The California Truth and Healing Fund

Powered by Liberated Capital, a fund of Decolonizing Wealth

-Request for Proposals –

Fall 2023

BACKGROUND

Decolonizing Wealth Project is an Indigenous-led racial justice organization that envisions a world where racial equity has become a societal norm – where new systems ensure everyone can live their best lives, thrive in their cultures, and heal from generations of colonial trauma. Decolonizing Wealth Project (DWP) was established in 2018 to disrupt the existing systems of moving and controlling capital by offering truth, reconciliation, and healing from the ails of colonization through education, radical reparative giving, and narrative change. 

The California Truth & Healing Council (the “Council” or “CTHC”), created by Executive Order N-15-19, bears witness to, records, examines existing documentation of, and receives California Native American narratives regarding the historical relationship between the State of California and California Native Americans in order to clarify the historical record of such relationship in the spirit of truth and healing. The Council’s mission is facilitated by the Governor’s Tribal Advisor and includes representatives from California Native American tribes, relevant state and local agencies, and other relevant non-governmental stakeholders.

We believe that CA Native people have an unprecedented opportunity to leverage this political moment to advance healing for tribal communities across California.  In order for the process to be maximized,  CA tribes and Native-led organizations need resources to be engaged in the state’s process – to both inform and shape it and to hold the government accountable to its promises to Native people.

To this end, Liberated Capital, a fund of Decolonizing Wealth Project, launched a multi-year grantmaking initiative, the California Truth and Healing Fund, to support the engagement of California Native American families, communities, tribes, and organizations to engage in the work of truth and healing.  This includes opportunities presented by the Truth and Healing Council process and beyond.   

In an effort to create transparency and role clarity, we’d like to share that the CA Truth and Healing Fund operates independently of the State of California.  Its work is grounded in the mission of the Decolonizing Wealth Project, a global non-profit organization. Funding decisions will be guided by an advisory board of California Native Americans. 

CURRENT ELIGIBILITY & CRITERIA

• California Native American tribes  (Note: non-federally recognized tribes are eligible to apply through a 501(c)(3) or be fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3).)
• California Native American-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, coalitions or projects fiscally-sponsored by a 501(c)(3) based in California.
  • Native American-led defined: the organization’s Board of Directors and Executive leadership must be majority California Native-led, and must primarily service California Natives.
  • California Native-led organizations, coalitions or projects must name and provide Letters of Support from the CA tribe(s) they propose to engage, or tribally-affiliated references. 
• Individuals are not eligible for funding at this time. 
• Funding must be used for charitable purposes (no lobbying).  
• Funding cannot be used for efforts in opposition to other tribes or tribal entities. 
• Grant amounts will range from $5,000 to $50,000.

Funding priorities of the California Truth and Healing Fund are listed below in order of priority and will shift over time as the work progresses. Current funding priority will be given to activities that advance truth and healing efforts for California Native communities, utilizing the following strategies: capacity-building & technical assistance, advocacy and movement-building, and healing. More information on the strategies are below: 

1. Capacity-Building & Technical Assistance: for Tribes and Native-led organizations interested in capacity-building efforts as they relate broadly to truth and healing efforts, such as:
   1. Tribal history, research, and narrative work to document truth-telling towards healing and repair, such as digitizing tribal history, research, narratives, documentation of land loss, cultural items, or archival material, etc.  This may include efforts to record first-hand accounts and first-person narratives that capture oral history, clarify and correct the historical record, address grievances, and/or promote truth-telling.
   2. Capacity-building for Tribes, including resources for legal support, capacity-building for Land Back claims, retrieving historical documentation, engaging anthropological or scientific support to support claims, capacity building for how to create tribal land trusts, capacity building regarding tribal co-management, and/or other tribal planning needs. This does not include resources to purchase land.
2. Advocacy and Movement-Building: for Tribes and Native-led organizations to hold policymakers  accountable to adequately fund and implement community recommendations, including:
   1. Efforts to spread awareness and increase community engagement of CA Native Americans in opportunities for truth and healing, including logistical or capacity support to address barriers to attending and engaging in the Council meetings and hearings. The fund will prioritize statewide and regional organizations and coalitions that can provide awareness and create community engagement and logistical or capacity support to engage and influence the Council.
   2. Efforts to bring together California Native Americans intra or inter-tribally to engage with the Council process or to engage in independent truth and healing work with and among tribes.
3. Healing: Support for traditional healing programs or efforts connected to tribal or intra-tribal Truth and Healing processes.

KEY DATES + INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR REGISTRATION

Grant proposals may be submitted at any time by Thursday, October 19, 2023, 5:00 PM PST.

An informational session on the 2023 RFP will be held on Monday, October 2, 2023 3:30 – 4:30PM PST. Register Here.

Have questions? Check out our FAQs to learn more about the Fund. If you have a question that isn’t answered, we encourage you to attend the informational webinar to learn more or reach out to carlos@decolonizingwealth.com.

If you have questions about the application process and JustFund platform, contact the JustFund team at info@justfund.us.

HOW TO APPLY

Liberated Capital uses the JustFund platform to accept and review applications.

To apply, follow the steps below:

STEP 1: Visit www.justfund.us to log in or register for an account.

• If you have an existing JustFund account, click ‘Sign In’ and log in to access the RFP. If you are having trouble accessing your account, reset your password or contact info@justfund.us.
• If you do not have an existing account, click ‘Sign Up’ and complete the form.

Please note that registrations require 48 business hours for approval. We encourage applicants to register as early as possible. 

STEP 2: Once you are logged into JustFund, click ‘Funding Opportunities’ at the top of your screen, and select ‘The California Truth and Healing Fund’ RFP. Once you have reviewed the opportunity and determined you qualify to apply, click the ‘Apply’ button at the bottom of the screen. 

If you have additional questions, view JustFund’s, Help Center or contact info@justfund.us for support! 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

• Before you get started, learn more about how the JustFund Common Application™ works. Please ensure that all fields in your profile are up to date. As part of your application, your profile information will also be submitted and dated at time of submission.

Application Specific Questions

• The mission of the California Truth & Healing Council is to bear witness to, record, examine existing documentation of, and receive California Native American narratives regarding the historical relationship between the State of California and California Native Americans in order to clarify the historical record of such relationship in the spirit of truth and healing. How does your proposal align with this mission and how do you plan to engage community members in this work? *
• Other than financial, what barriers are you facing to fully participate in this opportunity for truth and healing? What strategies are you considering to overcome them? *

Application Specific Attachments

• Leadership and Team Bios (Required) (Please remember that the proposing organization’s Board of Directors and Executive leadership must be majority California Native-led, and must primarily service California Natives.)*
• Program Budget & Work Plan (Required)*
• Letters of Support from CA tribe(s) or tribally-affiliated references (Required for CA Native-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, coalitions or projects fiscally-sponsored by a 501(c)(3) based in CA – Not Required for CA Tribes)*

CONTACT US 

For questions, including assistance with the content of your application, please reach out to us at carlos@decolonizingwealth.com, with the subject line: CA Truth and Healing Fund. 

For technical assistance with the JustFund platform, contact info@justfund.us.