First Peoples Fund

Our Mission

We honor and support the Collective Spirit of First Peoples artists and culture bearers. By supporting artists and culture bearers, First Peoples Fund helps Native communities heal and thrive. Collectively, we approach our work with rootedness, intuition, listening, humility and deep relationships.

Our Impact

Since 2004, FPF has directly supported over 6,000 Native artists to advance their development as entrepreneurs and agents of change because we understand that artists are a uniquely powerful means of healing and strengthening tribal communities. We have distributed $9.3 million in grant funds, fees and honoraria to nearly 500 artists from 35 states and 133 tribal nations through our fellowships, awards, and other programs.

Our Work Includes

Grants and Awards | We invest in the success and development of our FPF family of artists and culture bearers. Through financial grants and awards directly to artists and organizations, FPF supports the sustainability of their work and deepens their impact.

Mentorship and Training Programs | FPF offers coaching, training and technical assistance opportunities to artists to help strengthen their knowledge and capacity to thrive in their practice.  It is critical that artists and culture bearers have access to tools, mentors and professional development opportunities that help them achieve their goals.

Community and Youth Development Programs | Our community and youth development programs support Indigenous Arts Ecology by supporting young people beginning to explore and learn art and cultural expressions and supporting community members in learning and carrying on their art forms.  Through our programs, we work with community partners and local community members to teach cultural and entrepreneurial practices, deepen artistic and cultural identity and increase their access to financial resources in their communities.

National Research and Initiatives | First Peoples Fund initiates and conducts critical research projects to help advance knowledge and understanding of Native artists and culture bearers within the broader field.  Indigenous methods and approaches to artistic expression and practice are extremely valuable. However, the mainstream art sector has not historically embraced much of this knowledge and practice. We aim to further advance our Indigenous artists and culture bearers as national change makers, catalyzers of positive social change and essential knowledge holders for the world.