Who We Are | SCAIR

Southern California American Indian Resource Center, Inc. (SCAIR) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) community-based tribal organization established in 1997 under the authority of P.L. 93-638, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Act of 1976.

SCAIR was founded by William H. Johnson Sr. (Comanche) in 1997. Mr. Johnson understood the dilemmas and challenges of Native Americans living in urban areas. Upon his retirement as a lathing foreman, he established SCAIR to help all Native Americans living within San Diego County.

Our history

Throughout the years, SCAIR has provided several educational and community programs in Native American Communities and on Tribal Lands. In 1999, SCAIR operated Even Start Family Literacy Programs at the Santa Ysabel, Los Coyotes, and Mesa Grande Reservations, and the Warner Springs Unified School District. SCAIR also managed an Early Head Start Program and a Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program on the Campo Reservation.

Since then, SCAIR has grown to include long-standing programs including Tribal TANF, American Indian Education Centers (AIEC), Sacred Pipe Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE), Native NetWORKS, and Howka.

2007 — SCAIR was awarded a contract by the Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association (SCTCA) to provide San Diego Tribal TANF Program services. The same year, SCAIR was designated as an American Indian Education Center (AIEC) in San Diego by the California Department of Education.
2012 — SCAIR consolidated its two San Diego County centers, previously located in Alpine and City Heights, into SCAIR's current headquarters located in downtown El Cajon.
2013 — SCAIR was the recipient of a Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE) Program grant through the California Department of Education, as well as a grant through the New York Life Foundation and the National Alliance for Grieving Children which provided funds to establish the Support and Grief Education (SAGE) Project.
2014 — SCAIR was designated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, as a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Program recipient. Those funds established SCAIR's Native NetWORKS Program.
2017 — SCAIR was recognized as one of six outstanding grantees in the country by the Department of Labor, Division of Indian and Native American Programs. The same year, SCAIR received a subcontract from the Northern California Indian Development Council to provide Community Service Block Grant funds in San Diego and Imperial Counties. SCAIR established the Howka Program to distribute these services.
2018 — SCAIR was approved by the Department of Labor for an expansion of its Native NetWORKS Program services into a new six-county region: Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.
2019 — SCAIR opened its second location in the City of Ventura to provide Native NetWORKS Program services for all counties within SCAIR's service region north of Ventura. Howka Program services were expanded into the county in the same year.
2024 — The California Department of Education approved the expansion of SCAIR's AIEC Program into Ventura County.

Where we are now

Today, SCAIR runs five programs out of our San Diego County office and three out of our Ventura County office, providing career, educational, counseling, cultural, and supportive services for Native families across nine California counties.

Read more about our mission and our staff. Or explore the programs we offer.

Our history

2007 — SCAIR was awarded a contract by the Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association (SCTCA) to provide San Diego Tribal TANF Program services. The same year, SCAIR was designated as an American Indian Education Center (AIEC) in San Diego by the California Department of Education.

2012 — SCAIR consolidated its two San Diego County centers, previously located in Alpine and City Heights, into SCAIR's current headquarters located in downtown El Cajon.

2013 — SCAIR was the recipient of a Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE) Program grant through the California Department of Education, as well as a grant through the New York Life Foundation and the National Alliance for Grieving Children which provided funds to establish the Support and Grief Education (SAGE) Project.

2014 — SCAIR was designated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, as a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Program recipient. Those funds established SCAIR's Native NetWORKS Program.

2017 — SCAIR was recognized as one of six outstanding grantees in the country by the Department of Labor, Division of Indian and Native American Programs. The same year, SCAIR received a subcontract from the Northern California Indian Development Council to provide Community Service Block Grant funds in San Diego and Imperial Counties. SCAIR established the Howka Program to distribute these services.

2018 — SCAIR was approved by the Department of Labor for an expansion of its Native NetWORKS Program services into a new six-county region: Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.

2019 — SCAIR opened its second location in the City of Ventura to provide Native NetWORKS Program services for all counties within SCAIR's service region north of Ventura. Howka Program services were expanded into the county in the same year.

2024 — The California Department of Education approved the expansion of SCAIR's AIEC Program into Ventura County.

Where we are now