Celebrating 25 Years of Native Cultures Fund Community Work

First envisioned by Northern California Native leaders in the 1990s, the Native Cultures Fund (NCF) has supported more than 400 artists, culture bearers, and tribal researchers, sharing over $3 million through grants to Native communities and individuals in the past 25 years of community work. Grants are used for the preservation, revitalization, and perpetuation of the rich California Tribal cultures across NCF’s service region. Initiated and led by Native peoples, NCF is a partnership between Native communities, HAF+WRCF, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and other donors. HAF+WRCF became our official home in 2002.

All grant and scholarship recommendations are made by committees of Native culture bearers, scholars, and elders from across our
regions, with committees changing each fall and spring. To honor the tradition of reciprocity, we also invite past recipients to join our
review committees. In addition, we look to cultural leaders to help provide guidance and leadership in developing ongoing strategies
and priorities for the fund.

Our Work

Nationally, less than .04% of philanthropic dollars go to Native causes and organizations, with an even smaller percentage supporting projects that focus on cultural sovereignty and the transmission of traditional values. NCF is working to change this and is honored to share resources with Native communities and
individuals. NCF is often the first introduction to philanthropy for many of these grassroots organizations and communities.

NCF works to bolster the field of philanthropy, increasing the capacity of national and statewide philanthropic partners to better serve Native peoples through education, advocacy, collaborative funding, and coaching. Concurrently, we offer services to Native organizations and communities through one-on-one consulting, grant-writing assistance, and networking opportunities.

In partnership with community leaders, we create and sustain programming that offers culture bearers, language revivalists, and Native educators the space to build community, share best practices, and strengthen the cultural renaissance in California. NCF also supports programs to promote widespread understanding of Native cultures and history.

NCF’s Impact

NCF continues to reflect and build upon the findings from our 2019 program evaluation. Additionally, through a built-in feedback loop with the communities we serve, we continue to deepen our understanding of what it truly means to be in support of community. We recognize that cultural communities throughout the state are dynamic, living, breathing societies that are in constant movement. As such, we continue to listen, evolve, and develop new ways to support cultural revitalization in Native California.

Our Reach

NCF has been honored to do this kind of community work for 25 years. Because of our deeply rooted, multi-generational relationships with the many communities across our service region, we have been able to witness firsthand the healing journeys of these communities. We have seen the reclamation and revitalization of California’s first peoples. This year, we want to highlight current work, while also taking a moment to honor the long journey and the growth of our community.

Trinidad Rancheria has been hosting ongoing workshops, practices, and camps for youth in the community to engage in herlh-perh, a traditional stick game. Tribal traditions, including herlh-perh, help revive and restore the physical wellbeing of the participants, the spirit of cooperation and connection, and the vitality of
community.

By bringing their ancient ways and practices forward, their people are taught the true meaning of respect; even though they compete against each other, their people will still come together in a time of need. The program also provides a focal point to coordinate and build other community activities and relationships.

Yurok Tribal Language Program

CF has been honored to support many communities in language work over the past 25 years, from larger community support through the Living Your Language Alliance (LYLA) to more focused work with individual language communities. 

The Yurok Tribal Language Program was established in 1998 and included those who demonstrated a lifelong mission to preserve and revitalize the Yurok Language. In the beginning, preservation was at the forefront of saving the Yurok language. The YTLP worked tirelessly to access resources to document interviews and listening sessions with fluent elder Yurok speakers, including grants from NCF. NCF also supported and advocated for Yurok language classes in local public school systems. 

Today, the Yurok Language Program continues to utilize language documentation as a tool for continued learning, while also providing access to learners near and far with their website, yuroklanguage.com. The Yurok Language Program has become a model for others to learn from as they continue to preserve and revitalize the Yurok language, helping to heal their communities from intergenerational trauma and the Indian Boarding School era. 

Building upon the revitalization of the Yurok language, NCF has been honored to be the home of the ‘Aa-wok Georgiana Trull Memorial Scholarship. A scholarship began by the family of one of those elders, ‘Aa-wok Georgiana Trull. Through this scholarship we can support students active in Indigenous Language Revitalization as they pursue additional knowledge to support their communities.

Learn more about the Native Cultures Fund grants and scholarships on the Native Cultures Fund affiliate page.

—

Read through more highlights from the 2023-2024 HAF+WRCF Annual Report and Yearbook.