Current Projects

Regional Dialogues on Climate Resiliency

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 supporting up to 10 Native-led organizations to host conversations on climate resiliency and the Justice40 initiative Native communities. Conversations can take place in the form of convenings, conferences, meetings, and round tables.

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 Climate Resiliency in Indian Country grants.

In 2022, First Nations is awarding 10 grants of up to $100,000 each to Native-led projects related to the planning and hosting of state- or regional-focused climate resiliency conversations. Additional grant funding is in progress and new community partners will be added to the 2022 Grantee list below.

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.

2022 Grantees

Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance, Reliance, SD: $50,000

This project will utilize BNGA advisors’ expertise to co-create a regional pilot project proposal focused on building climate resiliency and implementing BNGA’s goals, while increasing overall understanding of needs and opportunities available to Tribes through the Justice40 Initiative.

Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, Northglenn, CO: $100,650

Through this project, Tribal fish and wildlife professionals will discuss Tribal Ecological Knowledge and other strategies and how the climate crisis threatens the ability to live on planet earth. A discussion will be held on how to identify where federal investments need to flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution, which are primarily tribal communities. A report will be prepared to continue and advance the conversations around climate resilience and the Justice40 Initiative in Indian Country.

Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, Portland, OR: $100,000

This project will leverage existing opportunities to create meaningful conversations between tribes and government, nonprofit, and industry stakeholders to increase the inclusion of tribal perspectives in discussions around climate resilience, the just transition toward clean energy, and the Justice40 Initiative.

United South and Eastern Tribes, Nashville, TN: $100,090

This project will create a taskforce that will hold regional dialogues on the topics of workforce development and climate resiliency in the Green Jobs sector during the USET Impact Week Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. This will increase knowledge of the attending tribal nations in these respective fields.