Deadline: 31-Oct-23
NDN Collective is seeking applications for the community action fund to support on the ground organizers and movement builders in the U.S., CANADA, MEXICO AND U.S. territories who stand on the frontlines to defend indigenous peoples inherent rights to self-determination and equity for all people and mother earth.
Purpose & Intent
- NDN is deeply committed and connected to the Indigenous movement space and what is happening on the ground for Indigenous activists. NDN Foundation’s Community Action Fund (CAF) provides urgent response grants that move money into the movement space to help further Indigenous Peoples’ agendas as it relates to the defense, development, and decolonization of their peoples and Mother Earth. CAF provides urgent response grants to groups and individuals most impacted by local challenges, ensuring that resources and decision-making ability lies with those most affected by the results and most equipped to solve pressing challenges and address imminent threats. CAF prioritizes frontline, grassroots and community-based efforts that defend their people, communities and nations against negative resource extraction that poisons their people, pollutes their water, destroys their lands, contributes to climate change and violates their human rights.
Funding Information
- The average grant award is $15,000 but can range up to $30,000.
What Does Support Look Like?
- CAF will support efforts that include community organizing, amplification of community voices, and utilize a wide variety of tactics imperative to shifting the political and financial systems that are impacting their communities.
- Areas of emphasis may include: climate justice and racial equity efforts, challenging the extractive industry, accelerating the just energy transition in Indigenous communities, healing justice work within the movement, and training the next generation of community organizers. Direct expenses may include funding for travel, supplies, equipment, consultants, contractual services and staff that support various forms of NVDA (non-violent direct action), i.e.; marches, camps, boycotts, prayer vigils as a form of resistance, organizing or protest to affect change. Action may also include community-based response to climate events such as flooding, fires, earthquakes.
Eligibility Criteria
- NDN’s geographic grantmaking focus is Turtle Island (North America) and related Island Nations, which includes the United States, Mexico, Canada, Borikén/Puerto Rico and the U.S. “Territories”: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Grantmaking may be provided to the following recipients:
- Indigenous-led non-profit organizations within the U.S.
- U.S. based Tribes, tribal non-profit entities or tribal programs, Alaska Native Villages or their non-profit entities
- First Nations or Inuit and Metis communities, groups and organizations based in Canada
- Indigenous communities, groups and organizations based in Mexico
- Individual Indigenous people leading direct action or movement building work.
Key Considerations
- A viable Community Action effort must have the following attributes in order to be considered:
- Relationships in community and on the ground (known partners, including community relationships, partnerships and other supports, networks and allies)
- A clear intention with clear result, including the strategies, tactics and mechanism to move it forward.
- They prioritize grass-roots, community-based groups and organizations with limited annual budgets of no more than $1 million and with limited access to donors
- In order to receive an NDN Foundation grant, you or your group/organization must have a Tax Identification Number. You can apply as a non-profit organization, as an individual, a Tribe/First Nation, or as a business. The tax identification of the organization or individual becomes responsible for accountability of the grant and/or taxable income if applicable, and must be submitted with the application.
- Don’t have a Tax ID Number?
- Organizations/Groups can partner with a local nonprofit they have an established relationship with, who may or may not have an official fiscal sponsorship program, but can become a fiscal sponsor of the grassroots group if they are interested.
- Please note that there are many types of fiscal sponsorship relationships; it is important to research which type works best for you and your organization before entering an agreement.
- If you are partnering with a fiscal sponsor to apply for this funding stream, the fiscal sponsor does not have to meet the “Indigenous led” . Only the individual/Tribal Nation/organization doing the work with the funds must meet the criteria to be eligible. Note: If you proceed with a fiscal sponsor, they will ask you and the fiscal sponsor to sign a fiscal sponsorship agreement.
- Community Harmony and Safety Protocols – Applicants are required to share their community harmony and safety protocols related to the COVID 19 Pandemic and prevention/protection of participants from the harms of physical/sexual abuse or exploitation.
- Advocacy Activities – You may intend to carry out your project by advocating to change public policy. If your project includes public policy advocacy, NDN needs to understand whether that advocacy will involve lobbying. NDN can fund lobbying so long as it properly accounts for it. You may be engaged in lobbying if you communicate with legislators, their staff, or the public about actions such as passing a law or funding a government program.
For more information visit NDN Collective.