Self-Determined Philanthropy: A Four-Year Reflection
SELF-DETERMINED PHILANTHROPY: A Four-Year Reflection, 2020-2024
Dear Relatives,
On March 11, 2020, when COVID-19 was officially declared a worldwide pandemic, the public was gripped with fear, confusion, and anxiety. That same day, we closed our offices to allow our staff to go home early — to rush to the supermarkets to buy whatever was left on the shelves before the countywide shelter-in-place order went into effect. As Indigenous People, the arrival of COVID-19 was nothing new. Since first contact, we have been fighting against diseases brought by colonizers, dispossession, and assimilation. For over 500 years, we as a people have been able to ensure our survival by leaning into the collectivist concept of community to overcome the obstacles placed upon us. As we have done countless times before, we gathered as a staff, as a community, and as a family to meet the challenges of COVID-19. We adapted to continue serving all the communities that we do, uplifted by the active memory of the resiliency and strength of those who came before us.
COVID-19 brought many changes to the world of philanthropy, and many nonprofit organizations had to close their doors, but the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples (SGF) has been able to endure and flourish due to our board’s leadership, our staff’s resilience, and strong support from our partners throughout the Indigenous world. We hold a responsibility to model and embody work that respects and supports community-based strategies. Our vision for community renewal and revitalization is an approach that is responsive and respectful, keeping in mind the uniqueness of each Indigenous community with which we work. This trust-based model of philanthropy that we use has now expanded into the larger world of philanthropy and allowed us to mobilize resources for a wider range of issues that impact grassroots communities.
Our organization derives its name from a precept of the Great Law of Peace of the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy). This precept mandates that chiefs consider the impact of their decisions on the seventh generation yet to come. The legacy of the work you will read about both reflects on our more than 47 years of self-determined philanthropy and envisions our commitment and responsibility to the next seven generations. This legacy is to be a good Ancestor. We do our part by advancing Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination through the frontline work we support, and this has led to us partnering with thousands of Indigenous community-based organizations across six continents.
We are proud of the accomplishments that we and our partners have achieved in these unprecedented times, and we are committed to the work that remains to be done. We thank our philanthropic partners and our sister organizations, but most importantly we give thanks to the regular everyday people who have long supported the vision of a self-determined, Indigenous future for all our Peoples.
Chris Peters | Puhlik-lah/Karuk President, Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples
This legacy is to Be a Good Ancestor.
2020-2024
OUR IMPACT
SGF was organized and founded to help bolster, provide advocacy to, and directly support the Indigenous Peoples Movement. Over the four-year period from 2020 to 2024, we were able to back Indigenous Peoples projects and initiatives by providing over $19 million of direct support across 465 Nations and Peoples.
496 GRANTS
158 GRANTS
175 GRANTS
NATIONS & PEOPLES
$3,220,987 2020-2021
$4,480,770 2021-2022
$5,610,434 2022-2023
193 GRANTS $6,220,498 2023-2024
1,022 GRANTS
$19,532,689 GRANTS AMOUNT AWARDED
TOTAL FISCAL YEARS 2020 - 2024
Direct Support Across 465 Nations & Peoples
OUR IMPACT
THRIVING WOMEN
Thriving Women supports Indigenous women-led, community-based projects that empower Native Peoples to address gender-based violence and restore wellness (individual, family, and community).
Fiscal Year Grants Amount Awarded
2020-2021 42 $1,609,600
2021-2022 73 $2,462,500
2022-2023 36 $1,065,000
2023-2024 50 $1,618,500
COMMUNITY VITALITY
Community Vitality enhances cultural identity and vitality through individual and collective creative expression and practices, leadership development, and cultural and social justice.
Fiscal Year Grants Amount Awarded
2020-2021 36 $665,727
2021-2022 47 $1,144,770
2022-2023 95 $2,827,422
2023-2024 81 $3,083,998
LAND, WATER, AND CLIMATE
Land, Water, and Climate protects Mother Earth through stewardship and traditional knowledge while advancing Indigenous Peoples’ right of Free, Prior and Informed Consent.
