Attendees of the 2025 ȞeSápa Action Camp gather together for morning circle. Photo by Angel White Eyes for NDN Collective. Graphic Art by Jordan Brien.

This Summer Solstice brought a lot of exciting news to our ecosystem as well as important change. 

In our June newsletter, we share some extraordinary wins and inspiration from our relatives bringing back buffalo harvesting in MniLuzahan all the way to award honorees from the Copper River Delta of Alaska. We’re also excited to premiere the short film GIIWE: Bringing Leonard Peltier Home, documenting the journey of freeing our elder from nearly 50 years of unjust incarceration. As the attacks of authoritarianism continue to unfold, we sat down with NDN Collective Founder & CEO, Nick Tilsen for a personal Q&A about the importance of resistance in this moment and why he continues to fight in the midst of political repression. Also included is your opportunity to support our work by supporting Nick Tilsen through a trial attacking him for standing up for Indigenous people or by donating to our For The People Campaign.

Signs reading “Free the People, Heal the Land” made for community members supporting Nick Tilsen during his evidentiary hearing in Rapid City, SD.. Photo by Willi White for NDN Collective.

Sacred Storm Buffalo is proud to announce the grand opening of its new location in Mniluzahan (aka Rapid City) on Haines Avenue. Sacred Storm Buffalo was established in partnership with  Wambli Ska Okolakiciye, Tanka Fund, and Makoce Agriculture Development, with support from NDN Collective. The harvesting of buffalo creates jobs for producers and distributors, provides sustenance and fosters food sovereignty for the people, and weaves a vital thread of resilience and empowerment into the fabric of the community…continue reading.

Nick Tilsen, the founder and CEO of NDN Collective has spent most of his life within Indigenous movements and activism building relationships and community across Turtle Island. He developed NDN Collective to holistically build the power of Indigenous Peoples through capacity building, funding, philanthropy, and storytelling, with the strong conviction  that our best days as Indigenous people are still ahead of us. 

We sat down with Nick for a personal interview to talk about his experience in movement work, his plans for the future, and his perspective on how to navigate the hard road ahead…continue reading.

On the first day of a two-day evidentiary hearing involving NDN Collective founder and CEO Nick Tilsen, the community gathered outside the Pennington County Courthouse to show their support for the Indigenous organizer. 

“Nick’s leadership has been vital to building a better Rapid City,” said Bryan Brewer, former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. “The politically motivated charges filed against Nick are an attempt to reverse progress made by and for the Native community. Today was an important opportunity to show Nick did no wrong – and I was honored to show up to support him.”…continue reading.

This NDN Original short film underscores the importance of generations of organizing, activism, philanthropy, power building, and narrative change in the effort to bring Leonard Peltier home—not only on his terms but also for all Indigenous people who are fighting similar battles against the system, and to inspire and encourage our relatives and all people across Turtle Island and beyond to exercise our inherent right to self-determination.

NDN Collective and NDN Fund are honored to congratulate Dune Lankard, the President and Founder of Native Conservancy, for receiving the 2025 James Beard Impact Award! The award recognizes individuals and organizations that actively work to create a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable food industry.

LANDBACK logo pictured in the NDN Podcast studio. Photo by Angel White Eyes for NDN Collective.

Nick Tilsen sits down with the guys of Sacred Storm Buffalo to talk about their work, the importance of investing into community-led enterprises, and how the restoration of buffalo back into community is LANDBACK.

Sacred Storm Buffalo, a community-rooted and culturally grounded workforce development enterprise of the nonprofit Wambli Ska Okolakiciye, is dedicated to restoring strength, purpose, and connection for Native people and families through the art and discipline of Indigenous meat processing.

The Lakota Lockup Project, with NDN Collective, led a prayer walk to the South Dakota State Penitentiary on Sunday to highlight what they claim are injustices inside its walls…continue reading.

Sacred Storm Buffalo opened its doors to the public with a grand opening Saturday. The group processes and sells affordable buffalo meat in North Rapid, with stated goals of giving young Lakota men job opportunities in meat processing and combatting food insecurity…continue reading.

Nick Tilsen, Founder & CEO of NDN Collective, addresses community supporters during his evidentiary hearing in Rapid City, SD. Photo by Willi White for NDN Collective.

We need your help to secure Nick Tilsen’s freedom and ensure the upcoming evidentiary hearing doesn’t go to trial. Nick is facing charges brought forward by Pennington County Police after conducting a routine cop watch in 2022. The first two days of his evidentiary hearing were held on June 12-13 with a continuation granted for August 1.

1. Sign this Petition (& encourage others to sign)
2. Donate to the NDN Legal Fund
3. Call or email the Pennington County States Attorney’s office asking them to drop the charges: Phone: (605) 394-2191 OR Email: [email protected] and [email protected]
4. Share this information with a friend or on social media to bring attention to the injustices happening in South Dakota

Graphic Art by JayCee Beyale.

For generations, Indigenous Peoples have been preparing for this moment. NDN Collective has built power through grantmaking, storytelling, frontline action, and sustainable investing.

The For The People Campaign is designed to provide critical resources directly to Indigenous communities through our existing grantmaking programs and organizing work to strengthen our movement, enhance the resiliency of frontline actions, and continue making transformative change under this authoritarian administration.