation has increased funding for community building construction as well as grants to CCO participating organizations.

The tribe currently has 89 CCO participating organizations. Since 2019 the tribe has completed or begun the construction of ten new community buildings, made major expansions to 20 community buildings and has made some type of improvement to all 34 community buildings.

Other new CCO grants under the Hoskin / Warner administration include $25,000 “CCO Wellness Grants” made available to organizations both within the reservation and at-large, an increase in at-large organization annual funding and increased support for community building utility costs Deputy Chief Bryan Warner praised the work of the task force.

“The strength of the Cherokee Nation is in our communities, and our Cherokee communities are at their best when they are organized around common causes, such as preserving language and culture, helping those in need and giving community members safe and healthy places to gather in good times and in hard times,” said Deputy Chief Warner.

“The task force report gives Cherokee leaders, and everyday citizens, ideas and insight as to how we can grow stronger in the years ahead. For more information on the community organizing task force visit https://www. cherokee.

org/our-government/executive-branch/task-forces/community-organizing-task-force/