Fiscal Year Grants Amount Awarded
2020-2021 9 $105,000
2021-2022 20 $473,500
2022-2023 37 $947,484
2023-2024 31 $1,203,000
GROWING OUR STAFF
At a time when so many nonprofits and philanthropies contracted and cut back on staff, we were able to grow our staff — adding seven new staff members — to be even more responsive to the ongoing needs of the communities we serve. Our current staff and board reflect the multiculturalism and contemporary experience of Indigenous Peoples — from people impacted by the Indigenous diaspora of the south to those negatively impacted by federal indian policy and tribal affiliations.
LAYING DOWN NEW ROOTS
During this same period in time, our organization was able to purchase the Eagle Feather Center, which now serves as our headquarters in ancestral Wiyot homelands. We are thrilled to now have a home from which we can strengthen our capacity to continue being in alignment with the grassroots communities we serve. The Eagle Feather Center helps illuminate the path forward of Indigenous Peoples’ sovereignty and self-determination, a path generated by the prayers of our Ancestors and the dreams of our founders.
AFFILIATE PROGRAM AFFILIATES
Although SGF was founded in March 1977 following the White Roots of Peace Caravan, we initially operated under the fiscal sponsorship of The Youth Project as the Tribal Sovereignty Project, similar to many Native community-based organizations in our Affiliate Program. After seven years of growth and support, we achieved independence and were officially incorporated in April 1984. Now, four decades later, we can extend the same care and support we once received to other Indigenous initiatives through our Affiliate Program.
We are proud to support Native grassroots communities and projects that serve as the backbone for the Indigenous Peoples Movement.
A fiscal sponsorship with us is not just paperwork. We do not serve as a mere pass-through; the Affiliate projects brought within the embrace of SGF serve as our direct connection to the communities and families supported. The relationships we form are deeply personal and embody the kindness and trust with which we operate with all our grantees and partners. The direct and sustained support we offer our over 32 Affiliates includes technical assistance, financial management and oversight, program development support, direct capacity-building opportunities, and access to philanthropic fundraising opportunities and networks. We are proud to be in service to, and standing in right relation with, Affiliate projects such as:
— Clayton Brascoupe, Mohawk and Anishnaabe Program Director, Traditional Native American Farmers Association
MOTHER
& DAUGHTERS
NATIVE MOON provides education, awareness, and supplies of menstrual moon cycle products for Native girls.
Being an affiliate opened other doors for us and helped us achieve more than we could imagine. If it wasn t for SGF we wouldn’t be able to share and provide for the young girls like we do. Being able to provide period products to the Indigenous Communities has helped end period poverty one girl at a time. We have helped over 600 youth in our own local counties and have shared our program and idea with multiple agencies and outside counties.
In 2020, no single family or community was untouched by COVID-19. Due to the lingering effects of colonization and structural inequities in health care systems, Indigenous communities around the world especially felt the pandemic’s impacts. Our Indigenous communities endured the devastating loss of Elders, wisdom keepers, fluent language speakers, and even young people — our future leaders. In the U.S. alone, 1 in 390 Indigenous Americans died (or 256.0 deaths per 100,000), and 1 in 565 Pacific Islander Americans died (or 176.6 deaths per 100,000) due to COVID-19.
We knew our communities needed greater support than ever, and we resolved to provide it. On March 13, 2020, within days of learning about the danger and pervasiveness of the virus, we launched the Flicker Fund Embodying the fast flight and power of a flicker — a good medicine bird — we created our Flicker Fund as a way to rapidly respond to stressed Indigenous communities on the front lines of intersecting crises, from pandemics to climate-induced disasters like fires, floods, and droughts.
