Alliance: A role model for the good ship philanthropy?

An Indigenous-Led Organization

Thank you for all of your responses to our June newsletter!

We’ve had a busy couple of months. We are in the final stages of preparing to launch our new website! This new and improved version has been redesigned to help streamline applications to the Keepers of the Earth Fund–communities applying to the Fund will now find detailed guidance and information on how to apply, stories of past grantees and their projects, and resources on related grants programs from outside organizations. We hope that the website will serve as an important resource for our communities, NGOs, the funding and donor communities, journalists, students and academics, and others. Our website will highlight the important role that Indigenous Peoples play in biodiversity protection, food security, and environmental and social sustainability. Stay tuned for news of the website launch, check it out at www.FirstPeoplesWorldwide.org, and please tell us what you think!

We are also celebrating the milestone of US$1 million in FPW grants to Indigenous communities! Since our founding in 1997, we have collaborated with Indigenous organizations from Kenya and Nepal to Russia and Bolivia. We are honored to have worked with so many inspiring Indigenous groups and we hope to facilitate many more inspiring grant projects in the future!

Earlier this summer, Rebecca Adamson participated in a FRED (Frank, Relevant, Edifying Discussions) Talk at the Money & Life Conference. The conference gathered stakeholders from the commerce, finance, activism, and academia sectors to discuss next steps in realigning the role of money in the global society. Rebecca also spoke on VoiceAmerica, in a two-part series that aired on June 4th and 18th. Rebecca shared her thoughts on FPW’s mission of Indigenous-led development, corporate social responsibility, and the role the private sector can play in protecting Indigenous rights. Listen to the programs here (part one) and here (part two).

Looking ahead, FPW has a very busy Fall schedule! On October 5-6 at the University of Mary Washington, I will speak on the expert panel at the Poverty Action Conference. The conference is organized for students, by students, and will allow them to meet with experts in the development field and acquire feedback on their project ideas. On October 19-21, Rebecca Adamson will speak at the Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, California. The annual conference, now in its 23rd year, gathers “scientific and social innovators who have demonstrated visionary and practical models for restoring the Earth and communities.”And on November 28-December 2, FPW will participate in a special panel at the Social Change Film Festival and Institute (SCFFI) in New Orleans, Louisiana. The SCFFI has partnered with First Peoples Worldwide to seek submissions from Indigenous filmmakers.

We continued to receive hundreds of applications for grants. We are thrilled with the enthusiasm and ingenuity we have found in these proposals, and look forward to working with new Indigenous communities around the world.

Peace,