As the world confronts climate change and its disastrous effects, many institutions now look to Indigenous knowledge and practices to mitigate and adapt to these changes. Despite this, Native communities remain some of the most vulnerable to extreme weather events due to the lack of access to resources and infrastructure.
In response, through this project First Nations is catalyzing a critical mass of tribes and Native-led nonprofit organizations to conduct and operationalize climate change plans and amplify the power of traditional ecological knowledge.
As a $5 million Racial Equity Justice40 Project, this work will help these tribes and Native-led nonprofit organizations create or advance green jobs and better participate in and benefit from the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which intends to allocate 40% of the overall funding for climate investments to disadvantaged communities.
Additional funding through the Racial Equity Justice40 Project is provided through the Regional Dialogues in Climate Resiliency grants.
In 2022, First Nations awarded 10 grants of up to $100,000 each to Native-led projects related to the development or implementation of climate resiliency planning.
This work is part of First Nations overall Stewarding Native Lands Program and the Climate Change and Environmental Justice Project. The grant support is made possible through funding from the Bezos Earth Fund.