Tribal Climate and Conservation
The Land, Water, and People
As the first caretakers of the land in these United States, Indigenous peoples have a special connection to the land, water, and many species that share their world. The Earth is a part of their culture, creation stories, and ways of life. Indigenous peoples have been stewards of the environment since time immemorial, preserving the land, water, and species that have sustained their communities for generations. They have long learned the delicate balance of sustainable practices while living in harmony with the environment. Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) recognizes the importance of this relationship and supports Native-led climate and conservation work.

Tribal Conservation Pledge & Funding Collaborative
NAP is partnering with the Christensen Fund and Biodiversity Funders Group to launch a new Tribal Nations Conservation Pledge & Funding Collaborative. This initiative calls on the philanthropic sector to significantly invest in conservation projects led by Tribal Nations and aims to reach $100 million in new commitments. This pledge and fund will serve as a centralized platform to inform, coordinate, and fund Tribal Nation conservation work.

The Pledge
To join the pledge, donors can commit to allocating a specific amount of programmatic dollars or a percentage of annual programmatic spending over the next three (3) years toward Tribes, inter-Tribal organizations, and Tribal consortia working on biodiversity and conservation efforts. These include
- Tribal Nation natural resource and conservation programs and project
- Inter-Tribal projects, regrant, and/or technical assistance programs
- Tribal consortia
- Native-led conservation NGOs working in direct partnership and service of Tribes or Tribal-led initiatives
- Non-profit fiscal agent recommended by a Tribal Nation for conservation projects

Collaborative Fund
To assist donors in deploying support, NAP and The Christensen Fund are also announcing a new collaborative fund housed at NAP that will directly fund Tribes, inter-Tribal organizations, and Tribal consortia working on biodiversity and conservation efforts. Through its Tribal Nations Initiative, NAP will develop an advisory committee of Tribal leaders to help guide this fund. NAP will also work with its partners to identify projects that are leveraging partnerships with federal agencies to maximize the impact of public-private partnerships. A portion of this fund can be combined to help leverage federal matching funds, such as the recent announcement from NFWF to prioritize 10% of conservation funding for Tribal Nations.

Learning Circle
In partnership with The Christensen Fund and Native Americans in Philanthropy, Biodiversity Funders Group (BFG) will offer donors the opportunity to participate in a Tribal Funding Learning Circle as a complement to their financial commitment. A network of some of the most influential environment and conservation funders in the US, BFG’s mission is to support and grow a community of biodiversity grantmakers that pursues complementary and collaborative strategies. BFG will work closely with NAP to convene a series of learning opportunities that seek to engage philanthropic and tribal leaders around emerging issues and opportunities.

How To Get Involved
Philanthropic donors can join this effort in one of three ways:
- Donors can commit to the Tribal Nations Conservation Pledge by designating an amount of programmatic dollars or a percentage of programmatic spending for tribal conservation through grants that donors make on their own.
- Donors can make a monetary contribution to the fund.
- Donors can commit to the pledge and make a monetary contribution to the fund.
For more information or to join the Pledge and the Fund please contact Greg Masten at gmasten@nativephilanthropy.org.

