Native Food Sovereignty projects support the inherent right of tribal communities to exercise self-determination and self-governance in all aspects of their food systems.
Donor Name: First Nations Development Institute
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/17/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have the right to produce their own traditional foods on their own lands to sustain themselves, their families, and their communities. Tribes and community organizers have the authority to shape and influence the conditions that strengthen the control of the Native food system. These projects establish and safeguard Native food traditions while carrying forward the stories, identities, relationships, and responsibilities that Native cultures live by.
Focus Areas
- First Foods and Maternal Health
- First Foods and Maternal Health projects support efforts to revitalize tribal customs, knowledge, and practices related to childbirth, prenatal and infant nutrition, maternal nutrition, and community support systems. This opportunity is designed for projects that honor ancestral wisdom while promoting the health and well-being of Indigenous communities, strengthening their connection to cultural food systems and community networks. Project activities may include:
- Advancing reproductive justice
- Promoting equitable cultural birthing practices
- Supporting prenatal to postnatal nutrition
- Expanding access to culturally congruent lactation practices, and first foods education for Native parents, caregivers, and children
- Increasing traditional food access for infants and young children
- Building organizational or program capacity to support maternal and infant health initiatives
- First Foods and Maternal Health projects support efforts to revitalize tribal customs, knowledge, and practices related to childbirth, prenatal and infant nutrition, maternal nutrition, and community support systems. This opportunity is designed for projects that honor ancestral wisdom while promoting the health and well-being of Indigenous communities, strengthening their connection to cultural food systems and community networks. Project activities may include:
- Native Farm to School
- Native Farm to School projects provide educational opportunities and support to Native K-12 youth, program coordinators, school staff, community organizers, and knowledge keepers of all ages. The goal is to ensure future tribal leaders experience traditional foodways within culturally inclusive school food systems. Project activities may include:
- Developing school programming centered on community, traditional foodways, traditional knowledge, traditional foods, language, or land stewardship
- Incorporating local or traditional foods into the school system
- Expanding students’ access to place and land management practices
- Hosting a community event or workshop
- Fostering youth mentorship with community foodways
- Supporting curriculum development or educational materials design for K-12
- Native Farm to School projects provide educational opportunities and support to Native K-12 youth, program coordinators, school staff, community organizers, and knowledge keepers of all ages. The goal is to ensure future tribal leaders experience traditional foodways within culturally inclusive school food systems. Project activities may include:
- Gather Emerging Organizations and Programs
- Gather supports new or innovative entities, including tribal pilot projects, emerging Native-led organizations, and essential grassroots efforts. These organizations and programs add to the narrative that Native Food Systems are beautifully braided and alive, as seen in First Nations’ GATHER film, which documents both the disruption of Native foodways and the resurgence of Native food sovereignty. Projects focus on changing the narrative and advancing Native self-determination of the food system. Eligible initiatives must be less than five years old. Project activities may include:
- Launching new or innovative projects, or emerging Native-led organizations, programs, or grassroots efforts to advance Native food sovereignty
- Supporting new or innovative activities that strengthen Native food systems and reflect community-driven visions for food sovereignty
- Fostering deep relationships with traditional foods, foodways, and food systems in support of cultural continuity and resurgence
- Building community or organizational capacity through new or innovative approaches that sustain food systems work
- Creating or strengthening partnerships across tribal sectors and community organizations to advance collaborative Native food systems
- Implementing culturally based education, knowledge-sharing, or storytelling initiatives that elevate Native food narratives and lived experiences
- Acquiring land, infrastructure, or key equipment to support new food sovereignty initiatives
- Gather supports new or innovative entities, including tribal pilot projects, emerging Native-led organizations, and essential grassroots efforts. These organizations and programs add to the narrative that Native Food Systems are beautifully braided and alive, as seen in First Nations’ GATHER film, which documents both the disruption of Native foodways and the resurgence of Native food sovereignty. Projects focus on changing the narrative and advancing Native self-determination of the food system. Eligible initiatives must be less than five years old. Project activities may include:
- Governance of Native Food Systems
- Governance of Native Food Systems projects supports Native-led efforts to strengthen, adapt, reclaim, or implement policies, governance systems, and decision-making processes that advance Native food sovereignty. Policy is understood broadly to include laws, regulations, resolutions, administrative practices, funding priorities, and institutional procedures, as well as Indigenous governance systems, cultural protocols, and community-defined practices carried through oral tradition and lived practice. Projects may operate at the tribal, local, regional, inter-tribal, or national level, or through community-based governance rooted in culture, land, and relationships. Applicants do not need to be policy experts; projects may focus on learning, planning, piloting, implementation, documentation, revitalization of Indigenous governance practices, cross-jurisdictional engagement, or capacity-building, and may also address the impacts of federal, state, or local policy on Native foodways. Examples of policy and governance focus areas include, but are not limited to:
- Tribal, inter-tribal, or community governance policies that protect access to traditional foods and uphold harvesting, hunting, fishing, and gathering rights
- Food safety, nutrition, and food program policies or administrative practices that reflect Native values, food preferences, and cultural lifeways
- Policies, funding structures, or institutional rules that support food incentives, food assistance, mutual aid, and community-based food access systems
- Education, youth, or school-based policies that integrate Native food knowledge, language, and cultural foodways into curriculum or programming
- Governance frameworks for the stewardship and decision-making authority over land, water, seeds, animals, and other food system resources
- Policy approaches that embed climate resilience, ecological stewardship, and long-term food security into Native food systems governance
- Inter-tribal agreements, food policy councils, advisory bodies, or culturally grounded decision-making structures that guide food system governance.
- Governance of Native Food Systems projects supports Native-led efforts to strengthen, adapt, reclaim, or implement policies, governance systems, and decision-making processes that advance Native food sovereignty. Policy is understood broadly to include laws, regulations, resolutions, administrative practices, funding priorities, and institutional procedures, as well as Indigenous governance systems, cultural protocols, and community-defined practices carried through oral tradition and lived practice. Projects may operate at the tribal, local, regional, inter-tribal, or national level, or through community-based governance rooted in culture, land, and relationships. Applicants do not need to be policy experts; projects may focus on learning, planning, piloting, implementation, documentation, revitalization of Indigenous governance practices, cross-jurisdictional engagement, or capacity-building, and may also address the impacts of federal, state, or local policy on Native foodways. Examples of policy and governance focus areas include, but are not limited to:
Funding Information
Total requests for project budgets within this funding opportunity can range from $10,000 to $40,000.
Grant Period
The grant period for this funding opportunity will be one year.
Eligibility Criteria
Tribal government programs, Tribal §7871 entities, Native-controlled nonprofit organizations, and Native-controlled community organizations are eligible to apply. First Nations defines “Native-controlled” as an organization in which a majority of the Board of Directors and leadership team are Native American, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian.
For more information, visit FNDI.
