Cuts to federal funding are undermining tribal sovereignty and Indigenous innovation. It’s time to push back.
$4.5 million.
That’s the amount of federal grant funding that just two of our Indigenous-led clients have lost since the start of the second Trump administration.
We know the same thing is happening to Native-led, community-based organizations across the country. And given that Indigenous-led groups are already systemically underfunded, this Indigenous People’s Day, we’re sounding the alarm.
Blocking vital funding to Indigenous organizations and communities
In less than a year, the Trump administration has pulled back critical resources that our partners would have used to fuel transformative work across tribal communities. Work including:
Expanding local food systems development on the Pine Ridge Reservation–driving economic development and providing families nourishing foods;
Supporting Indigenous buffalo ranchers to steward and heal Indigenous lands through traditional, regenerative practices;
Providing Native students–who have long been failed by the public school system–with elementary education that is grounded in Indigenous culture, language, and lifeways.
And these projects only scratch the surface. It’s been estimated that continued grant freezes could block more than $24 billion to Indigenous communities. Doing so will prevent tribal governments and nonprofit organizations like our clients from administering programs that meet essential community needs—providing food for children and elders, ensuring schools are safe and operational, expanding access to safe homes, delivering essential health care, and more. This isn’t just wrong–it’s a violation of the federal government's treaty obligations to tribal nations.
We are infuriated for our clients and for the thousands of other Indigenous-led groups across the country fighting for their communities. Cutting these federal grants represents an intentional refusal to meet the most basic trust and treaty obligations. It’s an overt attack on sovereignty–stripping resources that are vital to restoring Indigenous power after centuries of injustice.
Calling for action this Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Indigenous people and communities have remained present and resilient in the face of deep injustice throughout history–and this moment is no different.
Our Indigenous clients have dug in hard–and have no intention of backing away from their work. It’s been an honor to work with them to shift strategies and plans in order to keep growing and expanding, even without access to large amounts of federal funding. They are getting creative, partnering with other Indigenous groups, calling on private foundations to release more funds, and so much more.
But this challenge cannot sit only on the shoulders of Indigenous leaders and organizations. We need more advocacy and action–from the broader nonprofit sector, from state and local governments, and from individuals all across the country.
But from where we sit, it is the philanthropic sector that can and must lead efforts to fill the gap and stand with Indigenous communities.
Standing up for Indigenous-led organizations
Thankfully there is amazing work happening to drive philanthropic action.
Our friends at NDN Collective launched the For the People campaign–” a philanthropic call to move resources immediately from wealthy individuals and foundations directly to Tribal Nations and Indigenous people, organizations, and communities who are most vulnerable to the Trump administration’s agenda.”
In recognition that “our house of justice and democracy is on fire,” the Decolonizing Wealth Project has launched a $1 trillion dollar Moonshot goal focused on transforming philanthropy to heal historical harms through reparative giving.
And some forward-thinking foundations are meeting the call. For nearly a decade, the Minnesota-based Better Way Foundation has funded a wide range of initiatives in Indian Country to support youth development. But recently, by listening closely to their Indigenous partners and recognizing the challenges they face, the foundation has made the decision to direct 100 percent of its funding to Indigenous grantees by 2026.
When the Trump administration first announced a federal funding freeze, we saw firsthand how the Better Way Foundation’s team took immediate action. Rather than standing by, they reached out to Indigenous leaders–asking how they could support grantees and community members to continue their vital work.
It’s that kind of action we need now–and in the months and years to come. This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we add our voices to the call for philanthropic action in support of tribal communities. There’s never been a more important time to stand for justice.