About First Peoples Fund
We honor and support the Collective Spirit of First Peoples artists and culture bearers. By supporting artists and culture bearers, First Peoples Fund helps Native communities heal and thrive. Collectively, we approach our work with rootedness, intuition, listening, humility and deep relationships.
Focus Areas
Indigenous arts and cultural preservationNative artist fellowships and awardsPerforming arts (Native Performing Arts)Music programs and studiosArtist professional development and business trainingNative nonprofit capacity building and community developmentEmergency/rapid-response grants for artists
Who They Fund
individual artists/fellowscultural and arts organizationsorganizations using fiscal sponsorship
About First Peoples Fund
First Peoples Fund’s grantmaking centers Native artists and culture bearers, with support that reaches individual fellowships, community awards, live production, and organizational capacity. A defining thread in the recent record is Indigenous arts ecology building: the foundation has made repeated $50,000 grants to Native-led organizations and intermediaries, while also making a $50,000 Jennifer Easton Community Spirit Award and a $1,750,000 designated fund grant to Indian Land Tenure Foundation. That mix shows a funder working across direct artist support and the institutions that sustain Native cultural work. The foundation also supports music, performing arts, and artist entrepreneurship through named programs such as Native Performing Arts, Cultural Capital, and Artist in Business Leadership. Its model includes unrestricted general operating support for Native arts organizations through Rooted Pathways Grant and cohort-based support through Native Arts Ecology Building grants. In parallel, First Peoples Fund funds residencies and visiting artist activity at Oglala Lakota Artspace on Pine Ridge Reservation, and it recognizes community leadership through nomination-based awards for Native artists and culture bearers. Across the record, the emphasis stays on Native-led cultural practice, artistic development, and the community structures around them.
What First Peoples Fund Funds
In Indigenous arts and cultural preservation, First Peoples Fund backs both individuals and institutions. A $50,000 Jennifer Easton Community Spirit Award recognizes a Native artist or culture bearer for cultural generosity and community uplift, while a $50,000 NAEB grant to Wisconsin Native Loan Fund Inc. supports Native arts ecology building through organizational and community infrastructure. Performing arts is another clear line of work. The foundation gave $100,000 to Lakota Funds for a Native Arts Ecology Building grant, and its program structure includes Native Performing Arts Fellowship and Live Production Grants for theater, music, dance, and other performance forms. Artist entrepreneurship shows up in the Artist in Business Leadership Fellowship, a yearlong program with $10,000 support toward business needs. For place-based arts practice, First Peoples Fund runs the OLA Artist-In-Residence Program on Pine Ridge Reservation in Kyle, South Dakota, serving culture bearers and artists of the Oceti Sakowin and broader Lakota communities.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2M
Total Assets
$16.1M
Total Revenue
$9.2M
Total Expenses
$7.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $20K and $31K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$31K
Geographic Reach
National16 states funded
About 16% of grants go to recipients in MN.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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