Vanessa Wideski
Ten years ago, Vanessa started a nonprofit to fill a gap she saw in her own community: with no roadmap, no funding background, and no guarantee it would work. Today, that organization, Low Entropy, is self-sustaining, bringing in over $1M in annual revenue, and is currently in the process of becoming a funder itself.
Along the way, she worked closely with Indigenous leaders to help launch new organizations built to meet needs the first one couldn't reach alone, including the Tri-Cities Friendship Centre and the Whonnock Cultural Reclamation Society.
What she kept seeing, over and over, was the same pattern: incredible community work, starved of the funding it deserved, not because the work wasn't good enough, but because no one had taught these organizations how to access what was already available to them.
As her own organization shifted from seeking funding to providing it, the next step became obvious: take everything learned building one nonprofit from nothing, and put it to work helping others do the same: nationally, and at scale.
Maverick Hann
Maverick Hann is the Co-Founder of Iskotew Training Inc., where he helps First Nations, Indigenous organizations, nonprofits, municipalities, and entrepreneurs secure funding and build sustainable organizations.
Specializing in grant writing, business planning, nonprofit incorporation, and governance, Maverick has helped clients access funding from federal, provincial, Indigenous, corporate, and philanthropic sources across Canada. His work focuses on developing strong funding strategies, business plans, and organizational foundations that support long-term growth and community success.
With more than 15 years of experience as a Fire Captain, Maverick also brings practical expertise in emergency management, FireSmart, workforce development, and community safety. By combining frontline leadership with business and funding expertise, he helps Indigenous communities build capacity, create opportunities, and turn ideas into lasting impact.