The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s (CEP) recent report on funding disparities faced by Native-serving nonprofits highlights what many of us in the equitable philanthropy movement have long known: Indigenous communities are not receiving the support that we desperately need. As Native-led organizations, we have the solutions to address the issues our communities are facing. We know what our strengths are and we have the knowledge and wisdom to utilize them. Unfortunately, we have not had the flexible support or the necessary resources to fully implement these Native-led solutions. This needs to change.

According to the Investing in Native Communities project, large foundations have allocated less than half a percent of their total annual grantmaking to Native communities since 2006. The percentage allocated to Native-led and Native-serving organizations is likely much lower. Native people are often considered as an afterthought, if we are considered at all. According to the dominant narrative, we are people of the past. When we are mentioned, we are often relegated to an “other” category within demographic data sources. We are regularly considered too “statistically insignificant” for our stories to make the front page. In reality, there is important work happening every day — much of it led by Native nonprofits.

Read the full article about native-led solutions by Carly Bad Heart Bull, JD at The Center for Effective Philanthropy.