About

Investing in Native Communities is a tool to help philanthropy understand and connect with Native communities.

Close-up of Pow Wow regalia

Investing in Native Communities is a partnership of Native Americans in Philanthropy and Candid, with support from the Bush Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation, Northwest Area Foundation, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The web portal contains funding data, research, historical context, and resources to help users: 1) Understand why funding for Native communities is important; 2) Visualize the landscape of philanthropic funding over the years; and 3) Learn from the knowledge and experiences of other organizations.

This site is an extension of Native Americans in Philanthropy’s Truth and Healing Movement, to acknowledge the truth related to Indigenous history, lift up stories of resilience, and support healing efforts moving forward, both for Native and non-Native peoples. The movement centers on an educational and transformational exercise called The Blanket Exercise. Learn more at nativephilanthropy.org/truthandhealing.

Our Goal

To centralize and provide access to crucial information needed by foundations who are interested in supporting Native communities and causes. The information on the site can help funders who are delving into this work for the first time as well as more experienced funders who want to increase their capacity and knowledge.

About the Funding Map

The Funding Map is built on the Foundation Maps platform, which is developed in-house by Candid staff. It displays institutional philanthropic grantmaking from Candid’s database, which is comprised of grants information reported in IRS Forms 990 and 990-PF, provided directly by foundations, collected from funder websites and press releases, and gathered from other public sources.

The Funding Map displays grants that are explicitly designated to benefit Native Americans in the U.S. (including Alaska Natives, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians) or awarded to recipient organizations whose missions focus on Native Americans in the U.S.

About the Resource Center

The Resource Center connects you with the knowledge you need to inform your work:

  • Reports include publicly available research, toolkits, fact sheets, and other publications related to Indigneous communities. 
  • Case studies feature organizations who have pioneered strategic approaches and offer real-world insights and lessons learned. 
  • News articles contain recent philanthropic announcements and activities.
  • Media include videos, books, and additional resources produced by organizations working on Native issues.

Project Advisory Committee

  • Carly Bad Heart Bull (Dakota/Muskogee Creek)

    Native Nations Activities Manager

    Bush Foundation

  • Sean Buffington

    Vice President

    Henry Luce Foundation

  • Hester Dillon (Cherokee Nation)

    Program Officer for Indigenous Communities

    NoVo Foundation

  • Louis Gordon (Xicano/Purépecha)

    Program Director

    Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples

  • Martin Jennings (Leech Lake Ojibwe)

    Program Officer

    Northwest Area Foundation

  • Lyle Matthew Kan

    Director of Research & Communications

    Funders for LGBTQ Issues

  • Lawrence Leake

    Managing Director

    Potlatch Fund

  • Elizabeth Posey

    Program Officer, West

    Marguerite Casey Foundation

  • Erik Stegman (Carry the Kettle Nakoda First Nation)

    Executive Director

    Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute

  • Victoria Stott (Ho-Chunk)

    Program Officer

    W.K. Kellogg Foundation

  • Edgar Villanueva (Lumbee)

    Vice President for Programs and Advocacy

    Schott Foundation for Public Education

  • Geneva Wiki (Yurok)

    Program Manager, Building Healthy Communities, Del Norte & Adjacent Tribal Lands

    The California Endowment

About Native Americans in Philanthropy

Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) engages, educates, and empowers a sacred circle of Indigenous Peoples and philanthropies to create healthy and sustainable communities for all. Historically, NAP has supported flagship program areas—educating philanthropy, enhancing Native nonprofit leadership, and investing in data and research—to drive philanthropic investments to achieve this vision. Now we are taking a bolder stance towards supporting advocacy and movement building as well, recognizing that these are also necessary to making positive and long-term impact in our communities. Find out more at nativephilanthropy.org.

About Candid

Every year, millions of nonprofits spend trillions of dollars around the world. Candid finds out where that money comes from, where it goes, and why it matters. Through research, collaboration, and training, Candid connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to do it. Candid’s data tools on nonprofits, foundations, and grants are the most comprehensive in the world. Foundation Center and GuideStar joined forces to become Candid, a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Find out more at candid.org