The Flower Hill Institute is a nonprofit organization that claims to be focused on preserving Native American tribal culture, developing tribal economies through agricultural techniques, and addressing climate issues. ¹ Roger Fragua, the executive director of the Flower Hill Institute, shares ties with other Native American-focused organizations, including one that has received substantial federal funding, the Tribal Energy Consortium. ²

Background

The Flower Hill Institute was co-founded by Roger Fragua, the executive director of the organization. Fragua is involved with other Native American focused organizations, including Cota Holdings LLC and the Tribal Energy Consortium. He is the president and principal officer of these organizations, respectively. ^{2 3}

Cota Holdings, the Tribal Energy Consortium, and the Flower Hill Institute share an address for communications. ^{4 5 6}

Flower Hill Institute contracted Cota Holdings in 2022 and 2023, according to IRS tax documents. There is personnel overlap among the groups, including the Flower Hill Institute co-founder and executive director Roger Fragua, board chair Leslie Elgood, and then-board member and current staff member Atherton Phleger. In a 2022 audit of the Flower Hill Institute’s tax returns, a third-party auditor found that the group had “material weakness in internal controls,” partly in regard to the group’s methods for vetting independent contractors, according to the Washington Examiner. ^{7 8 9 10 2}

In 2023, Roger Fragua received over $400,000 in compensation from the Flower Hill Institute, and Leslie Elgood received $200,000. Both individuals reported working an average of 10 hours a week for the group and have volunteer status in these roles, according to explanations by the group provided on its IRS tax return. Therefore, all compensation came from “contracted services rendered under specific service agreements and is not related to their duties as board members or executive director.” ^{11 12}

Activities

The Flower Hill Institute partners with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Program. The institute is one of the Technical Assistance providers of the program, as well as the program’s Technical Assistance Coordinator. ¹³

One of the main focuses for the Flower Hill Institute is agriculture. Specifically, the Flower Hill Institute provides education and materials, including seeds, for traditional Native American agricultural practices. ¹⁴

The Flower Hill Institute claims its “underlying mandate” is tribal cultural preservation. For this purpose, the institute hosts gatherings and other events. ¹⁵ Part of the Flower Hill Institute’s mission is to combine traditional tribal customs with more modern scientific techniques; in part, the group claims this understanding is adopted to adapt to concerns over climate issues. ¹⁶

Funding

In 2023, the Flower Hill Institute’s total revenue was $3,758,865, its total expenses were $3,633,568, and its total assets were $948,521. ¹⁷

The Flower Hill Institute has received over $1o million in federal funding obligations from the United States Department of Agriculture; the majority of this funding was paid out between fiscal years 2022 and 2023. ¹⁸

In both 2022 and 2023, NDN Collective gave $100,000 to the Flower Hill Institute. ¹⁹

People

Roger Fragua is a co-founder and the executive director of the Flower Hill Institute. Fragua is also the president of Cota Holdings LLC and chairman of the board of Climate Advocates Voces Unidas. He is the principal officer of the Tribal Energy Consortium, a nonprofit that shares its domain name with the seemingly defunct NDN Energy, of which Fragua had been president. Previously, Fragua had been a manager at the Houston-based Enron Corporation and deputy director of the Colorado-based Council of Energy Resource Tribes. ^{8 9 20 21 2}

As of 2025, Leslie Elgood was the board chair of the Flower Hill Institute. She is a senior strategist at Cota Holdings and is the owner and CEO of Senior Relocation Services of New Mexico, LLC. Previously, she was president and CEO of New Mexico Community Capital, and president of the University of New Mexico Foundation. ^{8 10 22}

Atherton Phleger is the general counsel and director of special projects at the Flower Hill Institute. Previously, he had been the vice chair of the board of the Flower Hill Institute for seven years. He is a senior advisor at Cota Holdings and had previously been a program director at Climate Advocates Voces Unidas. ⁸ “Who We Are.” Flower Hill Institute. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://flowerhill.institute/who-we-are.[/note]

1. Flower Hill Institute. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://flowerhill.institute/
2. Kaminsky, Gabe. “Biden Awarded $50m to Self-Dealing Activist – Washington Examiner.” Washington Examiner – Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, February 14, 2025. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/investigations/3311236/in-final-days-biden-awarded-50-million-to-self-dealing-charity-leader/
3. “Team.” Cota Holdings LLC. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://cota.holdings/partners.
4. “Contact.” Flower Hill Institute. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://flowerhill.institute/contact.
5. “Contact.” Cota Holdings LLC. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://cota.holdings/contact.
6. “Tribal Energy Consortium,” Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990 N) (e-postcard) 2023.
7.  “Flower Hill Institute,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2022, 2023. Schedule L.
8. “Team.” Cota Holdings LLC. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://cota.holdings/partners.
9. “Who We Are.” Flower Hill Institute. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://flowerhill.institute/who-we-are.
10. “Board of Directors.” Flower Hill Institute. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://flowerhill.institute/board-of-directors.
11. “Flower Hill Institute,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2023. Schedule J.
12. “Flower Hill Institute,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2023. Schedule O.
13.  “USDA MPPTA.” Flower Hill Institute. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://flowerhill.institute/usda-mppta.
14. “Agriculture.” Flower Hill Institute. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://flowerhill.institute/agriculture.
15. “Cultural Preservation.” Flower Hill Institute. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://flowerhill.institute/culturalpreservation.
16. “Climate Action.” Flower Hill Institute. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://flowerhill.institute/climateaction.
17. “Flower Hill Institute,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2023. Page 1 Part 1.
18. “FLOWER HILL INSTITUTE.” USAspending.gov. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/25afe4e9-4213-c9da-11a4-f943cd0d2744-R/all.
19.  “NDN Collective,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2022 and 2023. Schedule I.
20. Roger Fragua – executive director – Flower Hill Institute. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/roger-fragua-4b806228.
21. “Roger Fragua.” CAVU, September 18, 2023. https://cavu.org/people/roger/.
22. Leslie Elgood – Senior strategist – cota holdings, LLC | LinkedIn. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-elgood-45a3917/.