To our dedicated supporters, 

We are thrilled to share some incredible news with you today: the Krawczyk Family Foundation has made a remarkable and transformative $2 million donation to RAVEN. We are deeply thankful to the Krawczyk Family Foundation for believing in our cause and providing unwavering support of our mission. It is a validation of years of dedicated work by Indigenous leaders, grassroots community organizers, and the many generous donors who have shared the vision of environmental justice for Indigenous communities.  

A Game-Changing Gift

This game-changing donation will have an enduring impact on RAVEN, enabling us to support new and existing Indigenous partners, and create lasting change on Turtle Island and beyond. 

Over the past 14 years, RAVEN has been regularly approached by Nations bringing worthy and important cases. We’ve often needed to say, “no”. Now, we’ll have the capacity to:

• invite more Nations into our circle of support,
• uphold and extend the rights of Indigenous Nations, and
• leave a legacy of stronger environmental protection for generations to come. 

This gift marks a new era: not only for RAVEN, but for the movement to realize rights and advance reconciliation. We celebrate it with immense gratitude and humility.

A Vision Beyond Dollars

RAVEN does not take on legal challenges lightly.

When we partner with Nations, we go through a rigorous process with some of the best Indigenous and legal minds in the country. When they determine that a case is necessary and strategic — we go all in. Witness the decades-long struggle to bring Beaver Lake Cree Nation’s historic tar sands challenge to trial. Through years of intense government delay-and-outspend tactics, our supporters dug deep, and kept giving, to raise over a million dollars to ensure the Nation has its day in court. Along the way, we scored a vital Supreme Court victory that sets a precedent for funding Indigenous plaintiffs. 

Such commitments pay off, but they require enormous resources, both financial and organizational. 

Sometimes, our wins are provisional: while the recent Gitxaala decision marks a fundamental transformation of the outdated and unjust mineral claims system in B.C., it does not go far enough. Knowing that we have backbone support from Krawczyk Family Foundation, we can now muster the stamina to see Gitxaala through an appeal of that decision, so that they can extend the meaning of ‘free, prior and informed consent’ and thereby protect most sacred Lax k’naga dzol (Banks Island). 

Indigenous justice is an ongoing journey. The needs we address benefit all on Turtle Island, and there is still so much work to be done. While this generous gift represents a significant leap forward for RAVEN, it’s essential to remember that every dollar we receive means we can do more. We continue to rely on the support of our incredible donors so we can set audacious goals, sustain and extend commitments to back vital  legal challenges, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of current and future generations.

Once again, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Krawczyk Family Foundation for their extraordinary commitment, and to all of you who have supported us along the way. Together, we can create lasting change and bring hope to all residents of Turtle Island.

As the new Executive Director and proud member of the Tlaoquiaht Nation, I extend my deepest appreciation to everyone who continues to make RAVEN such a force for justice: thank you for being a part of our mission.

Sincerely,

Danielle Wilson
Executive Director
RAVEN