2025 Grantees

Albuquerque, NM

501c3

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC) in Albuquerque is supporting Pueblo food entrepreneurs through business seminars, farm and garden trainings, and stipends for 90 Native entrepreneurs. The project addresses gaps in mentorship, funding, and market access by providing training in financial planning, sales strategies, and technical support to help participants become investment-ready. By reducing early financial risks and promoting regenerative agriculture, IPCC aims to build sustainable food businesses, diversify revenue, and strengthen access to capital in alignment with NAAF’s mission. This project aims to address access to capital by providing financial support to cover startup costs and educational workshops. It reduces early financial risks, enabling entrepreneurs to focus on business growth without the burden of immediate debt. The initiative also incorporates agricultural risk management training to build sustainable operations and diversify revenue sources.

Billings, MT

East Lansing, MI

501c3

Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is launching a youth-focused beekeeping program for Tribal communities, selecting 10 awardees annually to receive scholarships, training in bee biology, hive management, and honey marketing. Participants will gain hands-on skills, create their own honey brands, and develop entrepreneurship experience. By combining agricultural education with business training, the project fosters youth empowerment, job creation, and sustainable economic opportunities, aligning with NAAF’s mission to expand capital access for Native producers.

 Fayetteville, AR

The Native Agriculture Financial Service (NAFS) serves as a trusted lender, supplying capital and technical assistance to support agriculture production, rural business development, and infrastructure specifically for Native American farmers, ranchers, and agricultural communities. The 501c3’s project Lending and Credit Enhancements for Native Agriculture Infrastructure and Land Stewardship Borrowers tackles one of the most significant barriers in Native agriculture, access to credit, while also enhancing the quality and reach of services available to producers. By fostering opportunities for more Native agriculturalists to enter and thrive in the field, the project invests in the next generation of food producers and land stewards. In addition, it will produce a detailed report offering actionable recommendations to decision-makers, paving the way for expanded financial pathways that support infrastructure growth and sustainable land management across Native communities.

Fayetteville, AR

501c3

Winslow, AZ

501c3

Kykotsmovi, AZ

Eagle Butte, SD

CDFI

Akiptan, Inc. is an industry leader in Native agriculture lending, actively implementing The Akiptan Tȟéčake čiŋ Initiatives to empower youth within the community. The overarching goals of these initiatives focus on fostering business acumen and promoting food security. Key programs include the Youth Owozu Program, which develops a youth-centered curriculum to help participants create garden-based businesses, and the Okhichanye Scholarships to expand educational access for high school seniors pursuing agriculture degrees. The Youth Business Plan Competition also provides practical skills through funding and technical support for young entrepreneurs to implement their business ideas. The Youth Equity Grant program ensures direct access to capital by offering grants for agricultural endeavors. At the same time, the Internship Program connects youth with hands-on experience in agriculture and financial literacy training. Akiptan’s leadership emphasizes the importance of education, mentorship, and opportunity, with resources requested to support the project’s efforts, ensuring these transformative programs continue to empower the next generation of agricultural leaders.

Lummi, WA

CDFI

CDFI

The Peoples Partner for Community Development (PPCD) is a CDFI located on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation serving the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, the Crow Nation, and the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana. With their project PPCD Agriculture Program, they intend to deploy hundreds of thousands of dollars in loan capital to qualified Tribal producers. Access to capital is always a challenge in rural Montana and the situation is complicated by lack of financial education. To increase the number of qualified loan applicants PPCD will provide extensive financial education to the communities. To better service loans granted, PPCD will provide continuous financial coaching to successful loan applicants in increase their ability to manage their loans.

