Rethinking Philanthropy: Indigenous-led Grantmaking

About

According to a study published by International Funders for Indigenous Peoples and GrantCraft in 2015, Indigenous peoples are largely left out of philanthropy, which poses a real challenge to creating an even playing field. In the context of US global giving, direct funding to Indigenous peoples represents a tiny fraction of total giving. For years, indigenous communities and philanthropic practitioners have been asking, why funders won’t partner with these important rich and diverse communities? Why not include voices and perspectives of Indigenous peoples in the many issues that they touch and are impacted by? In response to this challenge, a few Indigenous leaders have stepped up to rethink philanthropy in a way that is inclusive of Indigenous peoples.  They have designed Indigenous-led grantmaking programs that place the decision-making power on the indigenous leader, and include values of reciprocity and community knowledge.

In this webinar, we are bringing together indigenous leaders from the philanthropic sector that will share how they have redefined grantmaking practices to better serve Indigenous communities. This panel will comment on the unique needs of native communities in the South West of the United States, as well as explore the regional and global Indigenous-led movements that are gaining traction.  Jim Enote of the Colorado Plataeu Foundation will speak to the benefits of running a Native-led grantmaking program and the unique practices that the foundation has developed to support its grantmaking. Dr. Myrna Kay Cunningham Kain will address how the Pawanka Fund’s Indigenous-led grantmaking efforts is supporting Indigenous leaders and promoting learning between local projects and the communities they serve. Teresa Zapeta of the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI), will share how FIMI is enabling Indigenous women to access and mobilize the resources they need around the world.

Outcomes:

Upon completion of this live, online training you should be able to:

• Discover unique challenges that Indigenous led organizations around the world face when trying to access philanthropic funds
• Describe how Indigenous communities are redefining philanthropic practices
• Compare different approaches to Indigenous-led grantmaking
• Recognize how Indigenous-led grantmaking practices could be applied to your grantees or community

Watch this webinar live and continue the Q&A conversation locally with your nonprofit peers at our Funding Information Network location in Santa Barbara, CA.