Supporting Native Knowledge Holders in the Arts
First Nations supports strengths-based narratives about Native communities and the strides happening throughout Indian Country that are reinforcing community and economic development. Our approach centers Native expertise and the self-determined learning pathways of Native knowledge holders.
Native knowledge holders need support to invest in their own capacity for advancing their knowledge, whether it’s through research, travel to an educational event, or information sharing.
As part of our Native Arts, Language, and Knowledge program, First Nations’ newly created Acorn Fund focuses support for Native individuals who are working in the arts, furthering their learnings through activities that strengthen cultural continuity, artistic practice, and community-rooted knowledge systems.
Through this fund, Native knowledge holders can receive funding of up to $5,000 for research, travel, and other expenses associated with projects that achieve one or more of the following:
- Support traditional Native American artistic and cultural knowledge
- Increase access to research and cultural resources
- Strengthen intergenerational knowledge transmission
- Elevate Native voices and deepen public understanding of Native arts
- Invest in Native cultural leadership
Applications are now closed. Stay tuned for future updates.
- Learn more about First Nations’ Native Arts, Language, and Knowledge program
- Read about First Nations’ Native Arts Initiative
This opportunity is made possible through the generous support of the Terra Foundation for American Art. The Terra Foundation for American Art, established in 1978 and having offices in Chicago and Paris, supports organizations and individuals locally and globally with the aim of fostering intercultural dialogues and encouraging transformative practices that expand narratives of American art, through the foundation’s grant program, collection, and initiatives.
