The Native American Agriculture Fund appears to focus its resources on supporting Native-led agricultural and food systems work, likely routing substantial dollars through programmatic grant schedules rather than many individual line-item awards. Its public grant record here shows very large, consolidated disbursements (listed as “See Attached Schedules”), suggesting the foundation funds multiple Native-serving organizations and initiatives through a small number of large funding vehicles. The emphasis is likely on strengthening tribal food sovereignty, agricultural infrastructure, and organizational capacity for Native producers and communities.
The Native American Agriculture Fund’s public record is marked by two very large annual disbursements listed as “See attached schedules,” including $11,121,458 in 2023 and $10,881,305 in 2024. That pattern points to grantmaking done through consolidated funding schedules rather than a long tail of small awards, with the dollars flowing through Native agriculture and food-system support rather than individual grants to people. The fund’s current programs show a consistent emphasis on Native farmers, ranchers, fishers, food systems, and tribal communities, along with scholarship support for Native students pursuing agriculture-related degrees. The fund’s work is organized around eligible organizations and intermediaries that can carry out business assistance, agricultural education, technical support, advocacy, and food sovereignty projects. Its program design also includes support for Native-led Community Development Financial Institutions and ag-credit hubs, which broadens the financing tools available to producers. In the recent grants record, large scheduled awards appear alongside a scholarship administration structure, showing a mix of direct program support and managed funding vehicles. The foundation’s public materials also point to projects serving Native and rural communities across Indian Country and tribal nations.
In Native agricultural business support, the Native American Agriculture Fund uses its annual request-for-applications program to back organizations that help Native farmers and ranchers with business assistance, agricultural education, technical support, and advocacy. The 2026 RFA describes this as its primary grantmaking program for Native and rural communities. For capital access, the fund operates CDFI and access-to-capital grants through its RFA process. Those grants are aimed at Native-led and Native-serving Community Development Financial Institutions and ag-credit hubs, with examples of support for regional credit hubs, lending capital, borrower technical assistance, and equity-building products. The fund also supports Native students in agriculture. Its scholarship fund is administered through the American Indian Graduate Center and is designed to help students pursuing post-secondary degrees related to agriculture. A separate program focus is Native food systems and food sovereignty, reflected in the annual RFA’s emphasis on food sovereignty and projects that benefit Native and tribal communities.
$10.9M
$194.1M
$2.7M
$18.4M
Most grants fall between $10.9M and $11.1M, with a median of $11M.
25th Percentile
$10.9M
Median
$11M
75th Percentile
$11.1M
About 50% of grants go to recipients in ND.
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Highly concentrated: very large grants recorded as consolidated schedules (2 grants totalling ~$22M), implying the fund disburses substantial sums through a few funding vehicles that likely support many Native organizations rather than many small, individual grants.
Notable grantees: Grants listed as 'SEE ATTACHED SCHEDULES' — funding is distributed via consolidated schedules to multiple Native agricultural organizations and initiatives
The grant-size distribution is very tight at the top end: p25 is $10,941,343, median is $11,001,382, and p75 is $11,061,420. That suggests a grantmaking pattern built around a small number of very large awards rather than many smaller checks. The public record also shows repeated use of annual RFA cycles, including 2021, 2024, 2025, and 2026, which points to recurring programmatic funding. The fund is a foundation, not a vehicle that funds individuals, and it does not make program-related investments. Its open application pathways include unsolicited applications through the RFA and current grantee portal.
Grantmaking is regional and heavily centered in North Dakota, which accounts for 50% of grants given to recipients in the HQ state. The recent grant record also includes a recipient in Fayetteville, Arkansas, showing that awards are not limited to the headquarters state. Beyond the recent-grant table, the fund’s stated scope reaches Indian Country, tribal communities, and Native and rural communities across the United States. The recipient country distribution shown here is entirely U.S.-based.
It supports eligible organizations that serve Native farmers, ranchers, fishers, Native food systems, and tribal communities. Its programs also cover Native-led and Native-serving CDFIs, ag-credit hubs, scholarship administrators, and Native nonprofit networks working on agriculture.
Yes. The fund’s RFA-based programs accept unsolicited applications, and the Current Grantee Portal is used for submitting applications when RFAs are open. The active program listings also mark several scholarship and RFA pathways as accepting unsolicited submissions.
The grant-size distribution is extremely concentrated: p25 is $10,941,343, median is $11,001,382, and p75 is $11,061,420. That indicates the fund generally makes very large awards rather than small project grants.
The fund’s stated scope is regional, with grantmaking centered in North Dakota and broader activity across the United States, Indian Country, and tribal communities. The recipient country distribution in the provided record is entirely U.S.-based.
Yes. One of its active programs is a scholarship fund for Native students pursuing post-secondary degrees related to agriculture. The program is meant to expand access to agricultural training and reduce student loan burden for future farmers.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEE ATTACHED SCHEDULES | BISMARCK, ND | $10,881,305 | 2024 | SEE ATTACHED SCHEDULES |
| See attached schedules | Fayetteville, AR | $11,121,458 | 2023 | See attached schedules |
SEE ATTACHED SCHEDULES
$10,881,305SEE ATTACHED SCHEDULES
See attached schedules
$11,121,458See attached schedules
Current and upcoming funding from Native American Agriculture Fund that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Native-led or Native-serving CDFIs and lending entities, or eligible nonprofits/instrumentalities that can implement lending, re-granting, or capital access programs in service to Native producers. Must comply with Trust Agreement restrictions (no direct grants to individuals).
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