Focus Area

Native Food Security

Projects under the Native Food Security focus area support the consistent access and abundance of culturally relevant foods to meet the community’s needs and preferences to ensure a healthy tribal community food system. We support communities to ensure traditional foods and foodways have a path to move from lack to abundance. 

Awarded Grants

2026

Enhancing Infrastructure and Capacity to Process, Package, and Distribute Locally Sourced Foods on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

2026 Enhancing Infrastructure and Capacity to Process, Package, and Distribute Locally Sourced Foods on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

$40,000
Makoce Agriculture Development sd Created with Sketch. Porcupine, SD

Description

This project increases food security on Pine Ridge by expanding processing and packaging infrastructure, strengthening tribal producer capacity, and improving access to locally sourced and traditional foods through the Makoce Food Hub.

2026

Cultivating Resilience: Community-Run Corn Processing & Storage

2026 Cultivating Resilience: Community-Run Corn Processing & Storage

$40,000
Ohe-Laku Among the Corn Stalks wi Created with Sketch. De Pere, WI

Description

This project will create food storage space to enhance resilience against climate change-fueled crop failures by leveraging and expanding emerging infrastructure. It will open opportunities for product aggregation to increase regional market access for small Tribal corn farmers.

2026

Makaweli ʻĀina Restoration for Native Hawaiian Food Sovereignty and Community Food Access

2026 Makaweli ʻĀina Restoration for Native Hawaiian Food Sovereignty and Community Food Access

$40,000
Malama Kaua`i hi Created with Sketch. Kilauea, HI

Description

This project restores ʻāina in Makaweli to increase Native Hawaiian food production and access, strengthening community food systems through culturally grounded agriculture, distribution, and workforce development.

2026

Restoring Native Farms and Food Systems After Flooding in Koʻolauloa and Waialua

2026 Restoring Native Farms and Food Systems After Flooding in Koʻolauloa and Waialua

$40,000
Tagata Moana Hui Foundation hi Created with Sketch. Honolulu, HI

Description

This project supports Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander farmers in restoring crops and rebuilding after flooding by providing direct stipends for essential supplies, strengthening resilient Native foodways and ensuring continued access to culturally relevant foods.

2026

Watch Our Roots Grow

2026 Watch Our Roots Grow

$39,990
Chickahominy Indian Tribe - Eastern Division va Created with Sketch. Providence Forge, VA

Description

This project leverages local agricultural partnerships to provide nutritious food distribution and educational programming for the Chickahominy Indian Tribe - Eastern Division, protecting tribal health and food sovereignty while supporting the regional farm economy.

2026

Wič́hóni Wašté: Phase 1 — Standing Rock Food Sovereignty Distribution System

2026 Wič́hóni Wašté: Phase 1 — Standing Rock Food Sovereignty Distribution System

$25,000
Standing Rock Community Development Corporation nd Created with Sketch. Fort Yates, ND

Description

Wič́hóni Wašté is a structured, application-based program that provides culturally relevant food to households experiencing food insecurity while equipping our relatives with the nutrition, cooking, and budgeting knowledge to build lasting food independence.

2026

Manley Council Food Distribution 2026

2026 Manley Council Food Distribution 2026

$20,000
Manley Village Council ak Created with Sketch. Manley Hot Springs, AK

Description

Provide reliable, culturally relevant food to Manley Hot Springs residents through community-led distribution, reducing food insecurity, lowering costs, and strengthening local food systems while supporting health, resilience, and traditional food practices.

2026

Rez Chicks Fresh Eggs Cooperative Expansion and Disaster Preparedness for Native Food Security

2026 Rez Chicks Fresh Eggs Cooperative Expansion and Disaster Preparedness for Native Food Security

$39,415
Rez Chicks Fresh Eggs Cooperative or Created with Sketch. Pendleton, OR

Description

This project will create opportunities for tribal community members to participate in their food economy by providing new members with standardized coop setups, including generators to ensure water availability in the event of a fire and to maintain consistent refrigeration for eggs.

2026

Restoring Kalo-Based Food Systems and Expanding Local Food Processing and Distribution in East Maui

2026 Restoring Kalo-Based Food Systems and Expanding Local Food Processing and Distribution in East Maui

$40,000
Kipahulu Ohana, Inc. hi Created with Sketch. Hana, HI

Description

This project will increase the production, processing, and distribution of kalo poi and other foods, strengthening Native Hawaiian food systems, improving access to culturally relevant nutrition, and leveraging agricultural and processing infrastructure to support health and resilience in East Maui.

2026

Resilient Nch'i-Wána Foodways: Infrastructure, Knowledge, and Root Harvesting Protection

2026 Resilient Nch'i-Wána Foodways: Infrastructure, Knowledge, and Root Harvesting Protection

$40,000
Indigenous Just Transition wa Created with Sketch. Seattle, WA

Description

This project strengthens Native food security in Nch'i-Wána *Yakama and Umatilla* by protecting ancestral food landscapes, advancing intergenerational knowledge, and developing community-led food infrastructure to ensure long-term access to culturally relevant foods.