About Native Arts and Cultures Foundation
The Native Arts + Cultures Foundation advances equity and cultural knowledge, focusing on the power of arts and collaboration to strengthen Native communities and promote positive social change with American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples in the United States.
Focus Areas
Native arts and cultures (American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian)Individual artist support (grants, fellowships)Community-driven cultural projectsCultural sovereignty and preservationSocial justice and environmental sustainabilityProfessional development and mentorship
About Native Arts and Cultures Foundation
A defining feature of Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Inc’s recent grantmaking is the two-year SHIFT award, which provides $100,000 to support artists, curators, and community collaborators working on community-driven projects through a Native lens. In the latest grants list, that program appears alongside a set of $50,000 awards that show the foundation backing both arts practice and community-facing work. New Expressive Works in Portland and New Mexico Community Capital in Albuquerque each received $50,000 as SHIFT awardees in 2025, and Ninth Island Documentary LLC in Los Angeles received both a $50,000 award in 2025 and a $25,000 award in 2024. The foundation also supports Native arts across multiple forms, including performance, documentary, theater, and cultural convenings, while keeping a clear emphasis on Native communities in the United States. Its grantmaking reaches organizations and artist-led entities in cities such as Honolulu, Haines, Omaha, and New York, and the portfolio includes both project-based support and fellowship-style awards. The public summary describes a focus on equity, cultural knowledge, and the power of arts and collaboration to strengthen Native communities and promote positive social change with American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples.
What Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Funds
Social change is a recurring theme in the foundation’s support. New Expressive Works and New Mexico Community Capital each received $50,000 as SHIFT awardees for community-driven work, and the program is explicitly tied to social, environmental, and economic justice. The foundation also funds environmental and cultural concerns through project-based support: Takshanuk Watershed Council in Haines received $25,000 in 2025, and Old Harbor Alliance Inc in Old Harbor received $10,000 in 2024. In the performing arts, Honolulu Theatre for Youth received $10,000 in 2024, while Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles received $10,000 the same year. Documentary and media work also appears in the portfolio, including Ninth Island Documentary LLC in Los Angeles, which received awards in both 2024 and 2025.
How Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Gives
Typical awards cluster at $25,000, with a median grant size of $25,000 and a p25 of $10,000; the p75 is also $25,000. The recent record shows repeat support to several recipients across 2024 and 2025, including New Mexico Community Capital, Ninth Island Documentary LLC, Takshanuk Watershed Council, Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services, and Ephemera LLC. The foundation funds organizations and artist-led entities rather than individuals, and it does not make program-related investments. Several active programs accept unsolicited applications, including LIFT, SHIFT, the Oregon Native Artist Fellowship, Roots + Resonance, and the Community Inspiration Program.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$570K
Total Assets
$18.1M
Total Revenue
$1.7M
Total Expenses
$3.2M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $25K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$25K
Geographic Reach
National8 states funded
About 8% of grants go to recipients in NE.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
SHYLA SPICER
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