activities · 15
what they do
direct service · 10
- Administering the Rooted and Rising Grower Stipend Program Indigenous Seed Rematriation & AccessAwards 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 Indigenous Seed Rematriation & AccessAwards 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.
- Facilitating community partnerships and gatherings Community Dialogue & Development InitiativesPartners with communities to support local and regional gatherings and strengthens relationships across seed networks and Tribal communities.
- Operating the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network Indigenous Seed Rematriation & AccessEstablished in 2015, this program focuses on seed sovereignty, providing tools, guides, curriculum, and policy support, and fostering relationships across seed networks and Tribal communities.
- Operating the Indigenous Seed Keepers NetworkEstablished in 2015, this program focuses on supporting Indigenous seed sovereignty through various initiatives.
- Operating the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network Indigenous Seed Rematriation & AccessOperates the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network, which was established as an official program in 2015 to support Indigenous seed sovereignty.
- Partnering with Communities for Local and Regional Gatherings Local Food Business Certification & SupportPartners with communities to support local and regional gatherings, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing within Indigenous food systems.
- Running the Food and Culinary ProgramRuns 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.
- Running the Food and Culinary ProgramFormalized in 2017, this program supports Indigenous culinary revitalization, including a Virtual Food and Culinary Mentorship Program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Supporting Indigenous Seed Sovereignty Indigenous Seed Rematriation & AccessStrengthens 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.
capacity building · 5
- Distributing Healing Meals MicrograntsDistributes $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 micrograntsDistributes $3,000 microgrants to Indigenous organizers to host community meals focused on ancestral foodways and wellness.
- Offering consultations and funding for seed program development Indigenous Seed Rematriation & AccessProvides one-on-one and small group consultations for seed program development and offers funding opportunities for seedkeepers and related projects.
- Providing Educational Resources and Training for Indigenous Food Systems Indigenous Seed Rematriation & AccessOffers 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 Indigenous Seed Rematriation & AccessOffers 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.
strategies · 14
how they think
Theories of action extracted from this org's own source material. Click any to see the full field of orgs running the same approach.
- Advocating for Decolonization, Rematriation, and Indigenous Land Governance decolonization_and_rematriationThe organization advocates for the rematriation of seeds, decolonization of food systems, and the return of inherent governance over land, water, and food. This includes restoring land access, creating Indigenous-protected areas, and establishing secure tenure for Native growers, viewing these as essential for true food sovereignty.
- Advocating for Decolonization, Rematriation, and Indigenous Land Governance decolonization_and_rematriationThe organization advocates for the rematriation of seeds, decolonization of food systems, and the return of inherent governance over land, water, and food. This includes restoring land access, creating Indigenous-protected areas, and establishing reparations frameworks, viewing these as essential for food sovereignty and lived responsibilities shaped by community consensus and ancestral knowledge.
- Advocating for Decolonization, Rematriation, and Indigenous Land Governance decolonization_and_rematriationThe organization advocates for the rematriation of seeds, decolonization of food systems, and the return of inherent governance over land, water, and food. This includes restoring land access and Indigenous land governance as essential to food sovereignty, viewing these as lived responsibilities shaped by community consensus, cultural practices, and ancestral knowledge.
- Centering Indigenous Values and Ancestral Knowledge for Food Sovereignty ancestral_knowledge_centered_food_sovereigntyThe organization roots its work in Indigenous values and ancestral knowledge, believing that restoring these elements, affirming community initiative, and reclaiming resources are essential for empowering communities and achieving lasting food sovereignty. This approach supports Native communities' rights to culturally grounded, environmentally sound, and economically just food systems.
- Community Empowerment through Traditional Food Practices and Cultural Medicine community_empowerment_through_traditional_food_practicesThe organization empowers communities to foster traditional, Indigenous food practices for sustained well-being, utilizing "Healing Meals" as acts of community care that integrate ancestral knowledge, intergenerational connection, and cultural ceremony. This approach centers ancestral foods, wellness, and cultural medicine for collective restoration.
- Community Empowerment through Traditional Food Practices and Cultural Medicine community_empowerment_through_traditional_food_practicesThe organization empowers communities to foster traditional, Indigenous food practices for sustained well-being, utilizing "Healing Meals" as acts of community care that integrate ancestral knowledge, intergenerational connection, and cultural ceremony. This approach centers ancestral foods, wellness, and cultural medicine to advance collective restoration and food sovereignty.
- Community-Empowered Traditional Food Practices for Well-being community_empowerment_through_traditional_food_practicesThe organization empowers communities to foster traditional, Indigenous food practices for sustained well-being. This includes using Healing Meals as acts of community care that integrate ancestral knowledge, intergenerational connection, and cultural ceremony to advance collective restoration and food sovereignty, and centering ancestral foods, wellness, and cultural medicine in educational series.
- Investing in Indigenous Growers for Traditional Knowledge Reclamation and Rematriation indigenous_grower_investmentThe organization invests in Indigenous growers through stipends and infrastructure support, believing this directly supports the reclamation of traditional knowledge, affirmation of sovereignty, and restoration of ancestral practices. This investment is seen as a means of rematriation and restoration, aiming to reclaim relationships to land, seed, and culture disrupted by colonization.
- Investing in Indigenous Growers for Traditional Knowledge Reclamation and Rematriation indigenous_grower_investmentThe organization invests in Indigenous growers through stipends and infrastructure support to facilitate the reclamation of traditional knowledge, affirmation of sovereignty, and restoration of ancestral practices. This investment is seen as a means of rematriation and restoration, aiming to reclaim relationships to land, seed, and culture disrupted by colonization.
- Promoting Seed Sovereignty through Access, Literacy, and Ethical Stewardship seed_sovereigntyThe organization works to build Indigenous seed access and increase seed literacy for Tribal communities through regional networks. This includes supporting growers committed to traditional seeds and practices, and developing a collaborative framework for ethical seed stewardship and guidelines for tribal communities.
- Promoting Seed Sovereignty through Access, Literacy, and Ethical Stewardship seed_sovereigntyThe organization works to build Indigenous seed access and increase seed literacy for Tribal communities through regional networks. This includes utilizing educational resources, mentorship training, and advocacy to promote seed sovereignty and create a collaborative framework for ethical seed stewardship.
- Six Pillars of Indigenous Food Sovereignty Framework indigenous_food_sovereignty_frameworkThe organization organizes its work and advocacy around six interconnected areas of Indigenous food sovereignty, which goes beyond food access to encompass systems and power dynamics related to food harvesting, distribution, and decision-making. This framework emphasizes that Indigenous food sovereignty is grounded in relationships, responsibilities, and place-based cultural knowledge, focusing on restoring food systems interconnected with language, ceremony, land, kinship, and community governance.
- Storytelling and Information Sharing for Advocacy and Understanding storytelling_advocacyThe organization shares stories of Indigenous growers and maintains a blog to highlight Indigenous food leaders, community initiatives, and policy updates. This approach aims to deepen understanding of Indigenous leadership and advocate for the support and protection of vital traditions, as well as uplift community voices and Indigenous ways of knowing.
- Storytelling and Information Sharing for Advocacy and Understanding storytelling_advocacyThe organization uses storytelling and a blog to share insights, updates, and reflections from Indigenous food leaders and community initiatives. This approach aims to deepen understanding of Indigenous leadership and advocate for the support and protection of vital traditions, highlighting the interconnectedness of food systems with language, ceremony, land, kinship, and community governance.
named programs · 2
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.
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.