Saint Paul, MN

LOWER PHALEN CREEK PROJECT (d/b/a Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi)

EIN 27-5469929

Environment & Animal Welfare Environmental Education & Advocacy Indigenous communities

Mission

Engaging people to honor and care for natural places and the sacred sites and cultural value within them.

IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity Contributions are tax-deductible

About LOWER PHALEN CREEK PROJECT (d/b/a Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi)

Lower Phalen Creek Project is a Saint Paul–based 501(c)(3) that operates publicly as Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, a Native-led cultural and environmental stewardship organization. It centers work at Wakan Tipi (the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary) and advances Indigenous cultural preservation, land stewardship, habitat restoration, environmental education, and community healing. Over the last 2–3 years the organization has moved from planning into major capital and restoration phases: it launched construction of the Wakan Tipi Center in 2024, advanced phased designs to daylight sections of Phalen Creek, and significantly expanded public programming and community engagement. The organization partners with the City of Saint Paul, regional watershed and conservation bodies, and private foundations while stewarding the site as a Dakota sacred place.

Notable achievements

Wakan Tipi Center construction begun

Broke ground on the Wakan Tipi cultural and environmental interpretive center in 2024 (projected to open in 2026), a purpose-built facility including exhibit space, classrooms, a teaching kitchen, and community gathering areas to interpret Dakota culture and the local landscape.

Advanced Phalen Creek daylighting

Secured public and private funding and completed major planning and design milestones for the multi‑phase Daylighting Phalen Creek project, including city approvals to design and construct initial reaches and movement toward construction of Phase 1.

Expanded community engagement and programming

Built a robust program slate that engages thousands annually (over 4,500 community participants reported), including stewardship events, habitat surveys, BioBlitz activities, traditional ecological knowledge programming, and Indigenous-led cultural events.

At a glance

Total assets: $14.4M
Annual revenue: $7.1M
Tax status: 501(c)(3)Public charity
EIN: 27-5469929
Location: Saint Paul, MN
Website: wakantipi.org
On Mahalo since: September 2026

Financial figures from the IRS Business Master File, the IRS’s registry of tax-exempt organizations.

Recognition

Registered and active Minnesota nonprofit with public filings and state charity registration; publicly listed d/b/a Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi.

Recipient of multi-year public and private support for capital and restoration work, including state appropriations and foundation grants to advance the Wakan Tipi Center and Phalen Creek daylighting.

Identified in regional planning and stewardship initiatives as the community partner leading co-management and restoration of Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary and the Phalen Creek corridor.

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