WHO WE FUND
Who We Fund
NDN’s geographic grantmaking focus is Turtle Island (also known as North America), which includes the post-colonial regions of the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Island Nations of Hawai’i, Boriken/Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We honor the self-determination of Indigenous people of Turtle Island through all of our grantmaking.
NDN Foundation provides grants to Indigenous-led organizations, Tribes, groups, projects and individuals whose work, goals and intentions align with the NDN mission, values, core principles and strategies.
“Indigenous-led” is defined as:
- 100% board of directors/decision makers
- 70%+ staff
While national or international organizations may be supported, NDN prioritizes community-led solutions and community-based organizations, for it is community-led solutions and organizations that are most often under-funded, under-resourced, under-invested and underestimated.
NDN grantmaking is intended to honor and advance the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples through:
- flexible
- multi-year
- meaningful grant support
The land on which we live and the natural resources on which we depend are inextricably linked to our identities, cultures, livelihoods, as well as our physical and spiritual well-being. The total estimated population of Indigenous Peoples is approximately 370 million people worldwide (5% of the global population). We use Indigenous Peoples with an “s” to recognize the diversity of individuals and groups that identify with the term, which has been distilled to a singular noun throughout history in an attempt to group our people together rather than recognize our differences and diversity. This is consistent with the UN Declaration on The Rights of Indigenous Peoples.