Native American communities have a strong tradition of unity and support, advocating for the progress and well-being of all Indigenous peoples.
With this in mind, Native Hope is proud to support Native Nonprofit Day on May 17, an opportunity to showcase Native American nonprofit organizations while raising funds to fuel their mission.
By supporting Native-led nonprofits, we strengthen the collective effort to address injustices faced by Native Americans.
Explore some of our favorite Native-led charitable organizations.
The NARF has provided much-needed legal counseling and guidance to Native Americans and their families regarding land disputes, education, treaty rights, natural resource protection, and more. So many Natives go without adequate legal representation and have the odds stacked against them in any legal proceeding, and NARF has made a significant impact since its inception in 1970.
Mission statement: The Native American Rights Fund holds governments accountable. We fight to protect Native American rights, resources, and lifeways through litigation, legal advocacy, and legal expertise.
Native American women are abused, assaulted, and trafficked at a higher rate than any other ethnic group in the United States. What makes matters worse is that so few have access to emergency contraception and other essential women's health supplies. Indigenous Women Rising started in 2014 to bring attention to this fact. It has since become a powerful platform for Natives to share their stories and reclaim their identity, culture, tradition, and language.
Mission statement: Indigenous Women Rising is committed to honoring Native & Indigenous People’s inherent right to equitable and culturally safe health options through accessible health education, resources, and advocacy.
Few Native Americans get the opportunity to experience higher education, so the AICF tackled this challenge head-on with a fundraising mission to create scholarship opportunities for Indigenous students. Since its founding in 1989, the AICF has been the country's largest charity supporting Native student access to higher education.
Mission statement: The American Indian College Fund invests in Native students and tribal college education to transform lives and communities.
Native Americans endured centuries of hardship at the expense of westward expansion, and US and Canadian boarding schools became centers of abuse, assimilation, and even death for Native children. The Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition is working to bring awareness to the history of these boarding schools and help tribes heal from this generational trauma.
Mission statement: To lead in the pursuit of understanding and addressing the ongoing trauma created by the U.S. Indian Boarding School policy.
https://boardingschoolhealing.org/
This incredible organization is working to achieve "accountability, justice, equity, reconciliation, and healing" for Native Americans. They work with Natives and non-Native allies to fight injustice, give a voice to Native people, and build a brighter future for Native children.
Mission statement: Our mission is to build power for Native peoples by amplifying contemporary Native voices, stories, and issues to advance justice, equity, and self-determination. We utilize research, narrative, and culture change strategies, movement-building, and organizing to disrupt the invisibility of Native peoples, re-educate Americans, and mobilize public support for critical Native issues.
The IAIA has emerged as a prestigious academic institution that not only honors Native culture but also empowers Native students to express their creativity, pursue their passions, and showcase their work. The projects produced by students at IAIA are truly awe-inspiring, solidifying its role as a vital hub for reclaiming Native heritage and enriching cultural identity.
Mission statement: To empower creativity and leadership in Indigenous arts and cultures through higher education, lifelong learning, and community engagement.
The NIWRC is a grassroots organization that strives to support Native women and children with a special emphasis on tribal sovereignty. The preservation of culture, restoration of land rights, and upholding of sacred customs are just a few of the many guiding principles that this amazing organization adheres to.
Mission statement: Our mission is to provide national leadership to end violence against American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian women by supporting culturally grounded, grassroots advocacy.
So many organizations focus on Native American children and the future. However, we also don't want to forget about Native elders and the incredible stories, culture, and history that they have lived through. The NICOA works to deliver health, social, and economic services to Native elders to let them know they are not forgotten and are valued members of our community.
Mission statement: To advocate for improved comprehensive health, social services, and economic well-being for American Indian and Alaska Native Elders.
This amazing organization has worked hard for 50 years to help students from all tribes realize their educational dreams. In that time, Native Forward has supported more than 20,000 students from over 500 Tribes in all 50 states by providing scholarship dollars and support for services for undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees.
Mission statement: We provide financial support for American Indians and Alaska Natives seeking higher education and support them in obtaining undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. We partner with Tribes, the federal government, foundations, corporations, and individuals to ensure the growth and sustainability of scholarships.
The NDN collective is dedicated to building Indigenous power through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building and narrative change. Their efforts are focused on the framework of Defend, Develop, and Decolonize to help Native sovereignty and their inherent right to self-determination.
Mission statement: Build the collective power of Indigenous Peoples, communities, and Nations to exercise our inherent right to self-determination, while fostering a world that is built on a foundation of justice and equity for all people and the planet.
So much of the history and culture of every Native American tribe is tied to the beauty of the natural world around them, and that idea is a core belief of Native Women's Wilderness. This organization helps Native women reconnect with the land, explore the outdoors, and celebrate their heritage as they honor the rich traditions of their ancestors.
Mission statement: Native Women’s Wilderness, to inspire and raise the voices of Native Women in the Outdoor Realm. To encourage a healthy lifestyle within the Wilderness. To provide education of the Ancestral Lands and its People.
https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/
The Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota is home to thousands of Native Americans, and the Cheyenne River Indian Youth Project provides programs and funding to support their inhabitants. With a special focus on youth programs, this wonderful organization helps the community connect with their Native heritage, build essential life skills, and work toward a brighter future.
Mission statement: The Cheyenne River Youth Project is dedicated to giving our Lakota youth and families access to the culturally relevant, enriching, and enduring opportunities we need to build stronger, healthier communities and a more vibrant future together.
Suscol Intertribal Council is a community-based, 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 1972 and reorganized in 1992, seeking to bring healing between the existing population and the people who historically inhabited Napa Valley and nearby counties. Since 1992, the Suscol Intertribal Council has developed local educational outreach programs for public schools (K-14), community clubs, and other organizations. The organization continues to provide county-wide classes and annual events meant to bring the community together. Most classes and many events are open to the public. Suscol Intertribal Council has developed a mentorship program to help California Native people make connections with agencies, foundations, and corporations that might be helpful to them. Referring interested parties to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for further contact with the tribes is ongoing. In 1998, Suscol Council purchased property in Pope Valley with the vision of creating a land base for Native Americans to preform ceremonies and gatherings to keep the Indigenous culture alive. Suscol Council has partnered with the Napa County Resource Conservation District to help preserve and enhance land stewardship.
Suscol Intertribal Council is located in the Napa Valley, believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited areas in North America. There is, however, no longer a land-based tribe in this county due to historical mass relocation and detrimental exposure to diseases.
Mission statement: Suscol Intertribal Council’s mission is to develop and maintain a Native American “Suskol House” in Chiles-Pope Valley in Napa County, California. The land project is a sustainable open space that will serve as a prototype to preserve and protect Native American culture and traditions. The organization is committed to promotion of cultural exchanges and communication between indigenous peoples and the general public. Suscol Council works to preserve human rights for indigenous people with other NGOs globally.
https://www.suscolcouncil.org/
By supporting Native-led nonprofits, we strengthen the collective effort to address injustices faced by Native Americans. Thank you for supporting Native-led initiatives on Native Nonprofit Day and always!