We are eternally grateful to Seventh Generation Fund staff, directors, and board members for helping the Original Peoples of Cuscatan/Chapanastique (El Salvador). We are establishing Cuscatan/Chapanatique nations’ self-determination and sovereignty. Our peoples are able to reconnect with Mother Earth by planting our own food, making us more self-sufficient and bringing us closer to our ancestral methods.
— Haydee Sanchez, Nahuat-Pipil Founder, El Centro Cultural Techantit Flicker Fund Grantee
Through the Flicker Fund, we were able to quickly and effectively direct resources to crisis-impacted communities. In the first three months of the pandemic, we distributed $260,000 to 25 communities severely impacted by COVID-19.
SGF’s support fulfilled a wide range of needs, as defined by the communities themselves. This included community leaders providing traditional medicines focusing on immunity support for elder wisdom keepers, basic grocery and hygiene deliveries for hundreds of multigenerational households, revitalizing seed exchanges, and planting family gardens to strengthen nutrition.
Crises continue to affect Native communities. The recent Maui fires are another tragic example of the strain that natural disasters can place on under resourced communities. In the weeks after the fires struck, we directed $215,000 to groups on the front lines engaged in food distribution, as direct support to pregnant and nursing families, to support critical communication infrastructure for impacted Peoples, and to provide midwife services.
The road to be here is n’ t paved or traveled previously, and the partnership, care, and stewardship Seventh Generation Fund has provided to us is how Relatives look after each other. We ’ re honored to have them bring us together.
— Joseph McNeil, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe CEO, SAGE Development Authority
SAGE Development Authority
In 2019, the SAGE Development Authority was born out of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s commitment to developing the sustainable energy needed to secure a self-reliant and selfdetermined future for its People. In the aftermath of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, SAGE was founded as a federally chartered corporation in proud ownership with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. SAGE acts as a Public Power Authority, controlling all energy production assets on the reservation to transition away from fossil fuels and colonial government dependency.
The Anpetu Wi Wind Project — SAGE’s top priority — represents the first 100% Native-led renewable energy commercial project on Turtle Island. The project is focused on funding resilient infrastructure and economic development through a structure that supports Native land stewardship and community flourishment.
Since 2020, SGF has provided capacity-building grants, recoverable grants, administrative support, and financial sponsorship, which has resulted in economic development, environmental protection, and energy independence for the Standing Rock People. These results are critical to prioritizing tribal leadership and cultural connections to the land — especially as investment in climate technology and transitions to renewable energy continue to grow.
The SAGE Development Authority’s Anpetu Wi Wind Project is a strong model for funders interested in supporting community-determined renewable energy. The project is now entering the fourth year of its five-year strategic plan focused on building an independent energy future for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Those interested in supporting can learn more about the project and how to contribute to the next phase by visiting the Tribe’s website: AnpetuWi.com.
Like the butterflies, we traveled long distances intending to continue our Ancestors
HEART OF HER NATION
As a largely matriarchal organization, we deeply respect and honor the strength of our women and Two-Spirit leaders who are truly the heart of their nations. Coming out of COVID-19, we knew we had to start healing and reconnecting by centering Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirits, many of whom experienced increased violence as a result of isolation. In 2021, the first Heart of Her Nation gathering was organized in Sumeg Village for Indigenous women to collaborate in thought and healing and to strengthen generational ties with each other. This first convening brought together 124 women leaders. This spirit persisted in planning for the second Heart of Her Nation gathering, with the theme “Renewal,” in October 2022. Over 156 Indigenous women joined us worldwide, from 12 different countries, on Ohlone territory at the Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds.
For many of us, gathering in this capacity was a big step in breaking isolation, especially for the rural communities we serve worldwide. Mindful of the journeys and challenges that each community has faced throughout the pandemic, the spirit of renewal was centered throughout the two days of cultural sharing, wellness activities, and speaking engagements. While keeping this focus, we honored the migration of the monarch butterflies taking place during the gathering in Northern California. Like the butterflies, we traveled long distances intending to continue our Ancestors generational fortitude.