Brimley, MI

EDU Org

Bay Mills Community College (BMCC) is located on the southeastern shore of Lake Superior within the Bay Mills Indian Community (BMIC). As Michigan’s first fully accredited, Tribally controlled college, BMCC meets the educational needs of a wide variety of students through its remote, rural Main Campus, West Campus, Waishkey Bay Farm site, off-campus sites, and online courses. BMCC intends to strengthen food sovereignty efforts in their community through their new project titled Bay Mills Community College Mii azhigwa ji-azhe-mamooyaang indakiiminaan miinawaa endazhi-mino-ganawendamaang nimiijiminaan (Land Requisition & Infrastructure). This project supports Bay Mills Community College community farm in strengthening food sovereignty through investments in land acquisition, pasture improvement, freezer storage, and year-round workshop access. These enhancements increase agricultural capacity, climate resilience, and sustainable management of traditional lands and food systems.

Fayetteville, AR

EDU Org

The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) supports Tribal Nations through various agricultural programming and technical assistance in establishing Tribal nation-to-nation relationships with the federal government in agriculture. This dynamic will be expanded upon by their new project, Growing the Potential of Native Youth in Agriculture and Food Systems, which will build on the success of the Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit while expanding their resources for young producers to include a Self-Advocacy Guide for accessing credit, a digital curriculum, and a peer-mentoring program for Native producers. This project will focus on building the skills and knowledge of Native youth as they establish their careers in agriculture while navigating rapidly shifting trade and regulatory environments. This project will directly address access to capital by creating a Self-Advocacy Guide to support young, Native farmers and ranchers as they seek loans and financing, as well as through a webinar learning series, peer mentoring program and The Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit.

Winnebago, NE

EDU Org

Little Priest Tribal College (LPTC) is a TCU (Tribal Colleges & Universities) serving the Omaha and Winnebago Tribes in Nebraska and Iowa. The region is highly agricultural and college leadership recognized several technical areas that regularly have an insufficient number of trained and certified professionals to fill those positions. To provide a career path to these well compensated positions LPTC’s project Precisely Mapping our Student’s Success into Careers and Farming, will help redesign their existing coursework to integrate certification preparation and practical technology training in order to equip students with industry relevant, safe, and up-to-date agricultural spray and GPS technology. These certification pathways will immediately enhance student employability and interrupt local producers’ reliance on seeking technical services from providers outside the area.

Las Cruces, NM

EDU Org

For years, the American Indian Business Enterprise (AIBE) at New Mexico State University has worked with Tribal farmers from the New Mexico Pueblos, the Navajo Nation, and other Tribal members in the region. AIBE has identified an ongoing concern among Tribal farmers: the issue of food perishability from remote locations due to an underdeveloped packaging and shipping infrastructure. This causes significant financial losses. With this NAAF grant, AIBE intends to provide regulatory compliance training and to implement a freeze-drying regimen with a packaging process that takes Native produce to a market-ready state. Introducing lyophilization into the farm-to-market chain is an innovative approach to extend the life and market-readiness of Native-grown produce in New Mexico. AIBE intends to build on previous relationships with Tribal producers and high-volume markets through technical assistance and network outreach.

Tahlequah, OK

EDU Org

The Sequoyah High School Vocational Agriculture Program aims to empower Native American youth grades 9 through 12 through agricultural education, financial literacy, and hands-on experiences in farming, ranching, and livestock management. Located within the Cherokee Nation Reservation in Oklahoma, Sequoyah High School serves a predominantly Indigenous student population, with 99% of students being Native American. By launching a vocational curriculum, establishing a local FFA chapter, and fostering community partnerships, the program seeks to equip students with the skills, leadership, and access to capital needed for future careers in agriculture. The program will serve 120 Native students in its first year—empowering youth to connect with their heritage, explore agricultural careers, and strengthen their leadership for the future of Native communities.