For more information on NAP's Tribal Nations Initiative, please visit: nativephilanthropy.org/tni
For additional information and support please email Rose David, TNI Program Manager at rdavid@nativephilanthropy.org
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Lastest Press
11/10/2022- 14 Tribal Nations have been awarded $26.7 million to invest in Native-led conservation projects through the 2022 America The Beautiful Challenge
11/07/2022- Native Americans in Philanthropy Announce First of its Kind Tribal Nations Conservation Pledge and Fund to Distribute Millions to Native American Tribes for Environmental and Conservation Work in the U.S.
READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
Fund & Pledge FAQ
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What is the relationship between the Pledge and the Fund?
The Pledge is a publicly shared commitment to support this Tribal Nations-led conservation collaborative. The Fund is an effective and streamlined way that funders can use to meet their commitments to the Pledge,
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What counts toward the Pledge?
Any grants or other charitable support of Tribes, inter-Tribal organizations, and Tribal consortia for work on biodiversity and conservation issues.
These include:
- Tribal Nation natural resource and conservation programs and projects
- Inter-Tribal projects, regrant, and/or technical assistance programs directly to Tribal Nations
- Tribal consortia working directly with Tribal Nations
- Native-led conservation NGOs working in direct partnership and service to Tribes or Tribal- led initiatives
- Non-profit organizations recommended by a Tribal Nation for conservation
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Public and Private match.
In addition to funding Tribal Conservation projects, the Tribal Nations pooled conservation fund will also support Tribes to meet the matching requirements to obtain federal funding for Tribal conservation work. This unique opportunity provides more coordination to unlock and leverage additional federal funding to support Tribal conservation work.
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Does the pledge or fund seek to reach a total dollar goal amount?
We hope to reach $100 million in commitments under the Pledge (spending during the next three years, 2022-2025). Of which, we hope to reach $75 million contributed to the pooled Fund and $25 million in pledges.
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Is there a minimum commitment?
There is no minimum commitment to join either the Tribal Nations Conservation Pledge or Fund.
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How will the pledge and the members’ commitments and contributions be publicized? Will there be reporting on members’ actions to ensure accountability?
Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) will coordinate with donors and the collaborative on press releases, social media posts, and public outreach. NAP will provide an annual report on Tribal conservation work supported by this Fund and Pledges. Additionally, NAP will maintain a Tribal conservation website that will inform, coordinate, and highlight this collaborative Fund and Pledge.
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Can foundations fund Tribal Nations in conservation work?
Yes, there are many examples of foundations funding Tribes directly in conservation work. In 1982 Congress passed the Indian Tribal Governmental Tax Status Act. This legislation, codified as Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 7871, treats tribal governments as state governments for certain tax purposes. It allows tribal governments, their political subdivisions, or any tribal governmental fund, entity or program that is an integral part of a tribal government to receive tax-deductible donations. Donations to such entities are deductible by the individual donor for income tax purposes and also count as qualifying distributions for foundations. Additionally, some Tribes have incorporated a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation under either Tribal law or state law. Section 17 of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (IRA) establishes Tribal entities have the same tax status as the Tribe.
Conservation Fund FAQ
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How will the funds be dispersed? Who will make these decisions?
Native Americans in Philanthropy has developed a comprehensive, inclusive and a transparent process to disperse funding. Through NAP’s Tribal Nations Initiative, a national Tribal Leader advisory group will guide the this fund with a steering committee consisting of key Native-led technical assistance and convening partners to review and approve projects. Projects will be solicited through an open RFP process.
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How often will grant decisions be made?
There will be an bi-annual RFP and grant cycle. Additional funding opportunities may be made available where the collaborative can support tribes accessing significant federal funding opportunities, particularly related to matching requirements.
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What kinds of projects do you expect the Fund to support?
The pooled fund will fund conservation projects in five distinct categories; 1. capacity for inter-tribal organizations for technical assistance and tribal conservation field-building work, 2. conserving and restoring rivers, wetlands, watersheds and coasts, 3. land conservation and restoration “Land Back”
projects, conserving and restoring forests, grasslands, plateau regions and other important ecosystems that serve as carbon sinks, 4. connecting and reconnecting wildlife corridors, large landscapes, watersheds, seascapes and species protection and mitigation, and 5. support “match” requirements for federal conservation funding. -
My foundation only supports work in a specific geographic area.
Can I restrict my support within the Fund to project in that area? Yes, you can designate geographic restrictions on contributions to the Fund and NAP will match your funds to appropriate projects. Alternatively, pledge members can review projects recommended for funding by the Advisory Committee and provide direct support to those projects that match their geographic interests.
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Will the fund publicize a list of grants made? How else will they be announced?
All grants made by the Fund will be announced via press releases and publication on the NAP website. The website will list all members contributing to the pooled fund. For organizations pledged but not in the pooled fund, pledge amounts and updates will be provided on the website.
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Will NAP charge overhead or a fee to distribute the Fund resources?
Yes, NAP has developed 2 phases to administer this fund. In phase 1, funding will be used for field building to support the infrastructure of NAP and its national partners for this fund. In phase 2, this fund will fund conservation projects directly to Tribes, in which 4-7% of those funds will be used to support NAP and its inter-tribal partners to administer the funds, provide ongoing technical assistance, support the website maintenance, provide reporting, coordinate collaborative meetings and other activities to support this work.
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How do I contribute to the pooled Fund? Who should I contact?
The Pledge and the Fund are housed at NAP. Please contact Greg Masten at gmasten@nativephilanthropy.org