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Native American food sovereignty
FLAGSTAFF, AZ · EIN 464578553 · Form 990 · FY2022 · NTEE S80 · Community Improvement · Medium ($1M-$10M) · www.nativefoodalliance.org
revenue
$1.3M
expenses
$2.3M
net assets
$2.6M
employees
8
volunteers
17
program ratio
79%
mission · from form 990

NAFSA was formed to restore & support Native American food systems nationally, in New Mexico & Canada through education, advocacy & policy, while promoting better health & creating economic opportunities.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance (NAFSA) is dedicated to promoting Indigenous food sovereignty through grassroots networking and advocacy. They serve Native communities across the United States, focusing on restoring traditional food systems and empowering local growers. NAFSA emphasizes the importance of cultural continuity and decision-making authority in food practices.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2022

what they reported doing

Program narrative the organization filed with the IRS. Ordered by program spending.

  1. #1 primary $305K
    ISKN: NAFSAs Indigenous Seed Keepers Network (ISKN) is nourishing the growing Seed Sovereignty movement across North America through providing educationalresources, organizing events to connect those engaged in seed saving, & through providing mentorship training, outreach, & advocacy support on seed policy issues.
  2. #2 $197K
    Food and Culinary: NAFSAs Food & Culinary program is cultivating a network of Indigenous food preparers & developing peer-to-peer learning opportunities thatsupport reconnecting with traditional diets & lifeways
named programs · 2 · from sources

what they call their work

Food and Culinary Program
Focuses on Indigenous culinary revitalization and education.
Indigenous Seed Keepers Network
Supports Indigenous growers through stipends and resources to reclaim relationships to land and seed.
activities · 2 groups

what they do

  • Indigenous Seed Sovereignty & Rematriation 19 activities
    • Administering the Rooted and Rising Grower Stipend Program
      Awards twenty $2,000 stipends to individuals across 11 states and 16 tribal communities to support Indigenous growers in building infrastructure and acquiring tools for their agricultural projects. The program received over 116 applications in 2025.
    • Administering the Rooted and Rising Grower Stipend program
      Awards twenty $2,000 stipends to individuals across 11 states and 16 tribal communities to support Indigenous growers in building infrastructure and acquiring tools for their agricultural projects. The program received over 116 applications in 2025.
    • Administering the Rooted and Rising Grower Stipend program
      Awards twenty $2,000 stipends to individuals across 11 states and 16 tribal communities to support Indigenous growers in building infrastructure and acquiring tools for their agricultural projects. The program received over 116 applications in 2025.
    • Distributing Healing Meals Microgrants
      Distributes $3,000 microgrants to Indigenous organizers to host Healing Meals focused on ancestral foodways and community wellness. In 2025, eleven such microgrants were distributed.
    • Distributing Healing Meals microgrants
      Distributes $3,000 microgrants to Indigenous organizers to host community meals focused on ancestral foodways and wellness.
    • Distributing Healing Meals microgrants
      Distributes $3,000 microgrants to Indigenous organizers to host community meals focused on ancestral foodways and wellness.
    • Offering consultations and funding for seed program development
      Provides one-on-one and small group consultations for seed program development and offers funding opportunities for seedkeepers and related projects.
    • Operating the Food and Culinary Program
      Formalized in 2017, this program supports Indigenous culinary revitalization, including a Virtual Food and Culinary Mentorship Program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Operating the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network
      Established in 2015, this program focuses on supporting Indigenous seed sovereignty through various initiatives.
    • Operating the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network
      Operates the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network, which was established as an official program in 2015 to support Indigenous seed sovereignty.
    • Operating the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network
      Established in 2015, this program focuses on supporting Indigenous seed sovereignty through various initiatives.
    • Operating the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network
      Established in 2015, this program focuses on seed sovereignty, providing tools, guides, curriculum, and policy support, and fostering relationships across seed networks and Tribal communities.
    • Providing Educational Resources and Training for Indigenous Food Systems
      Offers educational resources, including a webinar series and downloadable tools, to support growers, organizers, and advocates within Indigenous food systems. This includes the "Gather to Grow Webinar Series" for seed-to-sovereignty training, and resources like the "Indigenous Seed Keeper Network One Pager," "ISKN Seed Saving Workbook," and "ISKN Lunar Planting Workbook."
    • Providing educational resources and training for Indigenous food systems
      Offers a variety of educational resources, including a webinar series, downloadable tools, guides, and workbooks, to support growers, organizers, and advocates in Indigenous food systems. This includes the "Gather to Grow Webinar Series" and resources like the "Indigenous Seed Keeper Network One Pager," "ISKN Seed Saving Workbook," and "ISKN Lunar Planting Workbook."
    • Providing educational resources and training for Indigenous food systems
      Offers a webinar series, downloadable tools, guides, and workbooks (e.g., "Gather to Grow Webinar Series," "Indigenous Seed Keeper Network One Pager," "ISKN Seed Saving Workbook," "ISKN Lunar Planting Workbook") to support growers, organizers, and advocates in Indigenous food systems. This includes culturally rooted training on seed stewardship, ethics, and rematriation, as well as peer-to-peer learning and Indigenous-led education.
    • Running the Food and Culinary Program
      Formalized in 2017, this program supports Indigenous culinary revitalization, including a Virtual Food and Culinary Mentorship Program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Running the Food and Culinary Program
      Runs the Food and Culinary Program, formalized in 2017, to support Indigenous culinary revitalization. This includes a Virtual Food and Culinary Mentorship Program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Supporting Indigenous Seed Sovereignty
      Strengthens relationships across seed networks and Tribal communities by offering tools, guides, curriculum, and policy support for seed sovereignty. This includes providing one-on-one and small group consultations for seed program development, offering funding opportunities for seedkeepers, and facilitating peer-to-peer learning and culturally rooted training on seed stewardship, ethics, and rematriation.
    • Supporting Indigenous seed sovereignty
      Strengthens relationships across seed networks and Tribal communities, offers tools, guides, curriculum, and policy support for seed sovereignty, and provides one-on-one and small group consultations for seed program development. This includes offering funding opportunities for seedkeepers and culturally rooted training on seed stewardship, ethics, and rematriation.
  • Uncategorized 3 activities
    • Facilitating community gatherings and peer-to-peer learning
      Partners with communities to support local and regional gatherings and facilitates peer-to-peer learning and Indigenous-led education.
    • Facilitating community partnerships and gatherings
      Partners with communities to support local and regional gatherings and strengthens relationships across seed networks and Tribal communities.
    • Partnering with Communities for Local and Regional Gatherings
      Partners with communities to support local and regional gatherings, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing within Indigenous food systems.
financials · form 990 · fy2022
revenue
Total revenue$1.26M
Contributions & grants$1.26M100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$2K0%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$2.32M
Program expenses79%
Admin / overhead17%
Fundraising4%
Salaries & benefits$581K
Grants paid out$227K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$2.67M
Cash$2.41M
Investments$0
Liabilities$52K
Net assets$2.62M
Liquid reserves12.5 mo
2 years on record · 2020–2022 · YoY revenue +77.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2022

