2025 Weaving Kinship Grant LOI
Ends on
WEAVING KINSHIP GRANT GUIDELINES
Call for Letters of Intent (LOIs)
Weaving Kinship Overview
Native Arts and culture are the heartbeats to a thriving healthy community, and have the power to transform communities by reviving cultural practices, building kinship, and connecting peoples to their language and culture. The Weaving Kinship Grant program aims to support organizations that First Peoples Fund has not previously partnered with, weaving new relationships and strengthening kinship.
The Weaving Kinship Grant Program offers a one-year $75,000 grant to ten Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), community development, cultural arts, or language revitalization organizations.
The Weaving Kinship Grant Program provides the resources necessary to uplift Native artists and strengthen the arts within their communities. The program aims to enhance the Indigenous Arts Ecology (IAE) by drawing on ancestral wisdom and knowledge, while nurturing innovation and creating opportunities for future generations of artists. In addition to funding, the Weaving Kinship grant program will collaborate with grantee partners to identify non-financial support that will strengthen their programs and promote long-term sustainability.
ELIGIBILITY
- Native-led Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), community development, arts, cultural arts, or language revitalization organizations.
- Lead applicants of a collective must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application.
- Applicants must reside and be based within the U.S.
- Applicants who reside outside of the U.S. are ineligible to apply.
- Applicants must be an enrolled member of, or provide proof of lineal descendancy from, a U.S. federally-recognized or U.S. state-recognized tribe, or be able to provide proof of ancestry as an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian.
- For more information about acceptable documents, please click here.
- Applicants may not be enrolled in any academic, degree-conferring program.
- Previous and current Native Arts Ecology Building (NAEB) grantees are not eligible. This program is designed for organizations not yet supported by First Peoples Fund.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
- Have a demonstrated history of providing art-related services and programs
- Demonstrate that the project will have an impact on Native artists’ careers or the local community.
- Learning Journey: If selected, grantees will have the option to participate in an in-person co-visioning session in the early stages of the grant. First Peoples Fund Program Manager and Site Advisor may visit to learn what additional support may be offered to ensure the success of the organization's goals and outcomes.
SELECTION PROCESS
Through a two-stage application and review process, FPF will award ten (10) one year $75,000 grants to Native-led Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), community development, arts, cultural arts, and/or language revitalization organizations.
Stage 1: Open call for Letters of Interest (LOI) from organizations that meet eligibility requirements. Following the submission of LOIs, FPF will internally review and advance those that best fit the purpose of the Weaving Kinship Grant.
Stage 2: If selected in Stage 1, an invitation to complete a full application will be sent to the applicant. Based on the averaged application rating, the review committee convenes to deliberate. Final decisions are made based on panelist recommendations, available funding, and any relevant funding restrictions.
TO APPLY
Deadline to apply: Wednesday, June 18th, 2025, 6pm MST
A completed LOI application includes an Application submission in Submittable. Applications sent over email will not be considered.
To see an overview of the Stage 1 - LOI Application, please click here.
Organization Information:
- Legal Name of Organization
- Street Address
- City
- State
- Zip Code
- Organization website
- Main contact for application
- Main contact email
- Main contact phone number
- Social Media Handles
Organization Overview:
Organization Overview (150 words): Provide a brief overview of the organization’s mission and history. And, list any significant changes that have occurred within your organization in the past year.
Founding Year: Year the organization formed
LOI Narrative Questions:
- How has your organization contributed to the development of the Indigenous Arts Ecology (IAE) in your community (with past projects)? (150 Words)
- How will this grant further support and strengthen your organization’s future growth? (150 Words)
- What activities do you hope to undertake to build the IAE in your region that would support artist entrepreneurship, ancestral wisdom and knowledge, nurture innovation and/or create opportunities for future generations of artists? (150 Words)
- How does your organization support artists and culture bearers to succeed? (i.e. providing funding, professional development, networking opportunities or physical spaces) (150 Words)
- How does your organization build relationships with artists and culture bearers in your community? How do you sustain and retain those relationships? (150 Words)
- Provide a list of your organization’s leadership and staff, including their tribal affiliation and a brief description of their background working in and with Native communities. (150 Words)
SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT: Applicants will be notified if they advance to submit a full application in July 2025.
QUESTIONS?
Contact Bridget Skenadore, Indigenous Arts Ecology Program Manager, with any questions by calling (720) 263-0728, or via email at: bridget@firstpeoplesfund.org.