Bismarck, ND

EDU Org

Ann Arbor, MI

EDU Org

The University of Michigan is launching the Lakota Agriculture Project, which is dedicated to expanding agricultural education and practices that directly support food sovereignty and sustainability, specifically for Native American youth. This initiative will exclusively serve Tribal students in Rapid City and the surrounding rural counties and reservations. The project will integrate traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and STEM education, providing lessons and mentoring focusing solely on Native youth. The initiative has several interconnected objectives to enhance community engagement, education, and sustainability. These include obtaining input from the Native community to refine the teaching farm and positive youth development (PYD) curriculum, facilitating the integration of western scientific perspectives with TEK, addressing access to capital for Native farmers, promoting positive youth development through culturally grounded curricula, and ensuring the program’s long-term sustainability by developing a roadmap and training community members in grant writing. The project aims to foster deep community investment, increased youth knowledge and confidence in agroecology, and enhanced well-being, creating a unique connection between STEM and agriculture for the youth involved.

Washington, DC

EDU Org

Washington, D.C.

EDU Org

Wingate High School, a Bureau of Indian Education institution located in the heart of the Navajo Nation, serves a diverse student body, including individuals from various Native communities such as Navajo, Jicarilla, Mescalero, White Mountain Apache, and several Pueblos. Many of these students come from backgrounds rich in agricultural traditions, whether through communal farming or more commercial practices like chili and cattle production, reflecting the integral role of agriculture in their cultural identity as Diné people. The Honoring Our Roots, Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders: An Agriculture Education Initiative project aims to enhance agricultural education and community involvement among Native youth. Key objectives include hiring a full-time Agriculture Education Teacher to develop a student-centered curriculum aligned with New Mexico’s educational standards and integrate financial literacy and business plan development. The initiative will also support the teacher’s professional growth through conference attendance, establish a Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter to promote student leadership, and organize the 2nd Annual Agriculture Career Fair to connect youth with agricultural pathways. Furthermore, a community livestock sale will provide students with hands-on experience while fostering agricultural entrepreneurship. The initiative aspires to launch agriculture classes, recruit and retain students, host educational workshops, and generate revenue to support student projects, strengthening the foundation for future Native agriculturalists and their communities.

Pablo, MT

Tribes

Mandaree, ND

Tribes

The Fort Berthold Land and Livestock Infrastructure Relief for Range Land Improvement project, spearheaded by the Fort Berthold Land and Livestock Association (FBLLA), is vital in enhancing agricultural policy on the Reservation while addressing pressing concerns regarding livestock management. This project includes three key objectives: establishing a small grant program for fencing materials to improve livestock safety and pasture management; enhancing the integrity of fencing infrastructure to promote rotational grazing and reduce overgrazing risks; and fostering collaboration between neighbors to prevent livestock from straying and mitigate issues previously caused by old fencing. By working closely with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Tribe’s Supervisory Range Rider, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Tribal Business Council, the project reinforces accountability. It promotes sustainable practices within the community of tribal producers utilizing range units. Building on previous initiatives with the Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF), this project aims to improve pasture health, strengthen community ties, and ensure safer livestock management across the Reservation.

Cochiti Pueblo, NM

Tribes

The Pueblo of Cochiti Agricultural Advancement Project seeks to reinstate traditional farming practices to enhance agricultural yield and expand the capacity of the Agricultural Department by developing 300 acres of currently unused reservation farmland. Managed by the Pueblo of Cochiti Natural Resources Department and the Agricultural Collective, this initiative addresses the community’s food sovereignty challenges due to poverty. The project’s key objectives include conducting a comprehensive community needs assessment through a GAP analysis, preparing agricultural acreage with soil testing, seed and fertilizer procurement, and establishing a seed bank. A farming education initiative will also train local youth and the Agricultural Committee in essential agricultural techniques and risk management strategies. A supply chain analysis will identify inefficiencies in transportation and distribution, ultimately leading to establishing a Tribal Agricultural Enterprise to foster economic sustainability and implement a circular economy that benefits the Pueblo of Cochiti community. By accomplishing these objectives, the project aspires to strengthen the Tribal economy while providing community members access to fresh, local food, thereby improving overall well-being and self-sufficiency.

Sitka, AK

Tribes

Canyonville, OR

Tribes