who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
LILIAN HILL Executive Dir. 40 $88K
JOHN BONAPARTE Director 1 $24K
board members · 12
  • DAN CORNELIUS — Director
  • EDWARD H HALL III — Vice President
  • ELIZABETH HOOVER — Secretary
  • JON MATTHEWS — Treasurer
  • JOSIE CHASE — Director
  • JULIE GARREAU — President
  • LORETTA BARRETT ODEN — Director
  • MICHELLE DUBRAY — Director
  • ROY KADY — Director
  • TANYA GARCIA — Director
  • TERROL JOHNSON — Director
  • TRISTAN READER — Director
relationships · 21

who they work with

  • All Pueblo Grows Partner — Highlights their Seed Lending Library, which supports Pueblo and local growers, grounded in seasonal knowledge, cultural preservation, and intergenerational training.
  • Ekvn-Yefolecv Partner — Highlights their work as an intentional ecovillage of Maskoke people returning to their homelands to practice traditional lifeways.
  • First Light Partner — Highlights their work as a cross-sector collaboration supporting land return to the Wabanaki Confederacy.
  • First Nations Development Institute Partner — Provided support for the formation of NAFSA under the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative.
  • Hickman Holler Appalachian Relief Fund Funder — Provided financial support for the Healing Meals microgrant initiative.
  • Indigenous communities Partner — Partners with Indigenous communities to protect and cultivate their seed relatives.
  • Intertribal Agriculture Council Partner — Participated in NAFSA's founding council and supports Indigenous agriculture initiatives.
  • Karuk Tribe Partner — Highlights their eco-cultural restoration work, including salmon fisheries restoration through Indigenous ecological calendars, cultural burning, and river stewardship.
  • Mereya Blanco Partner — ISKN Southwest Coordinator
  • NEFOC Land Trust Partner — Highlights their work as a BIPOC-led land trust advancing Black and Indigenous land stewardship and land rematriation.
  • Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development Partner — Conducted research documenting challenges in food access in Indigenous communities.
  • Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust Partner — Partners with NAFSA to affirm that land return is practical, possible, and necessary for future generations.
  • Proteus Fund Funder — Provides support for the Rooted and Rising Grower Stipend program.
  • Sogorea Te’ Land Trust Partner — Highlights their work as a women-led urban land trust facilitating land return to Indigenous stewardship in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • TNAFA Partner — Collaborates on the "Restoring Health for a Healthy Future" webinar series.
  • Taos County Economic Development Corporation Partner — Facilitated the initial grassroots gathering of Native food activists in 2005.
  • Traditional Native American Farmers Association Partner — One of the founding organizations represented in NAFSA's council.
  • Trena Bizardi Partner — Senior Program Officer
  • U.S. Government Accountability Office Funder — Cited a 2024 report from the GAO regarding high rates of food insecurity in Native households.
  • University of Alaska Fairbanks Partner — Conducted research documenting challenges in food access in Indigenous communities.
  • WhyHunger Funder — Provides support for the Rooted and Rising Grower Stipend program.