Grants for Indigenous Rights

Where are grants for Indigenous rights and justice going? 

Most of the private funding that does flow to Indigenous communities comes from a small group of funders. From 2002 to 2016, the top 20 foundations and public charities making grants in this area awarded 58% of the funding, Native Americans in Philanthropy and Candid found. IP’s Connie Matthiessen has reported on some of these funders who are leading the way in supporting Indigenous causes. 

In parts of the U.S. with large Indigenous populations, some community foundations prioritize funding for Indigenous groups. The Minneapolis Foundation, the Seattle Foundation and the Oregon Community Foundation are leaders in community foundation grantmaking for Native Americans. 

Tribal-affiliated grantmakers, including both private foundations and donors whose funds are housed at community foundations, are important in this philanthropic space. Some tribal nations, such as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, have their own grantmaking programs.  

Indigenous groups have started creating collaborative funds and other funding mechanisms to help move more funding directly to Indigenous-led nonprofits. There is a growing ecosystem of Indigenous-led funds and regrantors, such as NDN Collective, Potlatch Fund and Native Voices Rising.

Although only a small share of philanthropy goes to Indigenous-led organizations and only a small number of foundations make grants to Indigenous nonprofits, these numbers are growing, First Nations Development Institute found. 

Top areas of grantmaking for Indigenous communities and causes include culture and arts, education, health and human services, Native Americans in Philanthropy and Candid found. Most grants go to specific programs or projects, with much smaller shares of philanthropy going to general operating or capacity building support. 

Native Americans in Philanthropy and Candid found that about 21% of grant dollars in this area from 2002 to 2016 focused on children and youth, and about 3% on Native women and girls. Only a very small portion of grantmaking is specifically dedicated to Indigenous LGBTQ+ people and communities. 

In recent years, a growing number of climate-focused grants are going to frontline Indigenous land stewards, IP’s Michael Kavate has reported. Funders are increasingly understanding that Indigenous peoples are indispensable partners in mitigating the harms of climate change and achieving a just climate transition. Still, only a small fraction of global climate and biodiversity funding is going directly to Indigenous communities.  Some funders engaging in impact investing for Indigenous causes support Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs), which are led by Native people and located in Native communities. 

Gaps in funding for Indigenous causes 

Of the funding that supports Indigenous communities at the global levelgloabally, only a sliver is given directly to local organizations, with most flowing through large international nonprofits and intermediaries. And while Indigenous causes have long been under-resourced by philanthropy, current conditions are likely to exacerbate already wide funding gaps. 

Disruptions in U.S. federal funding will create large gaps for Indigenous organizations. ICT reported in February 2025 that freezes in federal grants and loans “could affect more than $1 billion of federal funding for tribal nations in education, healthcare, climate initiatives, law enforcement, agriculture, and more.” Seventy-four percent of revenue for tribal colleges and universities, for example, comes from federal funding. Even a pause in federal funding will have serious impacts on Native American education institutions and nonprofits. 

Private philanthropic funding for Indigenous-led nonprofits or Indigenous-focused nonprofit initiatives is also likely to be affected by attacks on DEI such as the executive order that threatens large foundations and nonprofits whose programs or principles seek to advance diversity, equity and inclusion. 

Philanthropy has a ways to go in changing historical practices and truly supporting Indigenous leadership and solutions. As a report by Charapa and the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities puts it, “It is no longer acceptable to … talk about Indigenous Peoples and local communities as beneficiaries, or vulnerable and marginalized groups. Our relationships must be framed as partnerships, based on recognition of our rights and contributions in all regions of the world and in all ecosystems.” 

There is a dynamic discourse happening around what it would mean to decolonize or indigenize philanthropy. International Funders for Indigenous Peoples suggests “5 Rs of Indigenous philanthropy”: Respect, Reciprocity, Responsibility, Relationships and Redistribution. The Native Ways Federation is working to expand informed giving to Native-led nonprofits.