- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
A giving campaign aimed at highlighting Native-led nonprofits will take place throughout May, supported by the Native Ways Federation.
The idea around the campaign—which will begin May 1 and end on May 20— is to raise awareness about the importance of supporting Native-led non-profits for the month of May, culminating in Native Nonprofit Day.
Large foundations have allocated less than half a percent of their total annual grantmaking to Native communities since 2006, according to a report from the Investing in Native Communities Project. The group identified three solutions to the funding discrepancy: replacing false narratives around Native communities; expanding historic understandings through a Native lens; and supporting solutions led by and for Native communities.
Native Ways Foundation, themselves a group comprised of seven national Native-led nonprofits dedicated to expanding information giving in Indian Country through donor education and advocacy, seized upon the third solution.
“Native-led organizations have the solutions to the issues our communities are facing,” Native Ways Foundation Executive Director, Carly Bad Heart Bull, JD. (Flandreau Santee), said in a statement. “We know our strengths and are best positioned to help our people. The Native Nonprofit Day campaign is an opportunity to celebrate the work being done by Native-led nonprofits while also supplementing our organizations’ ongoing fundraising efforts.”
Founding members of Native Ways Foundation include: the American Indian College Fund, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, the Association on American Indian Affairs, the First Nations Development Institute, the National Indian Child Welfare Association, the Native American Rights Fund, and Running Strong for American Indian Youth.
Native-led organizations that want to participate in Native Nonprofit Day can sign up to receive campaign materials, and visit NativeNonprofit.Day to learn more.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Citizen Brian Curley Signs with Arizona Diamondbacks
NIHB Responds to Trump’s Threat Over Washington Commanders Name: Native Mascots Are a Public Health Crisis, Not a Political Bargaining Chip
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
