Our Programs

Strengthening Tribal & Community Institutions

A Navajo Woman Looking Down Outdoors In Bright Sun

Program Overview

Through grant support, technical assistance and training, First Nations provides tribes and Native communities with the tools and resources necessary to create new community-based nonprofit organizations and to strengthen the capacity of existing nonprofits and tribal agencies or departments. For more than 35 years, First Nations has supported hundreds of model projects that help revitalize Native communities, while integrating social empowerment and economic strategies. First Nations believes that by bolstering tribal and community institutions, we are helping to build economically stronger and healthier Native communities for the long term.

Current Projects

Building a Movement for Native Justice

Through research and analyses in line with broader, national discussions about racial equity, First Nations is building a movement for…

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Native Arts Initiative

First Nations works to build healthy economies in Indian Country based on strategies that emphasize Native communities' control of their…

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Native Language Immersion Initiative

Language is a vital asset for Native people and communities. It defines who we are, where we come from, and…

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Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship

Featured artwork by 2020 Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellow Hanna Sholl  (Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak, Alaska)

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Native Fundraisers Community of Practice

At the back end of every organization is the development component -- the internal system of fundraising, donor engagement, and…

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Strengthening Native American Philanthropy

A key strategy toward Strengthening Tribal & Community Institutions is to invest in their long-term community and economic development. This…

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Racial and Economic Equity

In this evolving project, First Nations continues to explore and advocate for solutions and actions for racial and economic equity…

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Improving Tribal Broadband

  Getting Funding and Getting Started on the FCC 2.5GHz Rural Tribal Network So far, tribes throughout Indian Country have…

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Native American Fund for Health Equity

First Nations' Native American Fund for Health Equity launched in 2022 to increase philanthropic investment in Native American organizations and…

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Reclaiming Native Truth

Reclaiming Native Truth is a national effort to foster cultural, social and policy change by empowering Native Americans to counter…

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First Americans’ Cultural Treasures

Native cultures, represented through art and the process of making art, are community assets that must be valued, preserved, and…

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Passing Down Art and History at the Tulalip Tribes

Generations ago, art was everywhere in the Tulalip culture, represented in its tools, clothing, food and ceremony. After years of outside stressors chipping away at the tribes’ artistic soul, the Hibulb Cultural Center is working to bring art back. Since 2011, the center has invested in culturally-significant educational programming. And now with funding from First Nations’ Native Arts Initiative, it is bolstering its classes, reaching more people and fostering even more pride in the craftsmanship and elegance of Tulalip art.

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View Our Current Grant Opportunities

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