BIOGRAPHY
Janet Maylen is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma and is descended from the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. Her tribal town is Eufaula-Canadian, and her clan is Raccoon.
With over 15 years of nonprofit leadership, grantmaking, and securing funding for tribal governments, Janet has led community-based grantmaking and tribal community development through grants management, proposal writing, and funding strategies. Her grantmaking experience includes working directly with movement-based artists and amplifying their work in the community. She has led national and international grantmaking in the US, Canada, Mexico, and related Island Nations in the areas of arts, community self-determination, fellowships, and urgent response. Her experience also includes stewarding relationships with tribal governments and developing connections between community-led strategies and resources with a focus on economic development, water protection, culture, language, arts, and housing. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Mvskoke Fund CDFI.
Janet resides on the Mvskoke reservation, where she remains committed to growing, harvesting, and preserving traditional foods for her family. She enjoys singing Mvskoke hymns, storytelling, and sewing ribbon skirts and Seminole patchwork. Janet holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in Native American Studies/Anthropology and a certification in Financial Management from Cornell University.
