The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) announces its fifth year of grantmaking and is opening a pool of $11 million starting on April 1, 2023, and closing on June 1, 2023.  

NAAF is the largest private charitable trust devoted to serving the interests of Native farmers and ranchers through grantmaking in areas of business assistance, agricultural education, technical support, and advocacy services. Since its inception in 2018, NAAF has invested $55 million in grantmaking to 501(c)(3) organizations, educational organizations, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), and state and Federally Recognized Tribes. NAAF will host five webinars throughout the open application period to provide technical assistance to applicants concerning the application process and eligibility. All the details about the RFA and webinar registration can be found on the NAAF website starting April 1, 2023. 

On the investments made in Indian Country agriculture, Dr. Joe Hiller (Oglala Lakota), Chairman of the NAAF Board of Trustees says, “NAAF funds are intended to energize several areas critical to agriculture such as lending, technical assistance, and educational development to increase access to capital for Native producers and foster systemic solutions to reduce barriers for our historically disadvantaged Native producers. NAAF’s investments should help expand the capacity of those eligible entities to increase the number of producers they support, encourage more Native youth to get involved in agriculture and enhance economic growth in the tribal and surrounding rural communities.” 

“We are in the era of cultivating agriculture throughout Indian Country. NAAF is committed to being a part of the solution in support of Native farmers and ranchers in developing our food systems and agricultural infrastructure. We look to this year of funding as an opportunity to build upon the enhanced capacity of our grantees to reach new rural tribal areas, address challenges related to rising rates of inflation, and improve market access for Tribal producers,” says NAAF CEO Toni Stanger-Mclaughlin. 

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About the Native American Agriculture Fund:

The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) provides grants to eligible organizations for business assistance, agricultural education, technical support, and advocacy services to support Native farmers and ranchers. The charitable trust was created by the settlement of the landmark Keepseagle v. Vilsack class-action lawsuit. NAAF is the largest philanthropic organization devoted solely to serving the Native American farming and ranching community.