Contents
Entity Profile
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Nonprofit 501(c)(3) |
| Domain(s) | aises.org (20 subdomains) |
| Jurisdiction | National; HQ at 6321 Riverside Plaza Ln NW, Ste A, Albuquerque, NM 87120 |
| Founded | 1977 (Oklahoma; original name "National Society of American Indian Engineers") |
| EIN | 73-1023474 |
| UEI | XUE5YPEN3UZ9 |
| Hosting | WordPress.com (Automattic managed) + 5 additional providers |
| Microsoft 365 (Outlook) | |
| Marketing | Salesforce Pardot |
| Event Management | Aventri (AWS-hosted) |
| Donation Platform | Classy.org (Google Cloud) |
Budget Signals
Revenue Trajectory
$2.9M (2015) to $19.0M (2024) — 6.6x growth in 9 years. This is a rapidly scaling organization.
Revenue Composition (2024)
| Source | Amount | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions/grants | $17,735,327 | 93.5% |
| Program services | $1,054,443 | 5.6% |
| Investment income | $224,219 | 1.2% |
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total assets (2024) | $11,321,159 |
| Annual grant distribution | ~$2.0M to ~200 students/year |
| Cumulative scholarships | $8.7M to 4,924 students (lifetime) |
| Executive compensation | $327,572 (CEO) + $562,891 (total exec comp) |
Federal Funding Sources
| Agency | Amount | Programs |
|---|---|---|
| NSF | $4.4M+ confirmed | Lighting the Pathway (faculty pipeline), CS for Native Girls (with Kapor Center), CS Education |
| HHS/IHS | ~$3.0M cumulative | Health workforce, STEM recruitment, coalition building |
| DOE | Amount not extracted | Intertribal Science & Math Bowl |
| NASA | Part of $857K pool | MUREP/MAIANSE partnerships |
| IHS (sole-source) | ~$745,000 | AI/AN STEM workforce (2024–2029) |
Corporate Sponsors
Google, Intel, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation, ARDC, Comcast NBCUniversal (Project UP)
Where Oahe Could Help
The 93.5% dependency on contributions/grants is a structural vulnerability. An organization growing this fast with documented internal control weaknesses needs data infrastructure — tracking grant performance, compliance reporting, outcomes measurement. Their program data (scholarship recipients, career outcomes, chapter activity) is likely scattered across multiple platforms.
Technology Gaps
Hosting Fragmentation
6 distinct providers (Automattic, DreamHost, HostGator, AWS, Azure, Classy.org) across 20 subdomains. This means no unified security posture, no centralized analytics, higher management overhead, and year-specific conference subdomains accumulating without retirement.
Legacy DNS
Network Solutions nameservers suggest the domain registration hasn't been modernized since the early 2000s. No Cloudflare, no modern DDoS protection, no edge caching.
Minimal Security Headers
HSTS present but no CSP, X-Frame-Options, or X-Content-Type-Options. For an organization handling scholarship applications, resumes, and donations, this is a gap.
Email Sender Sprawl
SPF record includes 7 different services (Outlook, Pardot, Informz, Neon, Aventri, WPCloud, Google). Approaching the 10-lookup DNS limit. Deliverability and phishing risk.
Where Oahe Could Help
Infrastructure consolidation roadmap, security hardening, DNS modernization. This is IT consulting territory, not their core mission — but the fragmentation means they're paying for complexity they don't need.
