Indigenous peoples have lived in the right relationship with Mother Earth, as custodians and guardians of the land for generations. The climate crisis will remain just that if Indigenous communities are not centered, invested in, and leading solutions for both conservation and climate change. Indigenous leadership to support, protect, and conserve land can reverse and mitigate climate destruction.
Despite contributing the least to this crisis, and having ancient and traditional solutions, Indigenous-led organizations receive a small percentage of philanthropic climate funding. In addition, Indigenous and tribal leaders have been largely excluded from regional and national discussions on both climate change and conservation. Decolonizing Wealth Project is disrupting the flow of philanthropic capital to save our planet, recognizing that with Indigenous communities at the center, Mother Earth can heal.
Since 2021, our fund Liberated Capital has redistributed over $2 million to Indigenous-led organizations and tribes driving solutions on climate and conservation issues. Building on this work, we are excited to announce an additional $1 million funding opportunity for both current and Indigenous Earth Fund grantee partners and new organizations. We are most interested in supporting systemic and policy change efforts driving Indigenous climate change and conservation solutions in the United States.
This year the Indigenous Earth Fund will invest an additional $1 million from our fund, Liberated Capital. We are inviting proposals from Indigenous-led organizations and tribes working to build political power, movements, and lead campaigns to drive Indigenous solutions around climate change and conservation issues in the United States.
Examples of the work we seek to fund may include movement-building efforts and organizing campaigns that center Indigenous self-determination that promote sustainable food systems; land and forest management; protection and conservation of water sources and natural resources, or Indigenous-led data and research to advance advocacy efforts on climate and conservation solutions. We value and understand the importance of our sovereign tribal governments in this work and encourage projects led by, or partnered with, tribal nations. This list is not exhaustive.
Grant awards will likely range from $50,000 – $75,000 for one year. We operate through a trust-based model, so grants will be untethered resources that enable Indigenous-led organizations to get the work done how and where they see fit. The solutions and ideas will vary, and that’s ok! We want to celebrate and invest in the diverse wisdom Indigenous communities have been cultivating for thousands of years.
Grant decisions will be made by the IEF Advisory Committee, all of whom are Indigenous experts and leaders.
Click here for the IEF FAQ document, which is updated as additional questions are received.
Proposals are due by November 2, 2023, at 5 p.m. PT.
If you have any technical issues submitting your application, please contact the JustFund team at info@justfund.us.
On October 6, 2023, we held an informational webinar and Q&A session for interested applicants. Watch the recording.
Please note there are different instructions for current grantee partners of the Indigenous Earth Fund grant in 2022 and new applicants. To avoid delay in processing your application, please follow the instructions applicable to your situation.
(recipient of Indigenous Earth Fund grant in 2022)
Your organization will receive an emailed invitation to apply, and like last year, applications will be submitted via the JustFund platform. If you have not received an emailed invitation, please contact JustFund at info@justfund.us.
As a reminder, JustFund utilizes a Common Application where you will detail your organization’s mission statement, team description, and financial need. For steps on how to update this information, click here.
Current grantee partners must include the following additional information:
Applications will be submitted via the JustFund platform and you must be registered with JustFund to submit an application.
Step 1: Sign in or Sign up for a JustFund account.
NOTE: It takes approximately 48 hours for an account to become active- this means you may need to wait up to two days to submit your proposal after you create your account. Please take this timeline into consideration when deciding when to submit.
Step 2: Submit your application. When logging into the JustFund platform, you will be first prompted to fill out your organizational profile, which is your JustFund Common Application.
After completion, visit the “Funding Opportunities” tab on the top left corner, where you will find the Indigenous Earth Fund Application information. You’ll be able to apply after just a few short steps.
In addition to the JustFund Common Application, we also ask for the following information as part of the Indigenous Earth Fund Application:
All competitive applications will include these documents. Without this information, your application will be considered incomplete.
For questions about RFP and the requirements for submission, reach out to us at info@decolonizingwealth.com.
Additional resources
For questions about how to apply or use the JustFund platform, please reach out to the JustFund team at info@justfund.us.
On January 20, 2022, we announced the redistribution of $1M+ to the following organizations:
READ THE PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING THE FIRST COHORT!
*some proposals covered multiple regions of the United States, focus areas were identified by grantee partners during application process.
We keep raising money and awareness to support this multi-year campaign.
And the work doesn’t stop with our grants. We’re committed to identifying the best ways to elevate the work of Indigenous-led conservation and climate efforts across the country.
Interested in supporting this work? Reach out to us at info@decolonizingwealth.com to set up a call with our team.
Press inquiries: decolonizingwealth@sunshinesachs.com