Red Nation Celebration Institute created and founded the American Indian Heritage Month in the City/County of Los Angeles (AIHM) in 2005 and officially recognized in 2006 by the State of California and the City of Los Angeles and in the State of New Mexico 2008.

Red Nation Celebration Institute (RNCI) is the first American Indian & Indigenous nonprofit enterprise organization to be funded by The City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department in 2000.

Red Nation Celebration Institute® (RNCI) The Creative Enterprise by Natives Delivering to All People the Stories that Shape our World. Red Nation Celebration Institute, the longest-running and most successful Native women-led Indigenous impact media arts and cultural nonprofit organization, stands as a cornerstone of Native leadership in the entertainment industry. It is the first Indigenous nonprofit to receive funding from the City of Los Angeles, serving over 575 Native Nations in the U.S. and a total of 1,200 globally. Headquartered in Los Angeles, with an additional office in Santa Fe, New Mexico, RNCI continues to drive meaningful representation and visibility for Native and Indigenous voices in media and the arts.

Founded and created by Joanelle Romero in 1995 and led by Native and Indigenous peoples. RNCI’s mission to break barriers of racism by creating systemic change through film television in all media in order to eliminate American Indian stereotypes. Our vision for the future of cinema and the arts is one in which Native Indigenous perspectives are authentically pictured, recognized, and valued in a way that promotes strong authentic Native identities, economic outcomes, equity, and wellness for our Indigenous communities.