Investing in Native Language Immersion: A Summary for Funders and Allies

Investing in Native Language Immersion: A Summary for Funders and Allies

Across Native communities, we know that when investments in Native languages are made, youth are provided a sense of belonging, cultural identity, place and tradition in their communities. Based on this, in 2017, First Nations launched the Native Language Immersion Initiative (NLII) as a three-year project to build the capacity and support of Native language immersion programs. Extended to a fourth year, the initiative provided organizational capacity-building grants that supported community partners in their growth and expansion, as well as funding for needs that are not always supported by other sources.

The resulting report, Ready for a New Decade: Investing in Native Language Immersion, presents findings and lessons learned from four years of targeted investments in Native language immersion programs. This companion report, A Summary for Funders and Allies, shares targeted advice for funders and those working in philanthropy that aligns with equity and social justice efforts. We ask funders and allies to reflect on these findings and insights provided by the 32 NLII community partners, and to join us in shifting standard philanthropic practices in grantmaking and adopt practices to further support capacity-building and sustainability of Native language immersion programs.

See also: 

• Ready for a New Decade: Investing in Native Language Immersion
• Investing in Native Language Immersion: A Summary for Native Communities and Language Practitioners