Owamniyomni Okhodayapi
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
OWAMNIYOMNI OKHODAYAPI IS A DAKOTA-LED NONPROFIT CREATING A FUTURE WHERE DAKOTA CULTURE HAS A VITAL PRESENCE AND DAKOTA VALUES-SUCH AS MNI WICONI,OR WATER IS LIFE-ARE EMBEDDED INTO OUR COMMUNAL EXISTENCE. WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING TO TRANSFORM FIVE ACRES OF LAND AT OWAMNIYOMNI (ST. ANTHONY FALLS) INTO A PLACE OF RESTORATION, EDUCATION, HEALING AND CONNECTION.
- Income
- $6.5 million
- Spending
- $1.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 56%
- Reserves
- 105 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 90%
- Employees
- 5
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $160,000, president
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 78 out of 100. Higher than 50% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 105.0 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 5% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 73% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 45% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1557% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 60% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2515 of 15 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $983,366 spent. PROJECT: THE OWMNIYOMNI PROJECT (OP) IS THE FIRST PHASE OF SITE DESIGN COMPLETED IN 2025. WE FINALIZED A PLAN FULFILLING TERMS SET FORTH IN OO'S EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS, COORDINATED OUR DESIGN WITH ADJACENT MINNEAPOLIS PARK & RECREATION BOARD LAND, AND PARTNERED WITH THE MISSISSIPPI WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION TO TEST WATER QUALITY IN THE STAGNANT MILL RACE. PROJECT WORK IS MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL, ROOTED IN REGULAR COORDINATION MEETINGS WITH THE CITY, MPRB, MWMO, THE US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, THE OO DESIGN TEAM AND REPRESENTATIVES OF MNSOTA'S FOUR DAKOTA NATIONS. ADDITIONAL 2025 ACTIVITIES INCLUDE SURVEYING, RE-PLATTING, HIRING A CONSTRUCTION MANAGER, AND STARTING THE CONSTRUCTION BIDDING PROCESS. PROGRAMMING: OO'S LIFEWAYS PROGRAMMING ELEVATES DAKOTA VALUES AND COMBATS CULTURAL ERASURE THROUGH EDUCATION AND STORYTELLING. LIFEWAYS INCLUDES DUGOUT CANOE CARVING (~200 PARTICIPANTS), INTERPRETIVE SITE TOURS (~1200 PARTICIPANTS), INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS WITH 35,000+ VIEWS, DAKOTA CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS, AND RECORDING AND INSTALLING 9 BILINGUAL DAKOTA-ENGLISH AUDIO TOUR SIGNS ALONG THE STONE ARCH BRIDGE. OO ADVANCES STORYTELLING WORK THROUGH OUR NEWSLETTER AND INTERACTIVE WEBSITE; A MULTI-MEDIA KIOSK IN OO'S ENGAGEMENT SPACE; 25 SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS; AND OO'S PRESENCE AT 3 PUBLIC FESTIVALS. ALL PROGRAMMING IS GOVERNED BY AWAYAKAPI (ALL-ENCOMPASSING CARE), WHICH TIES SITE MAINTENANCE TO CULTURAL MAINTENANCE.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since May 2016.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.