First Nations Development Institute
Grant funding targeted specifically to Native communities for sustainable agriculture practices is fairly limited. Subsidies and agriculture assistance is given to the food producers with the greatest amount of political influence. There are, however, a number of organizations that provide limited assistance to Tribal communities that want to create a sustaining and environmentally friendly food source for rural communities. First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) began its national grantmaking program in 1993. The grantmaking program provides financial and technical resources to Tribes and Native American nonprofit organizations. With the support of individuals, foundations, and corporate and Tribal donors, FNDI improves economic conditions for Native Americans through technical assistance and training, advocacy and policy, and direct financial grants. FNDI has successfully managed 1,648 grants totaling more than $34.9 million to Native American projects and organizations in 40 states. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), a long-term ge nerous supporter of FNDI’s work, partnered with First Nations beginning in 2011 to support food sovereignty initiatives that address food insecurity, food deserts, and health and nutrition while simultaneously increasing much-needed economic development. In 2015, WKKF provided a grant of $2.95 million to FNDI’s work, and the Food Sovereignty Assessment grants were made possible by that funding. This is an excellent resource for finding current funding opportunities for strengthening American Indian economies to support healthy Native American communities and for gaining insight on preparing successful grant applications. Our challenge is that funding does not always meet the needs of our community. While we have a large community of gardeners who need support and education, the funding available is often available only to farmers and ranchers.
Assessments: First Nations Toolkit Funding Opportunities: First Nations Development Institute
Great Lakes Intertribal Food Summit
Intertribal Food Summits are annual gatherings that bring together American Indian Tribes to celebrate and share Indigenous food. In April of 2019 the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Summit, hosted by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians in Dowagiac, Michigan, explored topics such as traditional tools and skills, food as medicine, seeds, farming, gardening, community and entrepreneurial development, and land management and ecological knowledge. This summit was family-friendly, with many hands-on
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