The 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
Territory: American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/14/2025
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: The 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
- Native Farm to School: Native Farm to School projects provide educational opportunities and support to Native youth, program coordinators, school staff, community organizers, and knowledge keepers of all ages. The goal is to ensure young 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 school into the school system
- Expanding student’s 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
- GATHER: New and Innovative Food Sovereignty: Gather Food Sovereignty projects are new or innovative projects that focus on Native food sovereignty by expanding community knowledge or resources and addressing critical food system needs. Eligible initiatives must be less than five years old and may include new or emerging organizations, programs, grassroots food sovereignty efforts, and Native-led innovation and pilot projects. Project activities may include:
- Fostering deep relationships with traditional foods and food systems to ensure that Native food systems can thrive
- Establishing new Tribal department, Native-led organization, program, or project that uplift food sovereignty
- Establishing new or innovative way of building community or staff capacity to support food systems work
- Creating a new partnership between Tribal sectors and community organizations that support a more collaborative Native food system
- Implementing innovative culturally based education programs that continue the cultural food stories
- Acquiring land, infrastructure, or key equipment to support new food sovereignty initiatives
- Developing food project plans or conducting a community food sovereignty assessment
- Native Food Policy: Native Food Policy projects focus on strengthening and adapting Tribal, local, regional, and national policies to advance Native food sovereignty. Each Native community faces distinct challenges and organizational policies that shape local food system initiatives. These projects examine food system policies at multiple levels to reinforce community control over food systems. Key policy areas may include:
- Access to traditional food sources and rights to cultural foodways
- Food safety, nutrition, and Native food preferences
- Policies to support food incentives or food programs
- Policies that integrate Native food knowledge into education
- Policies that support access to or governance of land, water, food, and animal stewardship
- Policies that support climate resilience and food security
- Policies that strengthen Inter-Tribal trade or barter systems
- Establishing or supporting a food policy group
- (Re)Establishing culturally informed governance or decisions-making practices.
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.
- Examples of eligible applicants include, but are not limited to:
- Federal- and state-recognized tribal governments (e.g., tribal arts programs, tribal cultural and heritage departments and centers, tribal museums, tribal economic development departments)
- Native-controlled 501(c)(3) nonprofits
- Native-controlled community organizations with fiscal sponsorship
- Tribal § 7871 entities.
Examples of Unallowable Activities
- Purchase of Real Estate
- Lobbying
- Litigation
- Entertainment
- Capital construction projects (including the construction, purchase, renovation, and/or furnishing of facilities)
- Endowment
- Scholarship or tuition assistance.
For more information, visit FNDI.
