February 22, 2023 This Fund Has Backed Native American Students for 50 Years. Despite Strides, It Faces Huge, Unmet Need February 22, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Native Forward, the largest organization supporting Native American scholars in the U.S., is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Even after a gift from MacKenzie Scott doubled its budget, it is able to fund just 14% of applicants.Read More
January 23, 2023 Regenerative Agriculture Is Having a Moment. Here's How the Rockefeller Foundation's Pitching In January 23, 2023/ Martha Ramirez With a new slate of grants, Rockefeller wants to scale up holistic agriculture practices to improve food production systems, mitigate climate change and help the planet heal — all while empowering Indigenous people.Read More
December 23, 2022 Six Questions for Michael Roberts, President and CEO of First Nations Development Institute December 23, 2022/ Mike Scutari Michael Roberts heads First Nations Development Institute, which seeks to improve economic conditions for Native Americans. We chatted with him about the best advice he’s ever received, the perils of “racial equity fatigue,” and more.Read More
November 08, 2022 Foundations and Governments Pledged $1.7 Billion to Indigenous Land Protection. How Are They Doing? November 08, 2022/ Michael Kavate A pledge to help Indigenous people protect the world’s tropical forests is moving millions, but so far, most of the money isn’t going to Indigenous-led groups. Participants call it “quite alarming” and hope to see that change.Read More
October 27, 2022 How the American Indian College Fund is Strengthening Early Ed in Native Communities October 27, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen The Bezos Family Foundation is the latest funder to throw its support behind an effort to strengthen early education in Native American communities. The place-based approach emphasizes local strengths and traditions. Read More
May 24, 2022 “All But Ignored by Philanthropy.” A New Fund Addresses Missing and Murdered Indigenous People May 24, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen The Humboldt Area Foundation is tackling an issue that has been largely overlooked by philanthropy — the disappearance and murder of Indigenous people — and has advice for funders who want to do more.Read More
May 18, 2022 How MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett Center Native Communities in Their Equity Funding May 18, 2022/ Liz Longley One thread that has run throughout MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett’s giving, from the first round up until the most recent, is support for Native American communities. Here’s a roundup of who they’ve backed and why. Read More
April 26, 2022 A Growing Number of Bay Area Foundations Are Paying “Land Taxes” to Native Peoples April 26, 2022/ Michael Kavate A small but rising number of foundations in California make annual contributions to the Native people whose traditional territory they work on. It’s a powerful form of reparative giving that’s popping up all over the country.Read More
April 18, 2022 How the Billionaire Sobrato Family Got Started in Climate Philanthropy April 18, 2022/ Michael Kavate The Silicon Valley real estate clan recently issued a slate of grants to address the climate crisis, joining a growing list of billionaire donors and family philanthropists. We take a look at how they got started and chose their focus.Read More
March 29, 2022 MacKenzie Scott’s Green Giving Expands, Sending Millions to the Front Lines of Climate Change March 29, 2022/ Michael Kavate MacKenzie Scott’s latest round of grants gave unprecedented, unrestricted resources to regranters working with marginalized communities confronting climate change globally. “It’s seismic,” said one grantee.Read More
March 25, 2022 Power Play: Here's a List of Top NHL Stars Who Give March 25, 2022/ Ade Adeniji Completing our round-up of philanthropy across all major American sports leagues, this time we look at the philanthropy of top NHL players. On our list are seven names to watch.Read More
March 15, 2022 Six Questions for Carla Fredericks, CEO of the Christensen Fund March 15, 2022/ Michael Kavate The first-ever Native American leader of the Christensen Fund, Carla Fredericks is one of very few Indigenous leaders at a major private foundation. Read about her “really disruptive” vision for the fund and tips for philanthropy.Read More
February 24, 2022 To Progress On Food and Hunger, Funders Need to Redefine “Evidence” and Decolonize Research February 24, 2022/ Lauren Baker, Guest Contributor Guest contributor Lauren Baker argues that when it comes to complex challenges like transforming food systems, rethinking predominant assumptions about evidence should be a priority for funders.Read More
January 14, 2022 This New Global Conservation Fund Aims to Move Dollars Directly to Indigenous Groups January 14, 2022/ Michael Kavate Indigenous peoples have long received less than 1% of climate finance—with most such funding going to international NGOs. In the wake of two billion-dollar-plus pledges, a new fund is looking to change that reality.Read More
November 30, 2021 How Philanthropy Can Support Truth and Healing in Native American Communities November 30, 2021/ Edgar Villanueva and Christina Snider, Guest Contributors Edgar Villanueva of Decolonizing Wealth and Christina Snider, tribal advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom, explain philanthropy’s role in a historic reconciliation process between Native and non-Native people in California. Read More
November 04, 2021 With a New Program, a Native-Focused Funder Embraces a Trust-Based Grantmaking Model November 04, 2021/ Paul Karon The Potlatch Fund, which supports tribal communities in the Northwest, is embracing trust-based funding to reduce grantmaking barriers and let people on the ground steer funds to where they're needed most.Read More
November 02, 2021 Governments and Foundations Make $1.7 Billion Pledge for Indigenous Protection of Tropical Forests November 02, 2021/ Michael Kavate Indigenous peoples are some of the world’s best land stewards, but receive a tiny fraction of related funding. Five nations and 17 funders are pledging a historic sum, although questions remain about where the money will go.Read More
November 02, 2021 Philanthropy Must Support Indigenous-Led Climate Solutions November 02, 2021/ Suzanne Benally, Rajasvini Bhansali, Carla Fredericks and Tia Oros Peters, Guest Contributors As world leaders gather in Scotland this week for COP26, the heads of four funders that back Indigenous Peoples explain why it is so critical for the sector to increase support for Indigenous-led climate solutions.Read More
October 20, 2021 A Veteran in Native American Philanthropy and Advocacy Sees Progress. Will It Continue? October 20, 2021/ Mike Scutari “Doors are opening” in philanthropy for Native Americans, says Sherry Salway Black, but there remains a massive funding gap. The 40-year champion of Native causes discusses her career and where the field is headed.Read More
October 12, 2021 How an Indigenous-Led Biodata Project Is Asserting Sovereignty and Channeling New Support October 12, 2021/ Dawn Wolfe The Native BioData Consortium is the first nonprofit research institute led by Indigenous scientists and tribal members in the U.S. It’s channeling a new MacArthur grant in its work to decolonize the study of genetics.Read More