Photo by Willi White

This past month, we turned back to one of the many lessons that water offers us – reflection. To see ourselves and our efforts reflected back at us is a great gift, but it also means we must find moments of stillness amongst the ongoing work. We reflect to learn from our past actions and to help us to decide where to go in the future. But we also reflect in a spirit of celebration, honoring how far we have come. 

In the spirit of reflection, we released our Seven Year Impact Report, “Free the People, Heal the Land,” this past month. In this report, we aim to tell our stories in our own words with a focus on the impact NDN Collective has had, uplifting not just the numbers but the peoples, lands, and waters behind them. Alongside the report, we also published an in-depth blog reflecting on more stories from the first seven years at NDN Collective. 

In May, we also celebrated some major wins. Not only did Pete Lien & Sons withdraw their plans to drill at Pe’ Sla, but the community also mobilized to protect another threatened sacred site in the He Sapa – Craven Canyon. A community member filed a federal lawsuit against the South Dakota Board of Minerals and the Environment, and the hearing for the Chord Project was adjourned until further notice. 

We are grateful for how these wins help fuel our spirits for ongoing fights to defend Unci Maka while we continue to uplift all the good work happening to build a better future for our communities.

Mt Rushmore protest, 2020. Photo by Alro Iron Cloud

This blog was published in tandem with our Seven Year Impact Report, “Free the People, Heal the Land,” which shows what seven years of building Indigenous collective power can achieve. While tThis blog was published in tandem with our Seven Year Impact Report, “Free the People, Heal the Land,” which shows what seven years of building Indigenous collective power can achieve. While the Impact Report highlights key data and milestones, this blog offers a deeper look into the origin story of NDN Collective and the victories, lessons, and challenges that have shaped our journey thus far.

Photo by Willi White

NDN Collective released a new impact report illuminating the organization’s first seven years of work on Native Nonprofit Day. With this report, we aim to tell our stories in our own words with a focus on the impact NDN Collective has had, uplifting not just the numbers but the peoples, lands, and waters behind them.

On Wednesday, May 20, community members and Craven Canyon intervenors filed a federal lawsuit against the SD Board of Minerals and Environment, adjourning the hearing around Craven Canyon until further notice. The lawsuit was filed against the SD Board of Minerals and Environment in response to the lack of due process around the board’s treatment of Lakota people during the public hearing for the project. Indigenous communities and environmental justice advocates in the area have been fighting attempts to drill at Craven Canyon since 1979, as this is sacred land that has been utilized for Lakota ceremonies for thousands of years. The site contains ancient petroglyphs and other sites that would be disturbed or destroyed by drilling activity. Further, drilling in the area could contaminate groundwater.

Dylan Pourier (Oglala Lakota), a Collective Abundance Fund Year 2 Awardee, is an entrepreneur deeply rooted in his Rapid City community. He used his award to expand his sustainable barber business, Revival Studios, where he invested in high-quality tools, merchandise, shop upgrades, and product development. He was also able to establish community relationships by collaborating with other local businesses to create a network of support that strengthened his ventures. These investments both improved his services and also enabled him to give back by providing future barbers with equipment and resources to kickstart their careers. Dylan has intentionally curated a space where community and generosity thrive. He also mentors local youth, offering them a place to connect and creating a hub of mentorship by helping others learn and start their own ventures. With support from the Collective Abundance Fund, Dylan was able to expand his impact and foster a culture of empowerment for future generations.

NDN Collective joined a lawsuit of 24 organizations and local governments that had grant agreements under the USDA’s Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access (LCM) Program to restore their illegally canceled grants. The new plaintiffs filed a motion for a preliminary injunction that would reverse their grant terminations and compel the USDA to honor its grant agreements with them. In August 2025, the initial plaintiffs in this case, whose grants were canceled in the same manner, had their motion for a preliminary injunction granted by the court.

Photo by Willi White

A Rapid City mining company has withdrawn its plan to drill for graphite in the Black Hills following opposition from Native American tribes and a temporary restraining order blocking the pRAPID CITY, S.D. – Natural resource mining company Pete Lien & Sons has canceled its plans to conduct exploratory graphite drilling 0.6 miles north of Pe’ Sla, a sacred site within the Black Hills of South Dakota, according to two organizations opposed to the project…Continue Reading

Community members held a ceremony at two drill pads near Pe’ Sla on April 30 in direct action against exploratory drilling that has started close to the sacred Lakota site in the Black Hills around South Dakota… Continue Reading

A company that’s being sued for exploratory drilling near a culturally significant site in South Dakota’s Black Hills is withdrawing from the project, according to a letter shared with project opponents…Continue Reading

Photo from NDN Collective

The public hearing for the Chord Uranium Project began on May 18 and ended May 20, when community members and Craven Canyon intervenors filed a federal lawsuit against the SD Board of Minerals and Environment, adjourning the hearing around Craven Canyon until further notice.

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.