Decision Makers
| Name | Role | Background | Relevance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah EchoHawk (Pawnee) | CEO/President since 2013 | Former EVP at First Nations Development Institute; MNM Regis University; $327K comp | Primary decision maker. Possible transition signal: launched Black Streak Consulting LLC Jan 2025, but still listed as AISES President mid-2025. |
| Michael Laverdure (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) | Board Chair Emeritus; Board 2024–2027 | Registered Architect, Partner at DSGW, President of First American Design Studio; Sequoyah Fellow | Returning board leader. Previous board president 2016–2022. |
| Lillian Sparks Robinson (Rosebud Sioux) | Board Member 2025–2028 | Former Obama appointee (Commissioner, Administration for Native Americans); CEO/Founder Wopila Consulting | Federal government experience; policy and advocacy lens. |
| Fawn Sanchez (Shoshone-Bannock) | Board Member 2025–2028 | Former Amazon Indigenous Peoples ERG lead (6 years); Project Manager at Tribal Tech LLC; Indigi-Genius Board | Most aligned with Oahe's domain. Tech industry + tribal tech + AI/ML for Native youth. |
| Taylor KnifeChief | Exhibitor Relations | Handles 300+ exhibitors at national conference | Operational contact for conference engagement. |
Pain Points
| # | Pain Point | Evidence | Oahe Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internal control weakness | Material weakness flagged in FY2024 & FY2025 audits | Data infrastructure for grant tracking, compliance reporting, outcomes measurement |
| 2 | Infrastructure fragmentation | 20 subdomains, 6 hosting providers, 69 employees | Consolidation roadmap, security hardening |
| 3 | Grant dependency | 93.5% of $19M revenue from contributions/grants | Impact measurement data to justify continued funding |
| 4 | DEI political exposure | Adjacent programs shut down (NAU CARE); core mission frameable as "DEI" | Data to reframe narrative from "diversity" to "workforce pipeline outcomes" |
| 5 | BBB accountability gaps | Fails 4/20 Wise Giving Alliance standards | Governance data and reporting to close gaps |
| 6 | Conference data operations | 3,500+ attendees, 300+ exhibitors, $50K sponsorship tiers | Event data pipeline (likely running on spreadsheets and Aventri exports) |
Competitive Landscape
Federal Positioning
AISES holds a sole-source IHS cooperative agreement — no competition for that specific award. NSF grants are competitive but AISES has a strong multi-year track record.
Peer Organizations
| Organization | Overlap | Differentiation |
|---|---|---|
| SACNAS | Indigenous STEM pipeline | Primarily Chicano/Hispanic constituency |
| NIEA | Indigenous education | Broader education focus, less STEM-specific |
| AIHEC | Indigenous higher education | Tribal colleges focus |
| First Nations Development Institute | Indigenous capacity building | Economic development (Sarah EchoHawk's former employer) |
Technology Vendors Currently In Use
| Vendor | Function |
|---|---|
| Automattic (WordPress.com) | Main website hosting |
| Aventri | Event management |
| Classy.org | Donation platform |
| Salesforce (Pardot) | Marketing automation |
| Microsoft 365 | Email/productivity |
| Informz | Email marketing (possibly legacy) |
Timing Opportunities
| # | Window | Timing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Post-audit window | NOW | Consecutive years of material weakness findings. Leadership seeking solutions for financial controls and compliance. |
| 2 | Regional event | July 9–11, 2026 | Ft. Lewis College, Durango, CO. Smaller, more accessible entry point. |
| 3 | National conference | October 15–17, 2026 | Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR. 3,500+ attendees, 300+ exhibitors. Sponsorship from $5K–$50K. |
| 4 | Board refresh | 2025 | Three new board members including Fawn Sanchez (tribal tech, AI/ML). Fresh strategic priorities. |
| 5 | Possible CEO transition | Uncertain | Sarah EchoHawk consulting LLC signal. New CEO = new vendor relationships. |
| 6 | DEI funding pressure | Ongoing | Federal funding under political pressure. AISES needs hard outcome data to justify investment. |
| 7 | Firekeepers Fund endowment | Active | Endowment campaigns require donor engagement data and sophisticated impact reporting. |
Recommended Approach
AISES is a $19M national nonprofit with strong federal relationships, a 48-year track record, and a clear need for data infrastructure. Their audit flagged internal control weaknesses, their technology stack is fragmented across 6 providers, and 93.5% of their revenue depends on demonstrating impact to grantors.
The pitch is data infrastructure for impact measurement and grant compliance — helping AISES tell the story of its $8.7M in scholarships and 4,924 students with the data rigor that federal grantors demand, especially in a political environment hostile to "DEI" framing.
Entry point: National conference (Portland, October 2026) or direct approach to Fawn Sanchez (board member with tribal tech and AI/ML background).
Lead with the audit report to establish credibility, then offer the data infrastructure conversation.