Don’t Exclude Indigenous!

Expanding DEI in Philanthropy by Including Native Communities

Monday, October 14, 2:00pm – 4:30pm

Organized and facilitated by Catherine Bryan, director of Programs of Strengthening Tribal and Community Institutions, First Nations Development Institute; and Raymond Foxworth, vice president of Grantmaking, Development, and Communications, First Nations Development Institute.

Presented by Michael E. Roberts, president & CEO, First Nations Development Institute; Susan Anderson, president & CEO; The CIRI Foundation; and Cheryl Crazy Bull, president & CEO, American Indian College Fund.

There has been growing attention and action focused on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and power sharing in philanthropy. Yet, these conversations do not acknowledge that some groups and communities are so extremely marginalized that they are largely invisible from philanthropy altogether. Consider for example that less than 0.5 percent of foundation giving is directed to Native American causes and organizations. A much smaller portion of this funding is directed to Native-led arts programming. During this session, nonprofit leaders and funders will explore research efforts for documenting statistics on Native-led organizations and examine the impacts of exclusionary funding. We will close with a discussion around practical tools and strategies to mitigate these issues and practice more inclusive and equitable grantmaking for Native American causes and communities.