The gathering’s agenda reflected spaces of healing and rest while simultaneously fostering an environment of dialogue and new relationships. We had an array of speakers, from longtime community partners to new grantee projects. Topics included birth keeping, motherhood, and kinship; a plenary panel and talking circle discussing aspects of honoring the rights of Mother Earth; an empowering and heartfelt plenary conversation on reclaiming a world without violence against women, girls, and Two-Spirits; and a plenary conversation focusing on women and girls’ cultural vitality and leadership. This event also included an interactive art exhibit in honor of our missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls that was curated by Tara Trudell (Santee/Rarámuri) Participants were able to contribute to the exhibit as well as create art in honor and memory of our sisters that they could also keep.
We look forward to bringing our communities together once again for the next Heart of Her Nation gathering fall of 2025.
PARTICIPANTS:
25
Philanthropic and Social Movement Leaders
GOURDS OF WISDOM
For over 500 years, Indigenous Peoples have attempted to share our experiences and model cooperative relations in our work and agreements with our non-Indigenous peers. We’ve understood the lack of perspective that contributes to the misalignment in non-Indigenous perspectives around vital topics like water, the environment, sacred sites, individualism, and natural law. We cannot do good work without each other, and we cannot be supported by non-Indigenous allies in a reciprocal and respectful manner unless we truly see and understand each other.
We developed Gourds of Wisdom: An Indigenous Peoples’ Think Tank and advocacy strategy over a decade ago in recognition of this truth. This framework includes collective engagement to examine and research social, political, economic, technological, and cultural issues and theories pertinent to Native Peoples, communities, and Nations; design and advance local, regional, national, and international policies that safeguard sovereignty and sustain Native cultures, knowledge systems, and empowerment through publication and advocacy; and advance Indigenous Peoples’ philosophies and perspectives to inform policymakers, civil society, and other decision-makers to catalyze change.
While the pandemic brought many challenges, it also broadened the perspectives of our philanthropic donors, funders, and advisors who saw an opportunity to engage and work differently and become better allies to Indigenous Peoples. From this critical moment, the Gourds of Wisdom framework gave way to a donor education pilot project.
The Gourds of Wisdom cohort of philanthropic donors, funders, and advisors is engaged in an
educational and cultural orientation to Indigenous Peoples, communities, and the Indigenous Peoples’ Movement. Designed by our leadership in engagement with and from community as one of our change strategies, the Gourds of Wisdom component is a proactive, forward-thinking formula that brings together the strengths of like-minded colleagues in movement-building, academia, and philanthropy with allies in social transformation and justice endeavors.
SGF’s Gourds of Wisdom provided an educational ecosystem and opportunity to 25 philanthropic and social movement leaders to connect, learn, and be grounded in Indigenous Peoples’ principles and values. We were successful in initiating the first cohort of donors, leaders, and philanthropic partners in a two-year process of rigorous personal and professional reflection to better serve as advocates and allies of Indigenous Peoples.
The cohort was accompanied by a faculty of exceptional Indigenous thought leaders, cultural bearers and practitioners, and community advocates to help better orient and guide the conversations around Indigenous cosmologies, Indigenous values and principles, community justice, resource mobilization, decolonization of philanthropy, and strategies to amplify values-aligned philanthropic advocacy. The planning framework for the next cohort is underway, and we are pleased and honored at the opportunity to build on the success and learnings of our pilot program to continue to inform the collective consciousness of philanthropy and donors.
Walking in the Prayers of Our Ancestors: Land, Water, Language, Life.
KEEPING THE HOMEFIRES BURNING
Our Homefires embody more than just warmth and sustenance; they symbolize our connection to the natural world and our ability to gather, cook, and thrive. The Homefires burn within each of us, uniting us and serving as a sacred beacon of our shared experience under colonization. Our core biennial gathering, Keeping the Homefires Burning, reaffirms our commitment to preserving our cultures, traditions, languages, and ways of life as Indigenous Peoples. After three years of distance, fear, and isolation, the Homefires beckoned us back together. In May 2023, we embraced this call and hosted Keeping the Homefires Burning with the theme, “Walking in the Prayers of Our Ancestors: Land, Water, Language, Life.”
325 PARTICIPANTS
12 COUNTRIES
The event was an international gathering of Indigenous culture bearers, artists, organizers, activists, and community leaders in renewing and strengthening our purpose, healing, responsibilities, and love for our communities, Peoples, and lands. This event brought together over 325 participants from throughout 12 countries in the Indigenous World for multigenerational sharing and learning, with our youngest only 6 months of age and the eldest 98 years old. Collectively, we cultivated and nurtured this gathering with love, gratitude, reciprocity, and song.
This unique opportunity allowed Indigenous organizers to collaborate, share insights, and rejuvenate their efforts. Keeping the Homefires Burning offered peer-learning sessions, training, and technical assistance to Indigenous women worldwide, including both experienced organizers and newcomers. These gatherings foster synergy and strategy development among grassroots community groups, particularly those in geographically isolated regions. Participants came together to share skills, exchange ideas, and build momentum. We eagerly anticipate the next gathering in 2025 as we remain committed to supporting Indigenous sovereignty.
LOOKING AHEAD
As Indigenous Peoples, we are constantly walking in our Ancestors’ prayers and building toward a brighter future for the seventh generation yet to come.
In 2023, we premiered our film, “Time of Prophecy: Walking in the Prayers of Our Ancestors,” which featured Indigenous wisdom, experience, and cultural knowledge in the context of COVID-19, climate change, and Indigenous Peoples’ healing and futurity. It encompasses so much of the resilience we witness across our communities, and it has helped sharpen our focus for the work that remains.
Our achievements over the past four years have not been without struggle, and we realize that many challenges still lay ahead, but we are strengthened by the legacy and movement we belong to — a movement that was initiated long before any of us were born.
We did not get here alone. Over the years, we have relied on the good thoughts of those encountered along the way of this fantastic movement-building effort in Indian Country, the vision our founders and community members set forth, our philanthropic partners’ good intentions and commitments, and most importantly our Ancestors’ prayers and dreams. We are committed to our partners’ strength and will continue building a stronger community for Indigenous Peoples throughout the world.
Our Ancestors’ presence helps provide the stamina and fortification to have a long vision and plan for the work that lies ahead. We’ve begun work on initiatives that serve our Peoples and communities well. This includes the Spiral Braid, which focuses and empowers emerging and present projects in the U.S. Southwest and Northern Mexico territories; Instituto Científico de Culturas Indígenas, in Ecuador, which has begun collaborating and connecting with projects in South and Central
America; and the Elder’s Program a collaboration with philanthropic partners to better serve Indigenous elders in the regions of Montana and North and South Dakota. And we are excited to continue development of our ongoing relationship-building and direct support in the continent of Africa.
We are grateful for our many value-aligned partnerships that continue to help shape the collective work of building an Indigenous Peoples Movement. Partners such as Grantmakers for Girls of Color and Hawai’i People’s Fund are critical to advising our self-determined approach to philanthropy. Partners such as these are meaningful to our organizations and represent sister organizations with which we can co-create, dream, and help define this very unique, valueladen approach to philanthropy. It is through these critical, meaningful, strategic relationships that we are able to offer increased grant support to our communities and multiyear grant support to projects in Indian Country.
As we look forward to the long path of movementbuilding, establishing relationships, and community organizing that lies ahead, it is essential that we take a moment to look back at the work that we’ve collectively accomplished thus far. It’s important that we engage our Elders for their wisdom and expertise and take the time to speak with them to help us plan for future endeavors. We understand that relying on traditional knowledges will no doubt provide the best opportunities of success for the seventh generation to come.
Walk gently to honor those who came before us, and those that will come after.
Thank you to Cindy Chischilly Diné, designer with White Canyon Design for her design work on this report.
